Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-09

aOOhbs W. ACN poNC AhV INV ofCA
book ".' '.'H
Here we have thief, clear thief,
whose chief defender is the victim OF
the crime. This is a lady who turns
lawlessness into essential virtue. under
the platitude of 1.-The greatest good TO
the greatest number" who also turns
the exculpate criminal into her nus
band-that is, after he is rid OF his
wife. And here in the study of these
two women Mr.. Oppenheim uses again
his familiar neatness of method. One
is all unselfshness, the other Is solid
self throughout. The second one Is
the wife. to be sure. Now people don't
come that way. All are blend instead
something of good. something or Ill
and a lot in between. Not In this
case, though, for it is Mr.. Oppenheim,
neatly pigeonholing his characters.
However, he is a beguiling spinner of
smooth and comfortable tales. one
with child's confidence that his story
is a good one. And in a sense it is.
for as a rule it makes the kind of
world we'd like TO live in. rather than
in this hit -or-miss contraption where
the hits so far outnumber the misses
THE Sun ALSO RISES. BY Ernest
Hemingway, author OF 'In Our
Time" etc. New York: Charles
Scribner's Sons. s<A5:ts . >
THIS novel belongs in the big class
- of fiction that is gathered UP In
the name of the present new freedom
Revolt is the keynote here. asst is
in the most of these current stories.
The people set to objectifyS this mood
I<NHN IA
self-exiled to the Paris Quarter, where
| for them life Is made un or dancing,
drinking, eating, of turning night into
day, of engaging in the cynical busi-
ness of taking on and letting OF new
partners. A dull business, on the whole.
for these are dull people, Never a
CLEAN of wit, never al. stroke OF plain
comm0nsense, never al lift above bru->
tai vulgarity redeems this crowd of
pleasure seekers. Hard reading this
proves to be. since there is no OPEN
ing out anywhere toward even a
promise of intelligence in any one of
its many manifestations. One as
sumes that this author. FOR the pur.
poses of clear exposure, has refrained
from any possible easement that
might inhere within the situation. 1t
is hardly conceivable that these folks
| or any folks, for that matter-could be
so evenly and unalterably banal and
preposterous. However. this Is their
standing in this story by an utterly
frank and barehanded writer. No,
not agreeable reading. That is not
its intent. Not quite impressive read
ing. since it is too one-sided. Every
thing in the world has a couple of
sides to it-at least, everything but
THE Sun Also Rises"
(: X
BY CANDLE-LIGHT. By Gertrude
knevela. author of "Octagon
House." etc. New York: D. Apple
ton & Co.
THE fapper is, without doubt. one
- of the finest and most significant
of modern institutions. What older
women owe her is not yet entirely
computable, but it is much. Faults
and failings? Oh, plenty of them,
but these are away below the bene
fits growing out from the courage and
sense and independence and health of
the clearly modern young women.
But-there are certain things that she
cannot do. This novel projects sit
uation that requires police forces and
even armies to meet and subdue it.
It's enthusiastic and confident author.
however, puts the entire business In
the handS or young miss, VINO In no
time at all has the matter spread out
and taken care of to the happiness
and satisfaction of everybody save
the wicked ones to whom she proves
very Nemesis. A fairy tale. from
beginning to end; one that, like all
inventions of this honorable and ven
cradle class, requires neither rhyme
nor reason for it's advance from the
deep darkness of all manner of viii
lainy into the clear light of young love
and impending matrimony. No. these
confident. but untutored. girls can
hardly expect to carry off such weighty
matters with that degree of efficiency
that is required to make them beliey-
able as sure,enOugh heroines. Haunt
ed houses and murder and hermit
princesses and wicked old men are
much too much for a girl TO meet and
circumvent, even when the girl is
ably abetted by personable young
man.