Evening star., 1939-01-01
Years Output of Books
Bears Marks of Quality
Favorite Volumes of Reviewer
In 1888 Lacked Endorsement
Of Best.Seller Lists

parents. Like THE Mountains and
the Stars" it is no work to be taken
up indifferently. 1t is for strong
minds-and strong stomachs. 1t is a
wall Of despair, from beginning to
end except where it is a dirge-yet
it has much humor. The splendid
virtuosity of its writing is its great
recommendation
"A Woman Screamed is COM
edy on the political reformer in ac-
ton. The example taken is Kossuth,
the Hungarian "liberator," who was,
according to Mr.. Neumann, man
with magnificent vocabulary and
a persuasive voice. but with no other
endowments whatsoever. Against
kossuth is set the figure of his dupe,
Rosza Sander, the bandit, the Hun
garian Robin Hood. The book simply
follows the course of Kossuth's en-
deavors, up to the time of his fight,
and shows how Rosza saved the
leader again and again and was
himself betrayed for his loyalty. The
book is done with a light, almost a
burlesque touch, but is full of wis
dom. 1t makes fine civilized reading
and certainly deserves better sue
cess than it has had.
Louis Aragon's Residential Quar-
ter" is, for its excellent writing, fit
to be placed beside these afore-
mentioned works as one of the books
OF the year, but, unfortunately, the
young author has an evangelistic
tendency and must halt his story
from time to time to deliver a lee
ture to his readers. and this, in these
modern days at any rate. is a fault.
The work shows an old-fashioned
pattern all around. however. and it
may be that M. Aragon has included
his little sermons as part of COM
plete return to the OLD three decker
style. He shows. certainly, infu-
ences from Hugo and Dickens and
the reviewer is embsrrassedly aware
of the anomaly of mentioning these
as points for adverse criticism. But
Hugo and Dickens lived in their own
times, and did not attempt to write
i'll the manner Of men before them.
The flamboyancy. the sentimentality,
the tearing the passion to tatters of
their period simply does not ring
true today. Yet NJ Aragon uses all
these props with the greatest hearth
ness.
His book is an elaborate tale of
social influences in a small French
city Just before the World War. In
the Hugonian manner, it has various
groups of characters. taken from
various social levels. Their lives en-
tangle and the theme of the book is
to show the whole warp and woof
of the city. There is a hero, to be
sure; this is the young son of the
citys mayor, privileged youth who
awakens to the hypocrisy of his
family's pretensions and runs off to
starve and burn for social justice in
Paris NJ Aragon is a Communist
and represents the Socialist leaders
of the time as heroes, and the work.
ing people as demi-gods, and the
conservatives and capitalists as
demons incarnate-but he is young
He writes with great power and. ex-
cept when he is speaking editorially
for his own convictions, has humor
and balance. He has handled the
complicated structure of his plot
masterfully and made good reading
of it, even with his deadly serious
asides. 1t is impossible to pass over
the book.
In mentioning these four novels as
the outstanding works of the year,
the reviewer has not, of course, for
gotten the majestic performance of
Thomas Mann's Joseph in Egypt" "
published by Knopf. Neither has she
forgotten Jules Romans latest vol
ume in his Men of Goodwill series,
also by knopf. But these master
pieces have been abundantly COM
mented on. Both have been on best
seller lists and both have been ac-
claimed for the greatness which
they unquestionably have. To do
more in general summing up. than
mention them, therefore, seems un-
necessary. They have already found
their places. A critic can only point
and say, There they are"
After these memorable works of
fiction, the reviewer would name a
dozen or more novels which seem
to her to be good entertainment.
She doubts that the authors of
many Of them intended other than
to produce good entertainment, and
it is a pleasure to point out their
success in so laudable an endeavor.
For time-killing, therefore, the fol-
lowing books are recommended:
Father Coldstream. by Julian
Duguid ID. Appleton Century,. the
story of a Jesuit father struggling