New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-11-30
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
RECENT NOVELS.

men LIGHTS. 16mo pp 500. noughton' Mihiin 4
sUzETTE. BY MARY srIrR TMRNAN l0m"' i''''''
Holt & Co. ,. ,c,,o
Charles Scribner's Sons. 1870, ,co,o
FOR LILIAs. BY Rosa NoCCHETrE NXi'N''
Philadelphia: J. +. Lippiacot' Compa"S vv1nr.
AN ILI-REGULATED MIND. By kAIIiAh'NN
IGmo. Henry Holt Co. ,o ror5s
HYPER EsTHEsIA. BY MARY CRvGEF' lo'U''
Howard Hubert. ,,.c nova
dnction by Edgar saltus g. j. CoomoeS, $1,000
AN ORIGINAL BELLE. BY EDWARD T. hoi" i0
PIP. 533. DOdd, Mead 20.
The incident upon which this story depends-an
accident depriving the sufferer Tor SeVer"I "a
all memory of recent events-ls not new III h'''o-'
hint it's managed with fresh and adIoltiy ar
ranged effects The scene of &C ton Is Iau pi'"
palIy in the mountains of Western NOrth O'i"i'"'
The scenery and life of that picturesque reson' t"0
dialect and manner of the mountalheerS "I0
scrihed with bold and vigorous hand ana tile III
cidents are yividlv told. The story lhuee" -
,norLoblo for ITS direct and rapid narrative II Is
M loss admirable for the poetcsl spirit III whlch II
,raots the tragic complications rising out Oh uie
physiological puzzle which we have mehuoHo" 40
the basis of the plot. The solution Is Drought
about not by one of those convenient acCiuon''
upon which sensational nOvests rely, Out oS
very natural and delicate exhibition OF nooie ch"i
acter. the development of which Is the au'loi
happeSt work.
High Lights" is wOmaus novel when con-
tains matter enough for a magazine stoIy Oh. Ho'
for book There is no plot, the summer low
making of wO esimablc young people lol'erS 'ions
with much superAuOus talk; and the It" eN'"'
which attend its tresome progress are too shght 10
youse us The conversation of Conrad ana hooiH"
would bore us to death if had TO listen 10 II III
reallif Why must the novelist add TO the tedlum
of existence by compelling 10 read talk winch Is
neither wise nor witty
There is good work in "Suzette." 1t Is story OF
,ool ucon,e whose Municipalities are clear, whose
WAYS are Thoroughly natural. and 1t Is too III
graceful manner The tale is Of the old South ana
OF n Quiet unprogressive, but self-reSpectlng anu
On the whole agreeable kind of people. The eXcl'c-
1nept Of the narrative comes from the disturbances
c3us,l in this placid community by the advent o.
a young creole girl FROM New-Or!eans. mere an"
there are to be caught f'avors as OF Oaolo' Inc
pictures # Grand Kitty, john Fountain and UeoI-
frey. are suggestive III that direction, though II
would he unfair to intimate that Mrs. Ii'iuon
had consciously initiated any author she mas
,rdood 2 stvle If her own, and it Is a good ana
,,leosincone. The character of TuniS and Edmund
are strongly drawn. and their love ldyH Is charm
inc.
In " Roses Of shadow" which is a rather fantas-
tlc title. MI Suliv.o has produced story OF M
equal merit. Tie bcgilnn- T. dlN. stih and a"k-
ward the middle and end lie N l0h better II Is
one of those novels whicl cIolte the impression
that the writer had not arranged his plot when DC
bocln it. and did not himself become Thoroughly
interested until he had written two or three chap
ters Ii Gn American ory, the scene beng PIN
cipaIk ston Two of the characters, Brunl. the
artist ard Miss Gerard, are fresh and carefully
-..Its1 .r,l an
they should De. There special scenes OF decided
power. the strongest being that leading mp to the
1r5y,lv Of Mss Gerard though She is 50 very dis
agreeable young woman that even her sad fate
1alls 20 excite much sympathy. The novel as
whole suggests a certain immatUrity in the author
but at the same time affords promise Of better work
when practice has removed crudIties aud taught
Tic necessity Of sustained effort and patient edho-
ration.
Miss Carey whites many novels. and writes them
nj q length and with disregard OF the Hnp1urnce
of the age which would be more admirable II her
quality were equal to her quantity. "for Lllias
j, certainly had or poor story. Ite1Mbi'' de-
ciled narrative skill, power IN character building,
adroitness in pot-weavInG, and smooth, flowing
STYLE The general plan OF the story Is clever and
the ARRANGEMENT and development easy and
natural But the dialogue kills the effect. II IS
heavy prolix and difuse, and there IS a good deal
loo much If it, " For Lilias is distinctly higher
fvpe Of novel than "Qucechy," for example, bot II
ras il strong smack of the peculiar feminine tea
party odor which hung about that book. No DOUBT
there is a considerable casS for whom this kind OF
pratIe is interesting ana satisfactory. If authors
have before them thelrultilnate aim the pleasing
of tins class well anu good As a business PROPOSE
ton 1t may be perfectly sound. But arr has nothing
to say to such anbIuOns which from a critical
point Of view are ii!egItiMate the lowest Grub
Street performances. Miss Carey can do better if
she will however Her stories need pruning and
her characters REQUIRE tonic treatment.
"An H!-regulated Mind lsanother Of those hIlf-
finished, crude productions which bctray a dis
couIaging Indifference 10 the demands Of true
art. IL does not belong in the category Of
the hopclessly trashy stprie, whose publication
seems 50 wanton an abuse of the printing press. 1t
has many flashes of talent many bits Of strong
composition, genuine vein of patho, and the ma
terra of a clear and nervous style Bat it is not
thoroughly wrought out. is full Of the blemishes
and crudities which authors alone among hand-
craftsmen think it legitimate to inlict upon tie
public What is needed in fiction to-day is not so
much Imagination, skill OF composition or pcuctIa-
ton rs consIeutiousucss and re poet for art. We
must to France for those qualities. The FIc1ch
novel has, no doubt, an evil faint, but apart from
that II must he admitted that 1t best examples
are most satisfactory works Of arr. There the
strongest books OF Daudct, Gauiiyr, About. Cher
bulIeZ, FlaubcTt, etc. thorough workmanship. q
ratient completeness polished elaboration #
every detail, combined with an artistic appIecia-
ton of proportion, too rarely encountered in Eng
lIsh and American fiction. The author Of An Ill
regulated Mind is the less 70 be excused for the
faults whichmar this story because it is not her
first But if the natural penalty of such want Of
care which IS the award of the prizes OF medioc-
N.Y. do not suffice 10 stimulate slOyenly aSpIants
for fame, neither Will wcll-mcant criticism stir
tnen. to Improvement and painstakipg.
"uyperRsthcsla" cannot b. regarded as
an altIractlYe title for q novel. or as