Evening star., 1933-05-14
% SARAH @. G.BOWERMAN
The assistant Secretary ofA<gricultureiS Nee0
Book-Prinfs, Drawings and Repro
ductious-7He Late Fiction.

the climate Is surreptitiously enervating but 1t
gives back in grace what it takes in strength"
He finds satisfaction in the reflection that
though 1T has borrowed its character from
Spain and IN part from Portugal" lit has
sought its culture chiefly in France" Andre
Siegfried Is a professor at IEcOle des Sciences
Politiques in Paris.
GRAND CANARY. BY A. j. Cronin Boston:
Little, Brown & Co.
THIS latest novel of Dr. Cronin, with its set
] ting in the Canary Islands will affect va
rious readers of his two former novels, with
their Scotch background. "Hatters Castle" and
Three Loves" very differently. Those who
found the earlier novels depressing too heavy
with gloom too cruel will like Grand Canary"
much better; those who recognized In "Hatter's
Castle" and Three Loves" the tragic theme OF
fate which Is the result of ones own charac-
ter, the same theme which Shakespeare used
in all his great tragedies. will consider Grand
Canary" far inferior to them. 1t is from any
point Of view a novel with strong central
character and intensity Of incident, and power
fully written. DR.. Cronin, in the three years
since he left the practice Of medicine to become
writer, has achieved a position among the
foremost British novelists. He is a Scotchman
native of Cardross and he writes of Scotland
with such sureness and intimacy that we hope
the setting for his next novel, In both Hat
ter's Castle" and Three Loves" doctors are
among the chief characters; in the first .
wholly admirable. almost ideal doctor, in the
second a very selfish one. In "Grand Canary"
DR.. Leith a combination of strength and weak
ness, but thoroughly devoted to his profession
absorbs all our interest
As the story opens, DR.. Leith, drunk is being
conducted by his friend. the surgeon Ismay.
to the ship Aureola sailing for the Canaries.
The cruel ignorance of the sensation loving
public and the cruel timidity Of those who
should have understood have. as he believes.
ruined DR.. Leith's career. His serum for cere-
brO-spinal fever, administered to three patients
at the point of death. has failed to save them
and has been held responsible by the popular
press for the deaths. His hospital has not stood
by him, has asked his resignation and he has
gone away. embittered. thankful for the drug
alcohol Had not his friend Lsmay played the
part Of a dictator and ridden roughshod over
his personal right to do what he pleased with
himself the doctors career would really have
been ruined As what was intended to be a
restful voyage, tonic for lacerated nerves Us
may has made the captain promise to withhold
all alcohol from Leith) develops several inter-
esting situations DR.. Leith reluctantly finds
himself coming out of his Slough OF Despond.
Lady Mary Fielding Is chiefly responsible for
this. And when the small party on the Au-
reola including a warm-hearted ex-pugilist two
missionaries. brother and sister Robert and
Susan Tranter. the proprietress Of doubtful
kind Of an otel'' In Santa Cruz. who smokes
small brown cigars and shares stateroom with
Susan and Lady Mary Fielding and her friend
ELISA Baynham reaches Santa Cruz something
else awaits them than sunny skies and healthful
sea breezes. Yellow fever is there. DR.. Leith
is soon involved in . struggle for the life of the
woman whom he is surprised to find he loves.
The story ends back in England. and the end
ing. which IS indicated by a faint perfume Of
freesias in the doctors hall, Is a happy one-at
least for some of those involved.