Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1922-03-25
EDITORIAL
SPLENDID FICTION SERVICE

n SPLENDID FICTION SERVICE:
% EABERS Of the Times Recorder
haze found in the daily fiction
service inaugurated January 2 one of
the most interesting and pleasing
features ever offered by this news
paper. This has bedn proven un-
nistakably. There has been va
riety of fiction, to suit varying tastes.
The stories have all been kept with
in a popular length, none Of them
running more than two weeks. This
has meant the elimination of some
slow and laborous descriptions in
slow and laborius descriptions in
the abridgment in no instances
have injured the stories, bat on the
other hand have speeded up the &c.
ton.
Next Monday the Times Recorder
is privileged to offer in serial form,
to run q period of four weeks, what
IL JhAiEtti ny b'iliiiOIl tVilStltt w NV
the greatest book of decade, the
most popular book right now, and
one which will go doWn as "a splendid
piece of literature. The story is
Hutchinson's eff Winter Comes. :"
The book is new, just reaching the
height of success, and its appear
ance in serial form at this time is
an achievement worthy of note I he
book is long, and in places a bit
slow, so, like the other novels pub
lished, it has been speeded up slight
~ in places. But it has lost moth
ing.
The Worlds Work for April re-
views the story as follows
Mr.. Hutchinson sees life and So
ciety in longer and truer perspec.
tive. Injustices? Yes. Drabness,
retticoats, sins? Yes. But also,
Ultimate justice, irepressible mirth,
truth, honesty, nobility, largeness,
rirtue- The picture has light as we'll
as shadow, depth as well as breadth.
1t may not be realism" but il looks
amazingly like reality. And it leaves
the world a decent place to live in
which is what most of us find it.
Technically, the book has a pc
cuparlty of unusual interest to stu
dents of literature. Most novelists
begin to develop both plot and char
acters from the first chapter, and
continue these processes simultan-
eously through to the end of the
book. A different method is used
n IF Winter Comes" Almost ex-
actly the first half of the book is
devoted almost exclusively to the
drawing of the characters. There is
little action" and scarcely any
''plot" up to that point Then, hav-
ing gotten the reader thoroughly ac-
quainted with his characters. so that
they will be deeply concerned with
what happens to them, the authon
proceeds, for the latter hal: of his
pages, to plunge them breathlesAy
TN 2ugh series Of thril!ingiy in
teresting events TO the climax and
end of the story
This Is a curious use of the best
arts of two quite different methods
in fiction-methods of which only
one is usually applied by an author
in any one book. The first hall
of "lf Winter Comes" is in the
manner of psychological novel, and
the second half is in the manner of
: novel of plot and action. In Mr.
Hutchinson : hands This noiYinp of
two styles is as effective as it is un.
usual.
The Times Recorder believes it is
contributing much to the cause OF
good literature by publishing 'If
Winter Comes" We heartily recon-
mend it to every reader, regardless
Of taste. For it is well worth while
for the thoughts and sentiments i
contains, whether the type of story
happens TO appeal or not