Evening star., 1937-08-07

though why h not easily understand
able
Things were no better on the farm
they went TO in New England Julia
didn't learn her lesson because she was
as free OF morals as an animal and the
professor didn't care, because he liked
her that way. It's strange story OF
contemplate people. There is not one
admirable person in the lot. This
might have been terrible tragedy II
one Of the pity saturated Russians had
written it. Mr.. Fox keeps 1t farcical,
bright. clever. but decidedly nauseous.
Something like William Faulkner re-
written by Aldous Huxley. E. T.
THE MOTT FAMILY IN FRANCE
Donald Moffat. Boston. Little,
Brown IL Co.
THIS Is not too serious work on the
life Of an American family in
France. The family OF Ave. mother,
father and three little girls, sample
life in Paris, French small town and
at French middle-class resort. Their
life as householders and patrons Of the
local schools gave them an oppor-
tunity for intimate insight into the
French national character, French
customs and French beliefs These
are recorded faithfully, wittily and
always in readable, interesting man.
ner.
Mr. Moffat attempts to dispel the
old illusion that the French are a
gay people, fond OF light wines and
beers" In place Of this fifth grade
geography version he tries to substi-
tute picture OF serious people much
fonder Of gargantuan meals accom-
panied by appropriate drinks than Of
light wines and beers According TO
him, their outstanding characteristic
Is love OF money, which engenders
4 meanness OF spirit and lack of hu-
NOR. They are petty In their reactions
where any pecuniary gain might be
expected, unethical in their dealings
with strangers, utterly realistic in
their attitude towards life in all its
manifestations. including sex On the
credit side they have frugality, strong
family feeling and integrity, and the
aforementioned sense of reality. The
book is not study, however, but an
amusing and gentle satire. r. r. T.
SON OF HAMAN. Louis Cochran.
Caxton Printers, Ltd. Caldwell,
Idaho.
SON OF HAMAN is the story OF an
illegitimate son Of Yazoo River
woman, who, although she has been
living more or less openly with the
towns most important saloon owner,
has, nevertheless, tried TO instill high
ideals and conventional mooe Of
thought in her son. Driven by ambi =
| ton, Lille Smith, the son, aims at
wealth and marriage with the daugh-
ter OF the towns only aristocrat Foiled
in the latter ambition, he enforces q
shotgun marriage between his mother
and her lover and himself marries one
Of the native prostitutes, both to make
the women in question respectable"
Although it Is \ story Of sordid lives
| In 4 mean community, it Is not a
sordid book. 1t IS realistic without
being nasty. Lies growth Of char
acter is foreshadowed in the first
| chapter Of the book. The wedding OF
Elizabeth FortinbeTy. the girl he loves,
| to Tom Cronbone, lawyer from New
| Orleans, Is as inevitable, given the cast
| OF characters deycribed BY Cochl an,
| as Is Lies reaction to that wedding.
| The whole plot is integrated not from
| the incidents described, but from the
| characters OF the people involved. The
thesis of the bDok Is not Hardy 8
| power OF fate, but belief that events
are the outgrowth Of a series OF char
| Acter reactions.
The plot Is lucid, the characters are
clear, the action is logical and swift
enough to make a very readable story.