The Washington times., 1922-03-26
BY AMES KENDRIcK

$500 - ~ - = -
AYO one who has read Limbo"
~ or "Leda" will be at all sur.
prised to discover "Crome
Yellow" the latest from the pen Of
Aldous Huxley. to be a series Of
random reflections OF impression
istic youth--'hyper -sensitixed. self
conscious" in fact. being words APP
piled by author to his hero.
"Crome Yellow. makes enter
tanning reading. though 1t 10 with.
out form and void. The story rim
ply begins. winds along until the,
author has finished what ideas he
has in mind, and then terminates.
Effect does not follow cause. nor
cause precede effect-the whole
might be termed non seq.
So far as we could disengage
any basic icea from the potpourri
Of satire, mockery, humor, and
general youthful devutry which
make up the book. we get an idea
somewhat to this effect:
Denis, a'young poet. goes to a
country house In rural England
one of those houses where 20
many things happen In novels
and there. like the Russian child
in the nursery story. 10 thrown
to the wolves. That he Is not de-
voured. but escapes through the
mercy Of one Of the females of
(, the species, IL merely a pretext to
end the story when the ironic
Huxley has laughed sufficiently
both at himself and everyone else,
and Is not In any sense q climax
to either plot or incident.
The story begins with Denis
on the way TO the country place,
"Crome Yellow" Arriving at the
depot. he finds no one there to
meet him, nor il there anyone In
sight when he finally arrives at
the house. Wandering from room
to room. he finally discovers his
hostess in a reclining chair. She
looks casually upon him with this
greeting, Hello. Denis! I'd for
gotten you were coming. What's
the latest news with your"
And just when Denis is all set
for humorous description Of his
journey she rattles on about some
thing. else and the gem of oratory
dies forthwith. So 1t is with
Denis. Would he write a sonnet
to his mistress eyebrow, or what
ever IL is in praise of which bards
smite the Tyre, there is Mr..
Scogan to interrupt with an end
less discourse on topics whose
variety is only exceeded by their
dullness. Would he read, he is
interrupted to listen to a dismal
recital of the history Of the an
cestors of the host. When. es-
capped from company Of all but
the ladies. he would wax senti-
mental. he is disillusioned by
being requested to carry a dam
sci who has turned her ankle.
Alas, for the fair fame of poets
he Is unable to lift her!
There are other characters in
the book than those mentioned
above--all peculiarly irritating to
the esthetic Denis. There is
Mary. who keeps a secret diary
in which she ridicules everyone:
Anna. who administers a terrific
shock to the poet when he fancies
himself In love with her; the
hostess, who passes through the
pages as a mop Of orange-colored
hair and a heavy voice. and Bar
becue-Smith, novelist Of the uplift
type. Yes, Denis has a fine
time.
But that's a small matter. Mr..
Huxley needs neither plot, char
acters nor sequence. He holds the
reader with his delicious humor,
with the vigor Of his style, with
the economic use Of words. And.
whether the reader laugh with or
at him, laugh he will.
CosMoPoLITAN BOOK coRPo-
RATION'S spring catalogue.
truly handsome affair, brings
news of new novel by Coningsby
Dawson, due for early publication.
This new book by MIR. Dawson Is
to be called 1.-The Vanishing Point"
with an American hero. Also. 1t Is
said, there are some beautiful wom-
en- involved in it's pages. one Of
whom. in particular, is going TO
be the most discussed parsonage
of any book in recent months.