New-York tribune., 1897-01-03
RECENT FICTION.
MISS JEWETTS IMAGINATIVE STUDY OF
A REALISTIC THEME.

THE COUNTRY OF THE POINTED FRS; BY
Sara Orne Jewett. Octave. PIP. 2e' Houeh'oh'
Miffn Co.
THE WHEELS OF CHANCE. A Bicycling Idyll.
By II. G. Wells. With Illustration by j. Ayton l,o
symington octave. pp 32l The Macmillan
Company.
''' trated. Octave PIP. 4os. D. Appleton & Co.
pAIJADIA. By Mrs Hugh Fraser. Octave, PIP.
329 The Macmillan Company.
THE CHILD. THE WISE MAN AND THE
DEVIL. BY BY Gous Goulsosn X Hernahan' Duodec'"0'
oLYMPUs TO LONDON. BY the Personal Con- on
ductor Of the Party New , FantastiG e. no n,s
Erosas manSe seboo sne n"'nS Octave pp s Phadel-
phia: J. b. Lippincott Company.
THE STRANGE SCHEMES OF RANDOLPH
pp go G. r. Putnams Sons.
STORIES FROM THE CHAP-BooK. Being, a
Miscellany OF Curious and Interesting Tales'
bsted Wrers Ne%y and very Deshu Read
Duodecimo. op. 2l. Chicago: Herbert >. stone
& Co.
Miss Jewett's new book offers perfect illustra-
ton Of the axiom that the artist Is known by what
he leaves out. She draws her types and scenes
from a placid Maine village the episodes pathetic
or humorous. which accent the smooth current OF
her narrative. are such as must be searched for
diligently among the villagers OF England,
they are so unobtrusve so humble. little dis
posed to obviously dramatic manifestations OF
themselves But where the representation OF these
prosaic things would remain prosaic in the pages
OF a tactless reast they are rendered poetically
impressive by Miss Jewetts imaginative pen. She
says little that Is explicit about her personages
and she fingers but briefly the details Of their
surroundings but that which she sets down Is ex-
pressive to the last degree. One sees the quiet
highway with It's houses nesting In od-fashloned
gardens; one smells the salt sea and catches the
lights of the beach whence the little fisher boats
put off. Best OF all. the reader really accompanies
Miss Jewett on her visits among the inhabitants OF
this quaint region. and. still feeling bound to her
and to her people by a curious kind of friendship.
guesses rather than deliberately studies the life
histories OF these silent. uncompaining men and
women. There Is no romance in the book. taken
In <he superficial sense but there CLEANS OF 1t
behind the simple pages. suggestions OF human
steadfastness. of human sorrow which lend the
work lasting dignity and power. The medium
through which the authors sympathetic imagna-
ton reveals Itself Is which only grows more
delicate and supple with time. Her style Is pic
torial, as has been suggested. without being min
ute She Is a realistic story-teler but she filings
over her work beauty which touches the mind
with sense OF more elusive and oveer things.
There Is something OF n surprise In store for the
reader OF THE Wheels OF Chance" especially the
reader who is already acquainted with Mr. Wells
through THE Time Machine" or some other OF his
whimsical stories. This newest narrative is writ
ten In strain of merry satire and the hero OF the
Bicycling Idyll. as 1t Is called In a subtitle. is
one OF the most amusing figures In recent minor
fiction. He has a certain pathos as Is. indeed
necessary for II II doubtful II the author could
have made so long novel out OF a few merely
comical ideas He had to indicate in the vacuous
Mr. IIoopdrver the possibilities of a better man In
order to make the young drapers assistant COM
panonabe. But having done this and having In
troduced just enough seriousness into the book to
keep the interest sustained until the esd Is
reached Mr. Wells has Justly let his fancy play
about his hero and heroine on their fantastic flight
along "the South Coast" II Is a tale OF day.
dreaming. the holiday OF the young counter jumper
being filed with visions OF romance the lite brain
OF the girl he meets under circumstances too
amusing to be revealed In review being turned
topsy turvey with ideas OF Living My own Life +"
Through this small comedy. a comedy which
uembles constantly on the brink Of farce the