Mae West's book is something of 2 disappointment. It was to be ex-[pected that the book would be vivid, fe rude and somewhat naughty. It wa not expected that it would tai finesse. This novel, woven around the stage play and. cinema production of the same title, is one of the Tewdest volumes which this Feviewer has read, There is a certain force in the author's characterizations of the people of the vivid age of Jwhich she writes but so much mor could been done with the story. She writing about one of the cleverest courtesans of the time, about her lite, her loves and her all-encompassing. passion for, diamonds. If, however, the picture she actually Graws of Diamond Lil is a true one, then the men of that day must have been very thick in the head despite Iher_ very obvious beauty. In addition there isan unnecessary tendency on the part of the author to use much too often words and expressions which, banned as they are.in good society, should be used very sparing indeed if any cleverness is to be eft in the writing. Were this story written by de Maupassant, Boceacio, Zola of Balzac it would have been a masterpiece. As it is, it is merely a Tewd story of a time that was undoubtedly interesting and of charact-fore that undoubtedly existed in the roaring days of early America— even to-day; and that the Ttalian pronunciation, usually described a5 the ecclesiastical pronunciation, was not used in England until the 16th hight, "Mother was "decked "in Spanich shawl and. all" her_sewel fand he heard. fust_ a litle of what the thought of fin, Ben oth cla "worker: Sybil the impecunious ly paraded: Viole, the spinster s0-
widow: Norman, the conceited. pare ion with hie unsuitable wife; Edward who Hooked after the busines (ap) Stanley, the near-uecessful novel int) amd_at the back of Mrs. Par-berry's mind was always Robert, the fon Wwho'was. kistodin the War. snd "the "only "one Who scoved sive to°her. There. might with enrage Rave Geen more of Meter ness of the family-~the pages in which abe figurer are_by of ihe frost musing. And. another. matter for regret it that in the end abe does Rot go to Italy. a8 she had intend But {tis elstinetly good book aa.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.