"Tue, Srurte Pasi, Ox.'—By Joann Cannan, Benn. London, 'This is a really good novel. characters portrayed are such feels might be met with at any, time, they are so naturally drawg, and $0 eminently possible. Laurenca Denby who marries Wanda Bers ringer, whilst he is at home' on leave from France in February, 1018, is an ordinary man not, be it said, using the word "ordinary" any' derogatory sense, but to emo phasize the skill which the novelist has brought to bear on her wone by writing such a very interesting. and readable book without taking any exceptional or exaggerated specimens of people to write about, This is one of the main things which made the book so attractive to me, I was not all the time having to ask myself if such and such a thing were possible or rea sonable amongst ordinary human beings or having to adjust my, mental outlook to some extraordin ary character or personality. Thera is no exaggeration here. 1 felt happy amongst these people, I don't say that I should have chosery them all as my friends but the; ave just ordinary people and yet 3 very interesting. There were many, marriages made such as that des cribed in this novel; many turned out worse and many better but none more possibly. 1 If you want "wit" hero you find it in not infrequent flashes, never foreed tut always so natural that, you have to think to recognize it definitely as wit. Seldom have read a book which without departs ing from the strictly normal, hoid the interest as this one docs.
As an exception to the rule thd story does not end on a happy nota and for this the authoress in my, opinion, distinctly deserves a word of praise. The temptation which most novelists succumb to is at all costs to finish up happily. In thig case to have done so would hayd fbcon ina great measure to spol} what has been done so well.
REEM,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.