The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-02-17
REALM or BOOKS

BY PAU PRY.

/, equestrian exercise
The book is most entertainingly writ
ten and contains a number of portraits
of prominent participants.
by the Light of the Soul" by Mary E.
Wilkins Freeman. Published by Harper
g. Bros
Mrs. Mary E. Wilkins Freeman has
published any number of books that
have all been good sellers and achieved
for themselves quite a good share of
popularity. Her latest story, by the
Light of the Soul" like most of her pre-
vious work, is made up of the quiet an
nails of a New England household. If
we should judge, however, from this new
work we would be forced to acknowledge
that such New England family was a
most uninteresting one The author s
ability as a writer may be summed up
In this capacity she possesses of truth
fully portraying this simple, uneventful
home life but 500 pages of it proves
somewhat wearisome before the end Is
reached and not a very satisfactory close
either.
Maria Edgham is a mere slip of girl
when she is first presented to the reader,
a quiet, unaffected member of a homely
family, with apparently no desires but to
live their lives as quietly as possible.
Marla's mother passes away and the
sion for the neighbors. Maria's unexpect-
ed and untimely secret marriage, which
somehow just happened to occur, affords
some moderately dramatic situations.
I "A Daughter of the Confederacy," by
| Phoebe Hamilton Seabrook. The Neale
| Publishing Co.
"A Daughter of the Confederacy' is a
| story of the old south and the new; a
story of those troublous times when
| Shermans dread march sent fright to the
| heart of every one who might be near
| his path. In many of the descriptions
! Mrs. Seabrook sees the humor of things
and is not overawed by incongruity.
This story does not dwell upon the hor-
rors of camp and field, of prison or hos
pital, but upon the daily life of fam
| lily left to the wearing trials of mac
| tivity. anxiety and starvation, and as
some writer has said. to make home life
| interesting is more difficult than to pic
ture the pomp and circumstance of glo-
/ rlous war"
| Ann Boyd" by VIII N. Harden. Pub
| lished by Harper & Bros.
Ann Boyd" Mr.. Harben's latest story,
| is dedicated to William Dean Howells. In
| Mrs. F'reeman's story. by the Light of
| the Soul" we have a story distinctive
| of New England, with all its strongest
characteristics and pecullarities. In Mr..
| Harben's story, Ann Boyd" we have a
! tale of southern life as people over in
| Georgia may know 1t in any rural dis
trict.
And Boyd is, above ALL character, and
| in her delneation and the narrative of
| her life story is strange blending of
| evil and good. and the former seems often
| sadly almost to predominant. Like the
| famous Mrs. Wigs, this heroine, Mrs
| &c 6ftV and "
feels that the author has chosen a
| strange parsonage around whom to
weave his vibrant story. The romantic
, episodes of her life, with their human
| frailties and passions. were a tale that
| was told when the readers acquaintance
with her begins. Heneeforth she Is, to a
degree, reaping as she has sown, and yet
/ the good in her heart an dlife is domi-
nant and the reader feels forced to adj
NIT that she has made a success of her
| life in spite of everything and every
body. Fortunately, she was a woman
who could do things and so with all the
community down on her." she ran her
| farm single-handed, made money and
prospered above and beyond her envious
| and carping neighbors. 1t is a story vi
| brating with elemental passions and emo
tons. and so the smouldering good In
| Ann Boyd's heart is rudimentary yee,
/ evidently a component part of her ma
| ture. 1t surges outward just as soon as
| the opportunity to help others presents
| itself, and her strong. courageous. out
stretched hand is given with no uncer-
| tain quality. 1t is slow reading and pos
sibly by no means suited to the reader
who wishes quick action and varied in
cident. But rather suited to the one who
| loves character delineation and the gen.
tie analysis of life from 'obeying her
] laws of nature" as Ann quantity puts
It up to the spiritual light and truth of
tAinaA ~ \