Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-04
REVIEWS OF THE NEW BOOKS
Again the Story of Marco Poo Love and
Day Without Tomorrow-The Private Life of
Helen of Troy and Sad Young Men,

of the country those whose relations
with the peasantry are of friendly
and paternal cast. Mikhail Mikhailo
witch is an outstanding figure OF 6
man, who sustatns competently the
part Of benevolent landlord in his ma
tive Russia and the part Of sub
stantial associate of the social life OF
London at his points of contact with
England. The story advances com
petently and interestingly by way OF
the interests and obligations OF Mikhai
Mikhailovitch. On the one hand is
his personal. life, engaged with men
and women who in intelligence and
spirit far outstrip the majority that
take refuge in novels. On the other
hand, Mikhail is concerned with the
political stresses of the period, bent
il possible. upon something less than
ruin for the people of his country.
These distinct yet interviewer pre-
occupations of this young Russian
supply depth and variety to the action
of the whole, as they also bring out
the clear versatile strength OF the
author projecting them. The expert
ences Of Mikhail both in society and
politics becomes at certain points OBJ
jectified in the title of this romance
whose essence is of the eat. drink
and be merry" philosophy--a phil
osophy which takes effect in double
tragedy of one woman's life, and in
that Of a country pressing madly to-
ward an unknown goal of freedom
and untried liberty. The real strength
of this we'll organized and well built
romance lies in the authors recogniz-
able intimacy with the Russian land
and It's people, with its outlook and
n;x~> Mill, >nStppoS and jfS Str1 np9
contrasts Of culture and degradation
Of genius and stolid ignorance. Here
the writer is at home. and here lies
the best Of a romance that is other
wise far above the average OF fiction.
X Il *
AT TOP OF TOBIN. BY Stanley Ohm
stead New York: The Dial Press.
A LONG novel of the North Caro-
a lima mountains. A marooned set
Element provides the inspiration from
which this writer pictures endless dull
DAYS of the men and women of Tobin,
where they and their fathers ana
grandfathers have lived lives wherein
each generation has copied its prede-
cessor without a shadow of variation.
Sounds dull-doesn't it? It would be
for the reader who thrives on action
must have heights and depths of emo
ton to satisfy his reading hours. Dull.
indeed, it would be for these. For
those, however, who follow true pic
lures. for those to whom the por-
travail of character and habit is JOY.
for those engroSsed in a community
that has remained unchanged in a
lightning change world, for those who
choose the chronicle in place Of the
adventure-for all of these the work
of Mr.. Olmsted is bound to stand as
a very remarkable achievement.
Nothing much happens here, to be
sure. Men and women live and work
and die, get married. have babies and
burials in a drear monotony. But 1t
all is so painstakingly true. and true
with an understanding and sympa-
thetic humor that hurts. like sin, now
and then. A suspension at Top of
Tobin" of reality in one of it's multi
tudinous human phases. Too long?
Oh, much too long. Nobody is going
to read the whole Of 1t. But many
are going to SAVIOR its clear and out
standing excellence as long as he has
time to do this. But he. hasn't time
for all OF 1t.
ALL THE SAD YOUNG MEN. BY
F. Scott Fitzgerald. author Of The
Great Gatsby," etc. New York
Charles Scribner'S Sons.
MINE stories that. combined, pre-
sent pictorial argument against
the ageold theory that in the human
tribe it is the female who is the play
thing Of her master. 1t Is the woman
who is downtrodden. oppressed. neg
lected, discarded. Much of human
philosophy is based upon this assump'
ton. All reform movements receive
their prime impetus from this preach
ment. Mr.. Fitzgerald picks up nins
Young men, at random 1t would seem