Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-05-08
Reviews of New Books
Sarah and Her Daughter" by Bertha


Sarah and Her Daughter" BY Bertha
Poole. New York City: Scott X Seltser,
! West Fiftieth street. Price, 81, net.
In a most thorough and intimate man.
ner, with detail of daily ife and conversi-
tion and revelation of desire and aspira-
tion, this story tells OF the life OF q JEWISH
family in the Ghetto of New York CITY
Sarah was n woman OF good family III the
old country but her husband was n trial
10 her, so lacking was he IN energy ana
ability to make a living, although good
and religious IMAM. The story OF the tribu-
lations of the family and its desperate
struggles for existence, especially after the
death Of the husband and father IS most
pathetic And deeply revealing is the re-
citaI of the suffcrings of Sarah. OF the
fierce repugnance of her refined nature
10 the conditions and surroundings OF her
sorCiid existence, and her desire for better
things.
But even more appealing is the story OF
her daughter. Mildred. She inherited the
fierce pride of her mother and the desire
for better and more refined lie By
desperate struggles and experiences AZ
times startling. she partially achieved hcr
ambition, but pitfalls innumerable beset
her way. and she reached positions OF ap-'
parent DrNUltSt OIRlN " bC Ntt b''S'N -
incidents that caused her nature to revolt
by highly sensitive nature, and the haro
luck OF illness and consequent poverty:
And ALWAYS was there the struggle OF sell
with her aspirations and her InabIhty to
do the practical things that might have
led to financial comfort at least. by reason
of her higher aspirations. And IN the end
she succumbed to grim fate and insured
physical comfort by marriage with r'ch
man whom she considered beneath her IN
many ways.
Rv its intimate detail, its appealing dc
scriptions of the lives of these people, TINS
story takes hold OF the readers attention
in n most remarkable manner and holds
II throughout.
Received of the publishers.
.'The Thunderbolt." BY G.. Colmore
New York CITY Thomas Seltzer.
The reader of this very remarkable
story will. as the reading proceeds, wonder
when the thunderbolt is to be shot, and
also what it will be like For there Is not
the suggestion Of catastrophe until very
near the end, and then it proves 70 be
about the last thing that could have been
conceived. :.
But until the crash Of the thunderbolt
the reader will be rarely entertained with
a social story, located in small town IN
England. Of a most pleasing character.
The personages are admirably portrayed,
and tho life of tho little community IS set
forth rs bv a vivid picture. The centre
az this society is Mrs. GeorgIna Bonham,
widow. well-to-do, of family much above
the average. although not OF the real
ariStocrat;c class, but an autocrat IN her
limited circle Very complscently she
cniovS her social leadership, and she also
i deeply concerned in the future OF her
little daughter. most adorable girl. Inc
story Of her experiences IN securing an
acceptable governesS for the little one IS
rich in detail and results. And most IN
ylt.ng i the presentation Of the social
.ioingS Of this probably typical little
English community.
NIrS. Bonham's daughter, Dorric, grows
I'D into q lovely and very attractive young
woman, sweet and good and altogether
adorable. Ard she finds lover among the
aristocratic set, the scion of an old family
and son Of a baronet, greatly to the Joy Of
Mrs. Bonham. Very sweet and altogether
appropriate is the romance of these two
lovers.
Then comes the thunderbolt During
trip to the Continent, IN little German
town the blow falls upon DorTIe- Cruel
late, through a concatenatlon OF circUm-
stances instigatcd by the laundering Of a
French maid, gets her, by accident. into .
local hospital, where she is made one OF a
clinic to demonstrate the malignant effects
81 a most insidious and loathsome IN
lection. dreaded for its well-known secret
ravages. 1t seizes upon her and blights
her Young life. Her young lover recoils
in horror fren the alliance that had been
80 91lf1rinp DorrIe would have suffered
horribly but for the interposition Of her
faithful old nurse. who, after shielding her
from knowledge q her lover wea akness.
and knowing She could die Of a broken
heart brought her ID death BY the means
Of fatal but secretly acting poison.
Despite the interest that attaches 70
this reparkablc story and the pleasure
that Is felt in the perusal before the
thunderbolt wreaks its demonlac havoc,
the natural impression upon the reader
Will be one of regret that there should not
ave been a more congenlal ending
Received OF the publishers.