The Sun. — 1855-04-11 (London, England)

RAILWAYS.  The Quicksands of Fashion. By Mrs. Martin Lucas. 3 vols. Newby. This work may certainly lay claim to some originality of plot and a great variety of incident. It is somewhat in the old-fashioned style of intercepted letters, deep-laid plots, and attempted murder. The story is very complicated ; but its chief object would appear to be to show the evils resulting from a love of gambling. The effects of this absorbing passion in the Bonville family are terrible. The innocent suffer with the guilty ; and the fair heroine, Cordelia, is involved in great misfortunes and misery, owing to the deceit and treachery which had their rise in a love of gambling. In the Champrdowne family its effects are not less fatal ; and in the story of the heroine's aunt, Clarissa Bonville, fearful calamities result from it. Cordelia herself, though a gentle and pleasing character, brings all her misfortunes upon herself by her foolish confidence in her unprincipled brother, and her weakness in yielding to his wishes as to her marriag'. The Lady Gwendoline, her evil genius, is a somewhat exaggerated portrait. The story is nct very probable ; but the readers to whom the excitement of suspense is agreeable will find it exactly calculated for them ; for it is impossible in the middle' of Elie second volume to form a guess at the conclusion. There is no paucity of characters or incidents ; indeed they are somewhat crowded. The writer, appearing fearful of dwelling too long on any point, hurries the reader through quite a perplexing gallery of portraits and narrative of events. Thus the astonishing fact of Cordelia's unexpected marriage is related to us in one or two pages, leaving the admirers of the rival hero in dismay. Cordelia, after many years of suffering and temporary loss of reason, at length triumphs over all the slander and jealousy which had wrought her so much sorrow, and is repaid for her many trials by peace and happiness. It is scarcely fair to entitle the work " The Quicksands of Fashion," for the vices here shown forth are less the crimes of society than of - Such perrsono- a. Ralph Rruivillo, Lionel Champerdowne, and Sir John Morton must in any station have been a disgrace to themselves and a source of misery to others ; while if Cordelia had exercised her own judgment and sense of right and wrong, instead of placing dependence on the words of those whom there was every reason to doubt, she might have 'safely traversed more dangerous paths without being engulphed in the "quicksands" which threatened to overwhelm her. One point we must object to. We were in hopes that the plan of murdering inconvenient husbands and wives was going -out of fashion ; and though the virtues and patience of Cordelia deserve a reward, still the invention of the authoress might have devised some other method. Those who look for high moral aims and skilful delineation of character may not find these volumes equal their expectations, but to the ordinary novel reader they will no doull afford amusement and excitement of a varid kind.  ess jmer!ey.  all T3edford and Bletchley ... 00 Buellghamsh. I_oo Clydesdale Je. 24 Col. Stour Vy. Sud. and Hal.