By, Sophie Cote blobers, Messe un London: Boo Sophie Cole ha written many novels. which youred for her avery "wide circle of admirers. Her latest venture, "Matrimony Place," will not only strengthen the ad tion of that circle of admiters but should: considerably widen it. For in this book she has jen us a charming. tale of simple, every day people going about their work and their pleasures in a nor mal manner and in this respect, least, differs vastly from. the "gp-to-date" novel which we are unfortunately becoming so familiar with. "It is a great pity that more writers donot follow authoress of "Matrimony plac for light reading of this kind would certainly help towards a return to the "normalcy" which the nations of to-day are crying for, "Matri= many Place" ly the story of Polly Stokes, a country gir) who, orvhaned in her teens, is taken care of by a London relative and in the great city finds all her keenly anticipated delights interspersed with the usual quota of trials and tribula~ tions. Not the least well-drawn Portrait of the story is that of Mrs, Drayton, a lady who with her flat, motor-cars, beautiful clothes, te., is—somewhat unconventional, Matrimony Place" will fi idle evening very nicety. ales from Turkistan," by Star Lob, (Blackwood. 6s.) consists of a Series of true stories of a region hardly known to English readers, They have an atmospheric which is quite di not altogether easy reading, being almost entirely lacking in dialogue and inevitably bristling with words es of a jaw-break-cavity. Once conquered, they have a humour and an actual= ity well beyond most stories of a venture. There is a cheerful brutal~ ity about the methods adopted towards dangerous enemies that is the very converse of the growing sentimentality of this age, It is the difference between the man on the spot, with his life and his friend's life; and perhaps his women's lives, in deadly danger, and the critic at home in the armchair. "Schooner: and Soviet," we believe, has appeared in print before. One or two of the stories take sts to the French. "front" at its most ghastly stage.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.