Evening star., 1947-08-17
Sentimental,
Sdtiric and
WorIdIyWise

VVOfsOs/ w sSS
vESPERS IN VIENNA
BY Bruce Marshall. (Houghton-
Mif7in;- $275J
Reviewed by
CARTER BROOKE JONES
Mr.. Marshalls new novel is con-
cerned with the British segment of
the occupation forces in Vienna In
the summer of 1945. The city was
governed at the time by all four OF
the conquering powers, which did
not detract from the general con-
fusion of the period,
The chief actors of this comedy
drama are professional British SOL
diers, most of them officers fairly
high in rank who have followed
their flag from Sandhurst through
the Marne, Mons, Cambria, Alamein
and the new battlef1elds of France
and Germany. The leading man is
Col. Nicobar, who lost an arm in the
Mons campaign, but did not let this
bit Of misfortune Gas he might have
put it, interfere with his military
career.
Col. Nicobar is, like his fellow Of
ficers, immersed in the traditions
and conventions Of the service, but
he's a little different: he has a con-
science and the state of the world
worries him at times. He also is able
. to laugh at the more absurd aspects
of military administration.
When the colonel is sent from
Rome to Vienna, he reports to a
stuffy brigadier named Catlock.
Nicobar and his small staff are bill
leted in the convent of the Daugh-
tiers of the Holy Ghost. The colonel,
who never bothered much about re-
ligion, finds the nuns surprising In
a number of ways. For instance, the
Rev. Mother Superior Auxilia turns
out, despite her secluded life, to
have a shrewd mind, well able to
appraise the troubles of the secular
world. She holds her own easily in
argument with Nicobar and with a
Russian colonel. This Is not sur
prising except to those officers.
Fugitive Ballet Dancer.
The nuns are hiding Maria, a
German ballet dancer, who lived in
Russia and fled to Vienna when the
war broke out. The Russians, sus-
pecting her wartime activity, want
her back, and she knows, despite
their bland promises not to harm
her, what will happen if she is re-
turned Nicobar finds himself SYM
pathetic to Maria, who is no Nazi
He also likes and admires increas-
ingly the Rev. Mother, Sister Kasi-
mira and the other members of the
order who have received him so hos
pitably. But when Catlock orders
Maria turned over to the Russians,
the habit of obedience is too strong
'-Nicobar complies. though he does
conceal the fact that the girl has
been allowed sanctuary in the
convent.
When, however, Maria escapes and
turns up at the convent again, the
origadier holds that she is protected
by new ruling that Germans who
lived in other countries need not be
compelled to return. Meanwhile,
Maria and Maj. McPhimister of
Nicobar's staff have fallen in love-
The Russians persist. and finally
gain their point; Maria is to be sur
rendered as an alien enemy Nicobar
decides he has done enough to ap-
pease army stupidity. He arranges
for Maria to be spirited off to def
nitely British zone of Austria. When
Catlock orders her return. Nicobar
fatty refuses. There's another little
matter. The colonel, flying to Rome
on brief mission, smuggles the
mother superior into the plane in
defiance of standing orders; she has
a sudden wish to visit the Vatican.
Nicobar now faces probable court
martial.
Fantastic Developments.
The best part of this book is the
spontaneous humor which sparkles
from many of its episodes. But Mr..
Marshall apparently was beset by
conflicting desires to write satirically
and seriously. Some of the more
fantastic developments of the story
might be accepted as satire, and yet
there are indications that the author
wants them taken seriously. Ger
tainly, some of the more philosophic
dialogue is not designed to be funny.
Mr.. Marshall was lieutenant COL
onel in the Austrian occupation, and
presumably knows what he's writing
about, but no military service could
be quite as capricious as the one he
describes. Mother Auxilia is pre-
sented as strange mixture of wis
dom and naivete. It's asking lot
to expect you to believe that she's
so impressed with what few Off
GERS said about the failures of the
church that she rushes off to Rome
to tell the Pope and beg him to do
something about it. The love scenes
between Maria and the major and
Maria's final tragedy are lush
with oyerblown sentiment. The
books ending, when Nicobar, sum-
moned to London, is promoted in
stead of punished, is a severe strain
on any ones credulity-if it's sup
posed to be taken literally.
Two of Mr.. Marshall's previous
novels, Father Malachy's Miracle"
and THE World, the Flesh and
Father Smith," sold very widely in
deed, and the former was made into
play successful on Broadway.
"Vespers in Vienna" is entertaining
though it hardly comes of as a
novel.