The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-10-19
Miss Kaufman S
Story

Jessie Kaufman s novel in the OctO
Der Lippineott is mirror of socia
: life in Honolulu. The title of the
story is GA Jewel of the Seas i
centcrs around an incident in real life
which all /Svho have been here six OF
eight years viii readily recall through
the thin DISCUSSES of names-an adven
turer coming here in a yacht and en-
PERTAINING and being entertained in a
lavish way, until the inevitable de-
nuement came Not that this incident
is given undue prominence, but the
love affair of the story works itself
out through it, and hence impresses
it more strongly on the reader than
| other incidents that are as truly tran
scripts of real Honolulu life.
There is plenty of epigram and keen
analysis and clever sentiment in the
story, and it does not depend on mere
eynieism for its good quality. In truth
| it is one of the purely intellectual
merits of the story, as differentiated
from its literary merits, or its merits
as a mere story, that these epigrams
and bits of sententious philosophy are
OF SucU Il WUOIeSOHHe c0dFdCIeF.
Locally. no doubt, a very large eIe-
ment of interest in the story will be
found in its descriptions of things Ha-
waiian and life Honolulan. Of this ele-
ment of the story it may be said that
the authoress undoubtedly knows her
Honolulu. Most of the fiction, to say
nothing of the fact, that is written
about Honolulu and the Islands lacks
verisimilitude. It won't bear analysis.
The dates, characters and incidents are
not synchronous. But Miss Kaufman is
never at fault in this respect. There
is not an incident in her story that
might not have happened just as she
describes, nor that probably did not
happen. There is not character that
does not fit in with the surroundings.
The dates are all right. Miss Kaufman
has a clever invention and accuracy of
knowledge.
1t is not certain, however, that the
very precision of her invention does
not impede the play of Imagination,
and that as a story, as a piece of ic-
ton, it would have been better if it
were not quite so literal in its details.
The play and sweep of plot and con-
struction of the story have been ham,
pered by the effort to describe in
painstaking detail the phase of social
life with which it deals. individuals
are mirrored rather than types, al |
though there are two or three of the |
characters who are given as types |
rather than as readily identified indi- |
viduals of real life, and these are |
rather the best characters in the story. |
Frank is one of these, and Mrs. |
Thornton, perhaps, another, though |
there is so much liberalism in the story |
that even these may be individuals If |
only the reader has their acquaintance
in real life to identify them by
It is impossible for one acquainted |
in Honolulu to tell just how the story |
would appeal to one unacquainted here. |
There is every reason to believe, how
ever, that it will be found interesting. |
The love story is neither very striking |
nor very great. 1t is clean and whole
some and free both from mawkishness
and Mysteries. The action of the story
is rather incidental than the current of
it. though there is enough to carry
the story well. There are suggestions
of the unpractised hand occasionally. /
On the whole it is exceedingly credit
able, and has its interest both for those
who know Honolulu and those who
don II