Evening star., 1936-05-13
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
GOLDEN PEACOCK. BY Gertrude Ath
erton. Boston: Houghton Mifflin CO
By Margaret Cermond.


daughter and heireSs of Quintus, is the
heroine. In an expression Of sentiment
concerning her own work, the author
says that she has derived a thousand
times more pleasure from writing of the
past than of the life about her. It must
be admitted that she has written a lions
share of both, for she has produced thirty
nine books and covered a wide variety of
ages and locations. Those that have re-
vived the glories and the personalities Of
long-dead centuries have possessed an en-
during quality that makes them as inter-
esting today as when they were first pub
lished, for they have borne the evidence
of authenticity that comes only from
diligent research and study.
1t is, Of course only fair to grant to
writers as we'll as to actors the privilege
of wanting to do more than one type of
work. but sometimes the effect is dis
appointing, and Golden Peacock" is
case in point. The material from which
the novel is constructed, the period which
1t reviveS and the Rome that it pictures
are genuinely interesting, but the archi-
lecture is out of keeping with the scene.
The effect is somewhat like that of the
interior of an old manor house that has
been restored" and fitted with modern
furnishings.
The Roman Empire during the last
half century before the birth of Christ
was the home of many celebrities whose
fame will never fade. Caesar Augustus was
kind to the poets, and the intellectual
and the cultural leaders whose work has
influenced the higher arts throughout
the ages that have followed. Ovid was a
promising young poet to whom recogni-
ton and encouragement was granted.
| Horace was growing old, but his work
| had survived severe criticism and his
fame was spreading far. Virgil was be-
| ing encouraged to publish the "Aenid"
| and masterful politicians and warriors
were not scarce. These and other noted
individuals become living personalities
as Pomponia tells the story of her per-
sonal. social and romantic life under the
guardianship of the great Horace.
Pomponia begins her story with the
| murder of her father and mother and
her flight to the farm of Uncle" Horace
| with the news of the tragedy. Being a
| highly temperamental young lady whose
| sixteen years OF life have been spent large
| ly in accordance with her own whims, she
| accepts her new status as the independ-
ent and wealthy mistress of her own
affairs with all assurance Of twentieth
century f1apper. Her marriage to hand
| some young MalliuS has been delayed
because he is rendering service to his
| Emperor with Agrippa's army in Gaul,
| and Pomponia does not enjoy waiting
| for anything. The assasSins who slew
| her parents are reputed to be treacher-
| GUS foreign slaves, but she believes
| otherwise.
Despite her tempestuous nature. Pom
| ponia must not be regarded as a fool.
| Her wits are keen and her tongue clever.
| and through the gay and colorful scenes
that marked official and social life in
one Of Romes golden ages this self
| sufficient young lady, whose beauty had
| inspired Horace to name her the Golden
Peacock" tells in her own way of her
| activities in the efforts to prove the guilt
| of those who slew her parents and who
sought her own life, of her clever tricks
applied for the extracting of secrets from
political and social enemies, and of her
dramatic and eventually triumphant
romance.
But Pomponia of the Augustan Age tell
ing story in modern American is not
especially impressive. 1t is difficult to
imagine any contraction of the scholarly
tongue of the Romans that would reduce
an affectionate designation for Horace to
the equivalent of "Unk-OrtZ," or to ac-
cept with anything but amusement the
easineSs with which Pomponia calls
Volumnia Marcia just plain w. NJ" 1t
is pretty picture and lively tale. but
its modern dress does not quite At.
"
THE TAVERN. BY Marguerite Steen.
Indianapolis: The Bobbs- Merrill Co.
Granada is the scene of this genuinely
entertaining novel that concerns the
keeper Of tavern on the Albaicin hill,
who made or wrecked the lives of those
who favored or crossed her.
Maria Teresa is beautiful woman who
loathes her husband and who tantalizes
and drives him to do many things he
would never indulge in if she were only
little kind. She had been . waiting
maid in a wealthy household before she
married Florio of the house of Conde.
For while the pair had been bliss
fully happy. But Maria became i'll,
and, in regaining her health, she lost all
Of the sweetness and gentleness and none
Of the passionate temper peculiar to
Spanish blood.
If Maria Teresa had granted Florio
only one small right in his own eStab-
lishment so many dire events might not
have befallen her, but since she has
assumed the management of the tavern
she has only two ambitions. One is to
keep her husband as miserable as possible
and the other is to keep the reputation
of the tavern free from even the mildest
Of scandals. The patronage of Don
Joaquin had literally established the tay-
ern as a place of high standing, and at
all costs that venerable friend must be
pleased. But now Don Joaquin wants
to rent a room in which he may secretly
meet a bewitching lady. and Florio has
promised him that it shall be arranged.
Such conduct is more than Maria
Teresa can sanction, and she immedi-
ately seeks to frustrate the plans and
save herself from blame. An acci-
dent affords the excuse of placing an
orphan girl in the room, but many lies
and much trickery and evasion are in
volved. For q while little change ap-
pears at the tavern, but gradually the
patronage drops of and the once-proud
Maria Teresa is hard put to keep up
appearances and pretend that the loss
of Don Joaquin's patronage has done
no harm.
What comes of this small event in the
lives Of Florio and Maria Teresa grows
into an intenSely interesting story Of n