Evening star., 1921-08-14
Reviews of New Books

keenly amusing comedy to a most
satisfactory conclusion to the reader
| as well as to the young lovers against
whom he conspired.
THE EDUCATION OF ERIC LANE.
/ BY stephen Mekenna; author OF
Lady Lilith," etc. New York:
George ii. Doran Company.
Stephen MckenHa forms lasting
attachments to the people of his own
creation. 1t Is impossible for him to
give them up, once having made them.
So through one novel. and then an
other and then another. his Sonias
| and Sheilas take the center of the
stage in practiced performances. This
novel deals with the second coming
of Lady Barbara Neave. AS in her
| first appearance, Lady Barbara is en-
/ crossed in the business of trying to
shock and scandalize even the indul-
gent smart set of which she is part.
| Eric Lane is the subject, in this ro-
! nance. of the girls open considera-
| tion. 1t was Jack Waring in another
| one. And there are signs there is to
be another novel of smart society in
London wherein Lady Barbara will
again disport herself to the amaze
ment of all and the secret delight OF
| a few. One does not object to the
girl because she is fresh and fiippant
and a perfect monument of self-con-
4 ceit. Not at all One rejects her be-
Sdusc SHc IL ociH SHY anu
too silly and too stupid to have SO
conspicuous a place in the social web
that Mr.. Mckenna weaves for her.
Low CEILINGS. BY w. Douglas
Newton, author of Green Ladies'"
etc New York: a. Appleton d Co.
The title of this book stands for the
smothering effect upon the individ-
ual of the immense social fabric of
stereotyped thinking and acting. The
immediate background Of the story
is a suburb of London. cultured and
conventional The action IS directed
| by the struggle of two members of "A
highly respectable family to break
away from the deadly effects of COM
plete conformity Ii is love story.
in substance the story of two women
and one man. but is much more than
this. for the romance itself con-
tributes to the effect of this revolt
against uniformity and repression.
The central figure is a young architect
| with dreams for his art. on the one
hand is the influence toward things as
| they are. On the other is the inspira ;ion
! to dare for the larger life. II is a
beautifully written story whose theme
| is as appealing as its characters are
vital and attractive. The novel is
| evidence that realism in literature
does not. of necessity. deal on the
| one hand. with material So common
| place as to be repellent. or. on the
| other hand. with matter so dull as to
| be stupefying.
THE UNDERWOOD MYSTERY. BY
Charles J. Dutton. New York:
I'cdd. Mead 6: co.
To give himself, so to speak. more
| elbowroom for the writing of this
f, detective story, Mr. Dutton set out by
splicing together two crimes. major
and minor. murder and blackmail ,
| useful bit of good management thu
turns out TO be. since il permits the
author to produce four perfectly goor
suspects, each of whom. at one time
and another. the reader is quite will
ing to bank upon as the man who
killed John Underwood in his own
| library. Within this situation the
near detectives strut about in an os-
tentatiouS secrecy. according to rule,
for the sake of making the entrance
of the familiar great detective as inn
pressive as his Importance merits.
The usual patter of going about. the
usual spectacle of still-born methods
making motions of life and efficiency.
! are here. And very well conducted at
! that BARLEY. the great fellow. is
/ first rate of his kind. He sweeps up
all the known means of detection and.
| i'm addition. calls upon Freuds theory
! of dream significance to- assist.
Finally the dictagraph takes hand.
placing the crime in most uneN-
pected quarter, but one that has.
| after all. been skllfully provided for.
| when one comes to think the whole
/ ground over. Plenty Of variety in
| people and circumstance. plenty of
! snap and go. plenty of belieyable hu-
man nature sum here to an excellent
story of the popular detective brand.
A LANTERN OF LOVE. BY Della
| Macleod. Boston: Houghton Milf
fin Company.
; 4 love hunt this. with no guide to
| the quarry save voice in the dark
and face in the shadows mans
: voice an6 face. "A young woman is
4; the huntress-Diana in quest of
! Endymion. The purely romantic pur-
! suit leads from New York to Bermuda
and back to the bayous of the Missis-
sippi. where the native roots of the
youthful huntresS are set. The stop
over in New York covers the business
of trying to be a great singer, and
! failing. with the doings of very
! smart set as accompaniment to this
! futile experiment in a career. Ber-
muda sums to a picturesque deScrip-
| tion where again the trail of the
| elusive male is struck from a point
of fresh approach. 1t is back in the
! romantic setting Of the south. how,
ever. that the quarry is struck or. to
! use the authors own figure. that the
] lantern OF love" lights the young
male to the permanent anchorage of
! matrimony. picture of love as
youth is likely to envisage il. ro-
mantle story wherein the imagination
| is given a loose rein. A novel whose
F.; infrequent realisms are not so very
real. one whose main support is
! very intelligent youthful fancy such
as. nowadays. is hardly found at all
| outside of the fiction of southern
origin.