New-York tribune., 1908-03-28
Ne.r Stories Of the Past and of
Modern Life.

tor Of Giovsnna Of Marbles. By Marjorie
Bowen 1smo. pp- Sss. The Mcclure Com
- E-Ty r1 Iff frssk e5 fsg s5s1 sn-Rs I LAD sb
sss The Macmillan Company.
I'D ME- pAvENANT's MONEY. BY Frances
Powell limo. pp- 3es. Charles Scribners
TIE HEuLocK AvESgE MYSTERY. By gs-
Grunrald, l2mo, pp- 275- Boston; Little,
-rrT~f- ENGLAND WITH UNCLE JOHN BY
a-ne Warner Illustrated by Frederic r
GTurer. I2mo, pp- AZ The Century Com
rsny-
1sssere is quality that by itself is often very
,,rrsrts-ine To see the possessor OF a gift
,ei-s II blithely. sulusingly, and with a sublime
.,.-era-d for the rules OF the game. is 70 con-
suss for the moment at least that the rules
sad not count. This is the mood inspired by
rixs Marjorie Bowen in her romance of Naples
- ne fourteenth century Her ideas as TO the
,-ooer construction Of q novel are rather crude.
SO she drives ur-in-hand through the facts
>. history: but she has q faculty for picturesque
.--zrjv. that might wei be envied by many
,.So-ed practitioner OF the craft which she
candles with such debonaIr sudacity. There is
-, oervI1- either. her sense Of the situation eff
s.ixelv 10 be substituted. in fiction, for the one
,-,ich Is matter of record Take, for example.
-. oneriug passages II her romance. They deal
MIR
g,,7-s-v. That union reached its tragic end
.-s- 6axelorr1ents which make poignant enough
--s6i-r n the dispassionate pages Of history,
t- -s,sse had scarcely the swift dramatic char
s-.a- u--icr Miss Bowen injects into her story.
Wren -Is latter begins Andreas IS encarped IN
r.,,- ror far from Naples, and is on the eve OF
-,es..ne his BRIDE for the first time. There is
oa--e- in the air He is warned that 10 push
=, - Naples viii only land him il disaster
r-iors-ns is his enemy. and, he is told. he will
never be permitted by her to rule the kingdom
-hst gees Rith her hand The reader starts with
re lIveliest curiosity 10 just how this man
s-d woman are 70 deal with the thrilling crisis
arranged for them by The novelist The sober
STUDENT may deprecate the liberties taken by
xiss Bowen with NeapoIitan history But The
sword Decides IS not written for the sober
student: II is written for the reader who loves
warmly coIored romance, and is willing that
the maker OF such wares should give fancy
free reiz.
There are thirty-one chapters II this book.
snd Il Is hardly e1agge-ation 20 say that
there also in il about twice that number Of
exciting incidents Miss Bowen inclines toward
tlc sinister Interpretation OF Giovanna's career
-he sober student aforesaid may have his
courts about that connivsnce in the murder Of
And-eas which vas shreedly suspected by
many Of her contera aporaries, but the author Of
KRIS novel proceeds On the hypothesis that there
csn be, IN this matter, no doubt whatever She
Paints Ciovenns as fend incarnate, and not
cniy sssurnes her completely where the death Of
BE- young Hungarian husband is concerned
tUT the narrative goes OF, sleeps her ever
Deeper and deeper in the blackest crime and the
most appalling -eachery. Decidedly, It Is
rzFvs book But what does II matter that poor
C=iovarrla IS portrayed with too lurid a brush?
Sne makes for Miss Bo~en's purposes. thor
ouEhly interesting figure Though that figure
-ss nc core CT human nature. though il dis
-icses in the author no capacity for the presen-
rs-son o< character ss character, has, for a
-uppet- extraordinary vitality We find our
selves half persuaded 81 the same way By the
evolu1ion q the plot Il plot AZ all. in
the strict sense Of ths term Miss Bowen does
no- frame her drama with sense CT form, Civ
ins il beginning, middle and end. that
rang together and ara oreanicaIly interdepen-
oert. She strings together rather. series Of
--elod-a-ns-ic tabieaus, and though she winds u
WITH : so-r % climax you feel that she might
re-ts--l- vel have gone or Indefinitely, writing
similar chapters about Giovanna until she had
SLED tzo volumes instead Of one Yet, SO gen
Et-e Is he gift that II she had thus made her
hook twice IS long would gladly have
-es5 : 70 the end That. after all. Is the test
- z-ou- natural story teller.
x thoroughly cynical world 20 which the
-eade- IS Introduced In Frank Danbys new
novel but ,ere. TOO. zs IN Miss Bowen's book.
have u reckon with naIvetA Only. in this
case. !. Is . trait of the heroine's not Of the
surhcrs- Ms, Frankau Il. indeed, one Of the
Hsst ar-lesE oE English novelis-s. She sketches
rHe cynical world just mentioned with clear
- s-sady hand and sn essentially mundane
he
~~sI-guc tc-ion for which she has hitherto been
sno7n- she has produced on this occasion tale |
ending % prove that the most delicate flower
n the Torld nav flourish amid the evilest condi
-lons Though that Is ancient theme. The !
Hss- of ChiId7 turns = in e new light. The |
7ernine is child ot the slurns, in whose soul |
90 clements ot purity. good faith and |
"c-Gre Which nothing can Quench- Her des-
my threatens 70 be hard. Spending her earliest |
years n atmosphere Of sGuslor, compelled TO |
ez-n ne- living II grlnay surroundings. II re |
cc.rrs sn automobile accident, which breaks her
& . STAT her the way to--ard better things,
s1d even then the outlook is not without |
Erioe of danger she Is a born dancer. and this /
aptitude wins fo- her the prosperity 70 be found |
O. r1e music hall stage There, IN the picture /
drawn ~ Mrs. FrenkaU, she is exposed 10 every /
chance q TIE most grievous misfortune. When ,
certain young noblenan who has come into |
1sr life bez.ns seriously 70 take an interest IN |
~ affairs there seems reason why she 1
saog.d not suffer. But, ignorant as she is, there |
e something II her that keeps her unspotted /
to-a the world with the result that the novel |
roves along cutie unconventional lines The /
sutacr almost 2 not quite, realizes her concep-
I'm Her touch Is not absolutely authoritative
sao He never and ourselves taxing saily Snape
S1th unqualified belief II her existence as q