Evening star., 1927-10-04
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
I. G. M.
THE GRANDMOTHERS. Glenway
Wescott. Harper & Bros.

IL,
that in this case they are so speedily
and thoroughly put to rout, partly be-
cause the same two points work. as a
rule, against the full, general accept
ance of any fiction. This is a prize
novel-first count against it. AS a
second adverse odds, 1t deals eXclu-
sively with a past lying so close to the
present as not to have acquired any
of the Elusive and glamorous charm
Of real past.
About the first of these two: Men
are like pigs-they refuse to be driven.
They themselves are capable Of lead
ing and directing, or so they think.
Even in a choice of reading they in
stinctiyely and secretly resent the
super and elect group sitting in judg-
ment upon the work of competing
novelists. However, curiosity Is nat
ural, just as rebellion against self
constituted authority is natural.
Therefore, a prize novel is often ac-
cepted in a spirit of We'll see about
this ourselves"
About the second Of the two: The
mind moves forward for its satisfac-
tions, not backward. 1t has to. Hope
is the essence of all human existence,
and that lies to the front in such
promise as we are able to invent for
it. Forward-looking fiction has an
enormous advantage over that which
deals with a past, 50 immediate as to
seen: d-eary and ucstirr:ng.
Half.hearted in the face CT such
Gear rebuff, ] leaf the new pri5e-win-
ner without enthuc.acEc. Cu.- STUN
t .ooxs TO be, cc2cn:2oa wholly VIZ
graccc.o~acrs aEG gr1rds1racrc, ce2-
a.c 'gyrea." arc c-c@i -src1r, w;
.nc!cS ara a'!atS ana cousins oc m
ncedlatn ana rno.e degree Ano DC
cauce ,ae bock coorn't p'l.I cae mo
!.cc1t, Ia. 20 tn.nn.nS o. Ea|5c.i IN
Ike cU.eoLno.agS-a Commonplace
unstirring element. Then the boy
telling his story catches my eye. tell.
ing the story as his grandmother told
1t to him. 1 wake up bit right here
because-well. you see, anybody S
grandmother Is priceless possession,
all the dearer. too, now that the tribe
has become utterly extinct.
It is on the tide Of this dear and
lost relationship. with all 1t connotes,
that 1 move into the rich domain of
Glenway Wescott's big novel; that l
sense its deep Importance and its
prime interest as a picture OF the
American life that lies but a hands
throw behind us, its realities and sig
niflcances rather generally neglected
for a more remote and more impressive
past, or for the forecastings of more
brilliant tomorrow. Simple, full. COM
plete Is the story of this corner of
Wisconsin. Taken up bodily, 1t might
be set down in an exact pattern OF
life in many parts of America at q
period corresponding to this one of
winning homes out of the forest lands
Of this country. The story varies
with the outgoings and homecomings
of one another OF this brood Of rela-
tions. Here from such a source
springs a picture OF the Civil War,
and another Of life farther on into the
West, and one Of Europe brought
into this untamed spot by virtue OF
the greater daring Of one of the tribe.
All. however, home back to this Wis
consin center. deepening its effect,
amplifying it's promise, accenting the
daily features of it's life within the
immediate past, explaining the quail
ity Of much Of our Americanism.
Yet this boy, listening to his grand
mother, recording, making sure of
every point in the daily existence and
outlook OF the people to whom he is
related, for whom he Is speaking by
direct word of mouth-this boy Is in.
finitely more than a faithful reporter.
A good deal OF a seer, good deal of
a poet. he adds to a scrupuloUs exacti'
tude the gift of sympathetic insight
and Illuminating Interpretation. He
is original, both in thought and ex-
preston. There are beautiful mo-
ments in this story-moments that
have no t;nge of the hackneyed or the
overdone to mar their effect. With n
theme that does not easily lend itself
to the requirements of drama. this
writer has, nevertheless, built cumu-
lative, tense, coherent story-a story
that deserves the distinction accorded
it; one that also deserves the wide
reading it is bound to have.
X " X
THE GLORIOUS ADVENTURE.
Richard Halliburton. The Bobbs-
Merrill Co.
NY first and last reaction to ''The
Glorious Adventure" is envy. I envy
Richard Halliburton his youth, his
spirit Of romance, his zest Of life. the
royal adventure that he puts through.
I envy him his father nightly cradling
the boy with tales of old Greeks and
the Trojan War and mightier men
than time has since been able to pro-
duce. I even envy him the schooling
that failed to shape him to the univer-
sity pattern. 1t is a stirring thing,
this story of personal adventure. I
leave 1t to you. Here Is a youth. all
schooled and fixed up and finished,
ready, presumably, to step into the
field of useful things, an instrument
Of service and the rest of 1t. And
what does this youth do to fulfill the
sterling hopes of his community in
respect to himself? Why. he sets off
upon the most original of adventures,
nothing less than following the course
of old Ulysses in his 10-year Odyssey
of trying to get back home to Pencil
ope after having fought so gloriously
in the Trojan War. Ulysses Is pecul-
iarly modern, q fine man to follow
today. He is, moreover, the classic
example Of getting around the old
fact Of not being able to eat your cake
and have it too. Ulysses fought glori-
ously-a wonderful mouthful of cake.
that, for this fighting man. Then.
with the kindly aid of tempests and
tides and currents, he was for long
years constrained from getting back
home to Penelope. weaving by day
and raveling by night to stave off the
suitors banked around her. Mean.
while, Ulysses was meeting Circe and
the Sirens, was loafing, half asleep,
around the Lotus Land. When at last
he did make shift to get home he had
the delight of slaughtering Penelope's
young men, Of retaking the faithful
Penelope herself. A clear and rounded
case, you see, Of gorging on cake and
then miraculously of finding it fresh
and unbitten right in front-of
Ulysses. A good man to follow, any
way you take him. So Richard Halli-
burton. with Roderic Crane along,
mapped the course of Ulysses and fol-
lowed 1.-THE literal geographic course,
not the one having to do with Sirens