Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-16

PURE GOLD. BY O. r. Rolvaag, author Of
Giants I'm the Earth" etc. New York:
Harper and Brothers
"H HE novel such has been long
time growing. Folk story, myth.
~ legend fairy tale, fable and parable
have in turn contributed to this IS
sue In q certain remote phase Of
the development there rose the fashion Of
drawing OF from the human, traits Of char
acter-say, honestly, veracity, courage, or their
contrasts Of cowardice, untruth dishonesty
which were built into marionettes Of human
conduct Unconvincing inventions, these ind
hAmsef In faee-tO-faee effort Of enlist4ng
him directly TO the service OF the growing
literary Invention, the novel,
Pure Gold" 10 story which In theme and
projection Is Of the utmost immediacy of effect
"a novel Of fact set out In the manner Of per-
feet realism Yet, the ancestry of this adventure
goes back 70 those old distractions that were
impressed to the service Of fiction It's basic
name Is "Avariee." 1t Is to the birth and
growth and fulfillment of this not unfamiliar
human weakness that MIR. Rolvaag deyotes his
own clear gift Of realistic writing.
Minnesota farm backs the story Of Lizzie
and Louis Hougfum, Just married ana eager to
get ahead" Woodworking, honest Norwegian
pair, with whom We are bound to 20 along In
the wildly recorded tasks Of growing things
and selling them TO make payments on the
farm. Then, one day. Louis came home from
town bringing the money for some sales. A
$40 gold piece was part Of this payment. Right
there the sorry business took it, start That
was the little FIRE" that kindIed the great mat
ter of this couples undOing. That's the story
Only that But, It IL the way Of this novel that
counts. At bottom there 10 the intimacy with
the Norwegian character bred IN toll and an
inclement climate over the sea. The habits
Of Thrill. little Thrills with seeds of miseTliness
therein. Then the new home in rich land
this loose fTee-handed land likely to dazxle
any one. Then, the incident Of the gold piece.
Here follows mind-read1ng BY the author that :
knows every corner Of the spot that he is
working. psychological novel Is the result of
such treatment. Yet, II II q novel 90 packed
with consistent action, with . plain and
plausible progress - to provide keen interest
minute BY minute in the acutai experiences
Of Lizzie and Louis Houglum as they crow into
miSers, hiding their store Of gold pieces a.
these slowly increase. Their anxieties and fears
in every directton-thieves, IRE, every whatnot
Of mischance. The failure Of o bank where
they had decided to place q part Of their money
The war with It's demands-the whole world
trying TO wrest money from Gn honest pair or
so it seemed to Lizzie and Louis It is this
inside work, this mental grasp Of the situation
in its effect upon the human quality OF these
two that stamps this novel big" Humor, the
ROlvaag stripe Of humoF, eases the business
mere ana bneTe. AND hnnaOr Is needed here If
anywhere. For this Il o dire matter 1t Is,
besides, consistent development from the al
together plausible groundwork upon which It
Is based. Built, fOur-square, upon It's own
foundation, Pure Gold" is q great novel of
character, and an illuminating picture Of one
section Of our many-sourced American life
THE HIDDEN CITY BY Philip Gibbs. author
Of Ten Years After" etc. New York:
Doubleday, DoFan & Co.
livery doctor must be impressed often and
often by the strange population over which
he exercises such power and control city
OF the ailing, with every manner Of malady-
real and imaginary-in full possession and
welding tremendous influence Of general un-
health. Yet every doctor is too tired, too busy,
TOO grooved IN habit to make warning pamphlets
Tor the public to say nothing about making O
novel on the subject. So, he writes another
prescription and calls 1t a day. 1t IS just this
theme however, that caught the imagination
OF the fne novelist Philip Gibbs And from
III he has made a