The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-05-21
BOUND TO BE READ

HINDER the practiced hand of V Franz Werfel, the beautiful and tender story of Bernadette Soubi- rous comes to life.
 "The Song of Bernadette" (Vi- king) Is sung radiantly.
 Frail, poverty-stricken Berna- dette alone saw the Lady of the Grotto, a vision of mercy, kindness and loveliness which appeared par- adoxically, in 8 cavern of horrible filth.
 Bernadette, however, is consign- ed to sorrow. The clergy is scandalized and disbelieves. The state discredits the story of her vision. But Bernadette's faith never falters and it comes to pass that no person in France is left untouched by the vision of the girl. The people come to believe that the Mother of God actually appeared on earth.
 After this, of course, it is impos- sible for Bernadette to return to the humble life she has known and that becomes an actual tragedy. The story is one touched by magic and carries through to the ceremony a few years back in which Bernadette was maid a saint.
 GO MUCH good writing and excel 0 lent characterization go into the fashioning of ''The Magic Water" (Scribners) that the reader will easily forgive Barbara Webster's use of a plot that is none too fresh the story of 8 divorced couple thrown together again through force of circumstances.
 It is the story of a vast house in eastern Pennsylvania, a house whose mistress has been forced to turn 1t into 8 seni-hotel, and 1t is the story of those who inhabit it. But in the main, it Is the story of Marcia Cannon and her former husband, Alec Trowbridbe, who meet again at The Waters.
 But 1t is in the establishment of character and in the richness of description and dialogue that Miss Webster lifts "The Magic Water" above the level of just another TO- nance. There is freshness and verve to her writing, and the story, thanks to these attributes, never lags.
 A LMOST romantic story around "A the theme of "it can't happen here," is told by Lawrence Upton, in his novel, Brother, the Laugh Is Bitter" (Harpers).
 It is the story of the problems facing the Jew, personified by Max Levinsky, "a smart Jewboy," who rises from the east side ghetto through the bootlegging and horse parlor cycles to become "legiti- mate." Max learns, though, that being Legitimate" will not save him from the discrimination and hate that has endured through the cen- turies of an anti-Semitic world. r EO LAMA writes his autobiog- L raphy in "Today We Are Broth CTS" (Houghton-Mifflin), and uses as a background the world-shaking events of the past. several decades.
 Expertly, and with keen insight, he touches on Russia, Vienna, Italy and Germany, and highlighting his story are the familiar names of Lenin, Ciano, Mussolini, Rathenau.
 The book is packed with dramat- ic stories and episodes. Through 1t all runs the authors idea, repre- sentative of many European intel lectuals, that Hitler must be con- ouered. not alone with tanks and guns, but with "the dynamite of an ethical ideal"
 "DUT OUT MORE FLAGS" (Lit-
 | tie, Brown), by Evelyn Waugh, is the gentle, clever story of Basil Seal, an Englishman who finds the war upsets his personal plans and life.
 MT. Waugh paints an entertain ing picture of Basil as he goes rom one job to another, until he fnds his spot in the British war effort. WAR Between Russia and Japan
 w is inevitable and 1t Is likely to come sooner than many people ex- pect. Maurice Hindus, who has g noteworthy record as a prophet with regard to things Soviet, asserts in his new book, "Russia ana Japan" Doubleday, Doram:
 Hindus has made many visits to Russia and on the basis of his last one he sees the causes of conflict between Japan and Russia as such that the two countries simply must flrht 1t out. Russia, he believes would prefer to avoid conflict with ,Japan until she has disposed oi Germany. Japan. on the other hand, he believes must strike Rus sIa while that country still is deep- ly involved with Adolf Hitler.
 The predictions in Hindus' book