The Portland daily press., 1894-05-21
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

Penn broke, by Mary e. wilkins, is a
som ber. almost tragic, story of New
England life of a generation ago. The
cold, restrained natures of the people
whom the author portrays are admirably
described, and the characters stand out
vividly against dark background. The
only bit of humor in the book (and this
wholly without intention on the part of
the man himself. is in Caleb Thayer,
who has "ways.n At one time he is
vegetarian, and the family eat nothing
but garden sass." He attributes the
formation of the Democratic party to
the fact that people eat meat. "Meat
victuals is at the bottom of Democracy.
If there warnt any meat victuals eat
there wouldn' be any Democratic party,
and there wouldn't be any wrangling
in the State"
One feels relieved when "Ephraims
drops dead at his mothers feet when
she is whipping him for deceiving her
and surreptitiously enjoyed the only
"good time" which he has ever had in
his life. The good time" consisted of a
stolen slide by moonlight and a half of
a mince pie secretly taken from the
closet The tenor of the whole book is
of this sort. 3Barabas" and "Charlotte,n
the hero and heroine of the story,
waste ten years of their youth by reason
of an obstinate pride, which will neither
forgive nor forget. The betrayal of Re-
becca.n the hopeless love of "Rose,n the
long, weary waiting of "Sylvia" form a
striking and dramatic picture not easily
forgotten.
Miss Wilkins has never written any
thing stronger or more forceful than
Penn b-oke, which is saying great deal
| in the case of so talented an author. Yet
we ourselves turn from the page OF this
novel, where the darkness overshadows
each and all, to her short stories, where
| the sunshine f1ickers in and out, light
ening and relieving the gathering clouds.
| New York: Harper & Brothers; Port
| land: Loring. Short & Harmon. Price
| 81. so.
We are thankful to find novel that is
not written with purpose" These
books-most of them written by disap-
| pointed women who select some alleged
moral truth or advanced idea, and then
undertake to weave story about it
are getting tiresome; but here is tale
that it is worth reading for it's own in
| teresting self, not because we are expect
| ed to be made any better or wiser or
more discontented by it's perusal-albeit
there is no lack Of high example and in
citement to truth, honor, courage and
fidelity in it's pages. With Edge Tools.
A Novel. By Henry Stone Merriman.
| (New York: Har per & Brothers; Port
| land: Loring, Short Harmony
A Modern Wizard by Rodrigues Otto
lengui opens with an accusation of mur-
| der followed by sensational trial; and
ends with the accused but acquitted de-
fendant becoming a raving maniac by
his own voluntary act-the self-adminis-
tration of drug which accomplishes
that object. The chief purpose of the
story appears to be to set out the power
and range of hypnotism: and if one
takes it in good faith, there would seem
to be extremely dangerous possibilities
in this mysterious gift. Our old friend
Barns. the detective, who SO interested
US in An Artist in Crime, by the same
author, plays a small part here; but
neither he nor his story is SO attractive
as the former one. (New York: G. P.
Putnam's Sons; Portland; Loripg,
Short & Harmony
|