New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-09-04
CURRENT FICTION.
A SIXTY.YEAR-OLD HEROINE.

melin. 12mo, PIP. 314. Hovenden Company.
FOOTSTEPS OF FATE. Translated from the Dutch a.a
OF Louis Couperus by Clara Bell. l2mo' pp' @'2'
d. Appleton Co.
vEsTY OF THE BASINS: By sarah r. Mclean
Greene. 16mo, PIP. a71. Harper q Brothers.
ismo WILD 1 MEft Harper ny Rcthe .'''
THE vENETIANs. BY NJ. E. sraddon. 1emo' PIP.
i5Eo Rp sd EcSE s. Appleton s S Co.
THE STORY OF DICK. BY Major Gambler farry.
limo, PIP 237. Macmillan co.
Tho euthor OF Aunt Anne has achieved what hns
been accounted the mpossIble-she has made woman
Of sixty the attractive heroine OF novel; OF what In
fact may be called a lovestory. Aunt Anhes htuc
figure Is not even q beautiful one-she Is wrnkled
and worn, her lef; eye has nervous Involuntary
wink her hair s scnnty under It's cap. She is more
over. Inconseauent unreasonable fun Of whlms and
oddities Yet with all this. our hearts warm TO her,
there Is pathos In the comedy which surrounds her.
and when this deepens to tragedy ones eyes mus
mostcn o little over her fate. There are In hctioh
few characters consistently ana po"cTiuhy
set forth: in It's way this piece OF work Is per
lection. The study Is so remarkable that IL is hara
TO believe that II is not from lIfe Aunt Anne IS
no puppst OF plot she Is living. breathing figure
whose oueer and not always agreeable traits who's
folly and whose woes, cannot be forgotten. such
triumph as this book bids look with keen interest
for anothe: exhibition OF Mrs. Clidord'S undoubted
powers.
"Thc Squire. is an English country novel OF the
old fashioned type full OF people who do everything
the reader expects them TO do and ending with the
proper marriages ana deaths Such book doer no
harm II II does TO good but It suggests longing for
the day when the commlte. who are to rule the
world IN the thlrcth century shall decree that only
hooks which are Gworth WHILE shan b. pub
lishs1.
r.. 1t tbn INIT
story whose plo, wholly depends upon tho propensity
Of the characters TO do the most idloiic things a
Colonial Governors wife takes out from England n
beautiful. poverty stricken niece rs companion, ana
unwilling TO hive 4 known that her hlrclnc is n
relative obllgcs her to assumed name.
young the steamer falls In love with the GIRL
who responds but docs NOT tell him hPr real name
why no mortal knows II be not for the sake Of INC
plot Then there is n wreck. tho lovers reach land
circumstances separate them and tho yonnC man tries
In every way TO find the girl except In III" simple
and reasonable vay Of just asking the Colonial Cover
no. and his vii, for hcr address. The separation
indirectly leads to the melcfrann OF tho book IN
which tho heroine herself - murder IN or"f
10 save her father who has. shc supposes committed
tho climc. ~ course everything turns ouf hcnnu
fully rs such tissue ~ insane foolishncSs always
docs WHY Miss Crommclln. who has done good work
in fiction should indulge In such vagary ne this
book. II Is hard 20 say
In n preface TO Foot steps Of Fate" Mr.. Edmund
Gosse introduces Louis Coupcrus Of thc young"
~ tho new Dutch School " scnsitivtS ScnSltlvsm
Mr. Gosc points out 3" f. development OF Impression
ISM grated upon naturnsn az frall and eNoie bud
NAV lie set In the rough basis NJ a thorn and III"
aim " the school Is 10 retain tho host: and n"thin7
Int the bcst. 81 the experiments ~ the French dnrns
te last twenty five years without taking the trouble
10 tra,e this caboraic definition in tn" method Of
H. hat. n
careful and vivid study Of the gradual determination ~
weak character which fas,enS Itself upon stronger
one II IL in truth the story % vampire na'ur"
which follows out the laws Of Its h"irg while con'corS
all tho while Of It's vencss and hating the generosity
which sustnins e. The book has IN uncannv mfce
though II loses in effect after Tho mrrfor ~ the vnm
r.rr. and the ending seems hystcrical rnther than
irarcal.
"vcstv o, the Basins" shows the same qunlller
which rnnrRed "Cape Cod roliS--thc sam" stctchy
irrelevancc The lack Of plot tho same strength
in Tie delineson Of eccentric character. The spirit
of the book Is noble ana pnrc. and inr as Nrsti
stands for what Il lofty ani unsolf,h IN aim She J.
snsfnotorY bnt otherwise she l. vague. Notably her
betrcthcI IS n mere abstrnctlon-tle more than
hint o. character II /, I'm the portrayal o. captain
cezu-. Of Captain Plaro. Uncle Coffin. " admiral
SO. sumsitup7 and other rustic WORTHLESS tia, Ir'
Greene displays uncommon ability. II ! perhaps the
lima cinafive artist: but it Is reporting in.ir" with
humo- and sympathy. II the author. Instead Of at
tempting n long novel. had produced volume %
short sketches. Iltic callci, oi along shore por
traits her success. think. would hive been nm
questioned
Mrs Trollope's position a. novelist was long ago
fixed and the reader knows th'' he may expect
from her sincere ard pains'allng work. enriched
by a IIvclv humOr ard unnsual" keen ANALYSIS Of
M .I
That Wild VICE. are touched In manner pecul'rle
feminine but otherwise the book has n decided,
masculine movement Tho travelling man who re-
semblcs Shakespeare and dresses IN" part the group
NJ imitation aesthc,cs the irrcprr stihc old maid who
coe, spong,nr abou. tho world-al, these or" admira
lly done with No wavcrrg In the outlines. ThH
autnor Is lDss successful WITH IN" people she intends
10 mals lovnble than with those she car cnrcItnrc.
But criticism aside this story /, morn than commonly
entertaining.
without entering here into the solemn question
of what constitutes piece Of literature IL NAV be
frankly said that Miss Braddon's "Nen"tans" Is not
literature. Neither Is II quite trash. II movers on
that border land where the book that Ills an empty
hour parts company with the book thai goes In happy
securi,r TO the library shelf No human being with
anv brains 70 boast would TO read over again
the story q murder rcmorse and general worriment
which Miss Braddon offers In The "venctians?
hut for one hasty reading on duh day II answers
well enough. Hut the day must be very dull ard
wet and dresry.
"December Roses Is not n pleasant story and Is
viiazed by force sufficient 10 excnsc lis unwhole
someness. girl, deceived by designing relatives.
hts excellent young man aud marries Another
HON she doesn't love- and from whom she i presently
Obliged 10 seek divorce Before this Is granted she
meets again the Excellent One, IL nnieoevcd respect
Ing him, and all the Old affection returns without
regard 20 the fact that he Is engaged 10 somebody
elsc. When somebody else finds ths out she gives
M the hero and dies OF broken heart the Tit gets
divorce. but moved 10 remorsc tho girls death
will not marry her old love with grave between
80 they part. II Is hardly necessary 10 add that a
final chapter reunitcs the two and completes volume
not worth writing.