Birmingham age-herald., 1895-03-03
GOSSIP FROM BOOkLANp.

An eminent critic has remarked that F. Marion Crawford may no longer be chased with roma nticisls, and it seems eminently true that "rhe Ralstous,' MT. Craw- ford's latest work, must be placed among the broad and decided works of the realist.
 In "Dr. Claudius" Mir. Crawford gave us an exceedingly improbable and roman tic story, and yet "Dr. Claudius'' was splendid creation, and towers head and shoulders above the ordinary man in his moral as well as physical nature. Grand possibilities and conceptions of life come with such an ideal love as he bestows upon Margaret, whole hearted woman, who responds to his noble affection. The story is clever, and often brilliant, aud there is not dull page in the book:
 Many readers are familiar with MT. Crawford's three famous works. "Sara- cinesca, ''Saint llario, ' and their sequel, tells stories in perfect way, pow erfully and beautifully, giving a graphic and distinct picture of Roman society, which has proven happy revelation to many of his readers, conse- quentiy it was with extreme interest that Mr. Crawford's latest work, .tThe Ral. stons," was anticipated, knowing he had studied with minute care the phases of New York society and proposed to portray something of that study in his rew work.
 
 In "The Ralstons'' MT. Crawford has written of the Lauderdale family and their huge fortune, few of the family connec- tions and several friends. They live in the higher circles of New York society and we gain picturesque insight into the life and thought of their social customs. The story is exceedingly dramatic and vivid, reciting in an unusually sprightly style the life and daily occurrences of the few lead ing characters. The unities of time, place and action are faithfully observed, and no one brings to his work a truer knowledge of life or a more accurate analysls of char acter and motive than MT. Craw- ford. His characters are individ- ual and boldly drawn, the story is well conceived and smoothly writ ten though we occasionally feel the tedi- ousness of realistic detail in the very many quarrelsome passages between Katherine Lauderdale and her father, as also in the lingering illness of the head of the family Robert Lauderdale. It is noticeable in all of Mr. Crawford's work that he has the rare literary ability and insight that makes the very most of his material, his plot, his characters and their individual idlosyncra- ces, and very perceptibIy finishes his work in the artistic and vague manner that affords the author ample opportunity to take up again, at his pleasure, the threads of fate and pursue the lines of destiny. This is eminentiy true of "The Ralstons," for after plodding, though very delight fully, through two volumes of wranglng over sO, 1000, ,OOO of money, who does not wish to learn the ultimate possessor of the vast wealth, especially when a will, known to sh,, be in ,o,eG existence, may pos. some some legacy to Ham Bright, for whom our sympathies were so tenderly given on account of his hopeless attachment to Katharine. In the character of Alexander Lauderdale, Jr., we find particularly strong and vivid creation, stern snd un- yielding. No further explanation or analysis of his character is needed to those of us who have read Miss Wilkins true delineations in "Pembrokeo than the truthful reflection of his 'sNew England and Deborah Thayer might really have been brother and sister, so very like are they in their stern reientlessness of pa- rental auth ority, though to Alexander is added the meannesses of covert actions prompted by the miserly, and love of gold was his ruling and driving passion. Kath- arine possessed many of the rude, bardy traits of her father, softened and beautified by the sweet aroma of an unselffsh, pure and devoted attachment. The love of Katharine Lauderdale and Jack Ralston, tried as it was in the fiery furnace of oppo- sition and dieiculties, was true aud en- nobling to the end, and in the perusal of their story will be gleaned the higher im- heart and life of the reader, making him purer and truer in his feelings and nature.
 Mir. Crawford gives us glimpses in many pages of his book of his wonderful insight and knowledge of human nature, as is so truthfully and simply related in the fol- lowing:
 "r6e young girl moved as though she were about to rise-the little preliminary movement which most women make as a clock gives warning five minutes before 1t strikes. It is often a tentative measure, and there is some expectation on the part of her who moves that her friend will make at least show of detainiug her. When she does D ot mean to do sd she herself gen. erally moves a little, which precipifates matters.
 ''If men could understand this they would more often be able to understand whether they are wanted any longer or not. But instead they rarely give warn- ing, but seize their hats, in countries where 1t is manners to carry them, and choice about detaining him or not. -
 It is In this work of MT. Crawford's that occurs the very trite reflection upon the manner of reading books, especially the reviewers shurriedD way of reading, that elicited lengthy editorial from leading New York paper, which went on to state that tho reviewer is about the only one who does read books carefully. and every word of them. Mir. Crawford says:
 'Men, as well as women, have intentions which they cannot explain, but they are much more inclined to conceal them than