Certain articles in England have] drawn attention to the fact that Mr. "Somerset Maugham's new novel entitled "Cakes and Ale" contains a very accurate character sketch of the late Thomas Hardy. But the portrayal of the wife of thus endowed with ies of a real in-dual is markedly at_variance with the known disposition and general behaviour" of the poet's firs fe, In fact, it is suggested that jas Mr. Maugham has so plainly written his story round Thomas Hardy, itis outrageous to have given him so unsatisfactory a wife, for inevitably the impression will get labraad that the wife, too, is drawn from real life.
Mr. Somerset Maugham novice at this kind of exploitation lof actualities. His play "The Letter" was based on the most faithfal account of a tragic episode which factually took place in the Straits Settlements, and it is, still felt by people who offered Mr. Maugham hospitality. in Singapore that that] play constituted rood taste, to etiquette. it is believed, too, Hongkong has a similar complaint] against Mr. Ma the characters in Charles Dickens posthumously has been charged with maliciously' lampooning Leigh Hunt, his own father, jand one or two other personal Jquaintances in certain of his novels. Admirers of Dickens, at all events, will forgive him for any alleged defect in Mlial affection when Produced such a delightful personality as Mr. Micawber. And is the whimsical, almost fantastic, figure Jof Horace Skimpole #0 deadly an insult to the man from whom cérin of the main characteristics.
fictitious personality were taken? But Mr. Somerset Maugham Jmay be said to have offended in a ferent way. To the plot of "TI Letter" he feally contributed not ing. It could hardly be said to be more than a good piece of drama reporting. There is always a dange in exercising literary talent at the Jexpense of a small community, the individual members of which' earn be so readily identified. The bosh example of a successful handling of this difficulty is to be found in the work of Rudyard Ki "Plain Tales from the "Departmental Ditties," and hig vay's Work," ho was actually one gaged in the occupation of a 1 porter on a daily newspaper. The characters that"he put into those books, which made him reach the first rung of his fame, were all around him and were plainly the sources of his inspiration, Yet even the lady who might or might not have been identified as Mrs, Hawk joy could hardly have been offended loy the manner in which the young Anglo-Indian journalist handled her eccentricities and merits, Tt would not be correct to say that Kipling was popular in Lahore, Simla, oF Allahabad, but it has quite wrong ly been assumed that his une popularity was due to his brilliant satires on Anglo-Indian society. Those who were in clone touch wit people of his day will bear wite ness to the fact that the alleged unpopularity arose from quite other reasons. And this shows how successfully Kipling employed truth jin the manufacture of fiction. Mr.
1am does not. seem similar achievee ment, but no doubt the storm about Thomas Hardy will die down, as it has done in similar instances before, Mr, Trent has taken the lax Ruse sian divorce laws as the basis for the heroine's concluding \ords, which seem to have been her ideas throughout the book," After all, 18 was a marriage—of So ive never been a really bad' won have I darling?"
In short—Sonia Karovitsa, who the daughter of a princely Cossack, meets Boris Ivanoff at a flat in London and falls violently in love with him and is married to him j the Russian Coneulate-General Paris. After a year of happiness he divorces her according to Ru sian law simply by signing a decus ment without giving her noti He marries again for money, ale though he had loved Sonia, Sonia struggles through poverty and ed by friends achiever fame as aa operatic star. Boris, although mar= ried, falls in love with her beauty and' brilliance at a "first night."
Mer revenge and that of the wit who still loves him, form the mainder of the story with Sani second marriage in a minor capa "ity.
The book carries some intense and dialogue, with an occasional descriptive relief, and on the whole, makes fairly good but very light reading.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.