Evening star., 1921-03-27
Reviews of New Books

! istic novel of excellent understand
ing and workmanship.
HOMEsPUN AND GOLD. BY Alice
Brown. author of The Prisoner.
etc. New York: The Macmillan
Company.
Some people contend that the New
England character does not lend itself
to romantic literature. These go
back, in support of their claim. to the
austere Puritan settler. to his subse-
quent history, to the forbidding eli
mate and the unyielding geography
of romance. Those of opposite mind
} here sidestep into the claim that the
, purpose of fiction is not that of ro-
mantle portrayal alone. that its chief
office is to mirror life itself. And this
/ is the point at which Alice Brown
steps into view for a generous share
OF appreciation and praise. This is
one of the New England literalists in
notion. No one has succeeded in get
! ting closer to the New England char
acter nor in deeper touch with the
local setting than has Alice Brown.
The shy and reticent love episode. the
homely detail of every life, the deal
ings in business, the social gathering.
| the political sense. the religious aus
terity-all of these weave into her
ter. The book in hand is but further
evidence Of what is already acknowl-
| edged book of sketches as true as
life itself. Some time in the more or
| less remote future, writers are going
| to shut Off the dialect story, but until
that time comes readers must content
! themselves to pick the truths and
beauties of character and incident out
from this practically discarded freak
| ishness of speech.
| MONTAGUE WYCHERLY. BY L. AL
len Harker. author of "AlIegra.'
etc. New York: Charles Scribner's
Sons.
Just good love story that runs
along the levels of falling in love
and getting married. That is why
it is good love story-or one of the
why's. The others have to do with
the agreeable, and lifelike. qualities
OF the people who are here engaged
in this immemorial enterprise. The
young woman is of the best of her
kind. The man will do. Since, how
ever. the girl is really about the
whole story. one wonders why the
named after him. Come to think
about it, though, there is nothing
surprising in that The matter runs
along by way of the mans leave
from service in India. The obstacle
set up in tlE way of true love is the
objection of the parents to having
their daughter go to the other. side
Of the world for a mere husband.
There is, however. deal of fresh
and interesting to-do on the way to-
" ard overcoming whatever may stand
in the way of this achievement. An
author who can invent. or create, a
girl like Kerrick Wycherly may be
trusted to look out. with ingenuity
and interest. for the rest of the book.
This author does.
LOVE AND THE CRESCENT. By A.
c. Inchboud. author Of Under the
Syrian Sum-" etc. New York
Frederick A. Stokes Company.
This is, first and foremost, tale
Of romantic adventure. 1t Is the
story of an Armenian family whose
man consul stationed in the neigh
borhood. A Frenchman is the rival.
the successful rival, of the German
suitor. This is the groundwork of
the rapid succession of adventures
that befall the Armenian family un-
der the disappointed rage OF the Teu-
ton, and under the snares and pitfalls
that he is able to set for the objects
of his revenge. The gathering OF
the Armenians. their flight to the
hills, their outstanding against the
Turks who, melted by the Germans,
rise against them-these are the
means by which the romance advanc-
es from danger to danger and. hnally.
out into the more peaceful fields OF
venture without pause will take
great pleasure in this story Of a re-
cent time set in the stormy center
Of the near east.