The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-10-21

not only goes on with steadily increas- ing interest to the end, but the author takes the time and pains, and possesses the skill and the imagination, to give wonderfully vivid presentations of char acters and scenes as the story proceeds. In it's breadth and sweep, it's absence of slurring haste, it's splendid mastery of fascinating detail. it constantly re- minds the reader of Thackeray and Dick ems and George Eliot-those giants in fiction who added to their genius an in- finite patience.
 It is primarily a novel of America and of American life, but is a story with English scenes as well, thus adding much to the effectiveness. for Mrs. Atherton is intimately acquainted with the best life on both sides of the Atlantic. The heroine is a high-bred California girl. The hero is a brilliant Englishman with every promise of a great career ! but sudden and unexpected tragedy re- suits In making him a political nonenity. Restive under this situation. he goes to America, there to carve out a new ca reer the heroine returns to her native land; and the story goes absorbingly on, with California scenes of strong and deep- ening interest California and San Fran cisco are set forth as never before in all their glory and their charm, their strength and their weakness.
 And the story comes to it's end with it's chief characters in San Francisco at the time of the earthquake and fire the scenes of which, with great buildings plunging, dancing, and toppling, and the i ire sweeping onward, are described with tremendous vividness and force, for Mrs. Atherton was in San Francisco at the time Of the great disaster.
 The home of Sir Gilbert Parker. member of the house of commons. man Of wealth and of affairs of clubs and Of social life. is a splendid house in Carlton House Terrace, the most ex- ciusiVe section of fashionable London.
 But for three days of every week. Tor Friday Saturday and Sunday-the e nome of Gilbert Parker, auth or, is in one of the most charming of all Eng lish country houses; an ancient stone cottage, surrounded with flowers and shrubs and trees, and, although only an hours ride from London, having all tn e eftect of isolation. so hidden away it IS even from the nearest houses It is at Homestall, near East Grinstead in Sussex.
 But 1t is not only that this house of accessible seclusion is fine in itself and It's surroundings, but that there is also the magic charm of association. For it was built by John of Gaunt-he wh O was immortaliZed by that sonorous line in King Richard II:
 "old John of Gaunt, time-h onored Lancaster"
 John of Gaunt built this stone cot tage for use as a hunting lodge and country house. The staircases are the original ones and so are the line old mullioned windows. and the iron back S behind the fireplaces bear the ancient Lancaster arms.
 And there Is a point which would greatly have pleased old John of Gaunt himself For much of Gaunt's tremendous energy and power sturdy Englishman as he was, were devoted to establishing dominion in Spain, and he would dearly have liked to know that, a few Hundred years later, great English author should own that house and should within its walls write a great and fascinating book (The Weav- ers), whose hero is an Englishman who strives to establish supremacy in am other of the countries of the Medi- terranean.