Messrs. Dent believe they have found a new writer of great worth in Romilly Cavan, It may well be that they have, for the author of "Heron" is very young and this, her first essay in fiction, reveals many of the qualities of an instinctive novelist.
She has chosen for her theme an important "problem: the human's ight to retain freedom and indiv'- duality, Richard Heron is a famous poet who has built up in his beautiful homes, about himself and his three daughters, a "perfect" atmosphere. His family know what is expected of them. "They must appreciate his perfect taste, his perfect tolerance, hhis own aloofness "from all' vulgar worldliness. They "must consider themselves thrice "blessed in being allowed perfect freedom to develop their lives as they will, 'Yet they are all—save Heron him-selt—secretly unhappy. 'Their cage may be perfectly gilded, but it is a cage all the same. 'They have no Feal freedom. They are weighed down by Heron's personality. An ordinary, though' very charming, young woman, Rosamund, thrown into this company, provides the climax of the story. Elaine, the tidest of the Heron sisters, whose sad fate is to be left, a prisoner to the last, saves the newcomer from the common thralldom, Rosamund marries while Elaine settles down to help and revere her father and his immortal work.
Of the other Heron daughters, one drowns herself and the third grasps
chance of matrimony. We follow A sudden "and none too. fortunate Elaine's "fortunes most A young American loves her, but he it hot strong enough to free her and eventually runs away, from the fight. Only Rosamund then is left to mould her' own life and will, and, in her erty, Elaine gains some measure of contentment. "Heron" is well done. Having read it, we too have hopes for Miss Cavan's successful The reading public and the critics are holding strong opinions, about lind Men Crossing a Bridge" (Constable 10s.) by Susan Miles. The voice of the press is almost bewilder~ inoly various: "It is a remarkably bad book; it is a boringly long, book; it is an amazing achievement." Pro-ably, "an amazing achievement" comes nearest to a true valuation of this interesting novel, which has veen set forth in 852 closely printed payes. sate, Beauty and strangeness of its inguage alone would claim distinetion. Perhaps, it is not an easy book to read. The method by which Miss Miles presents the three generations of her characters is'no ordinary one. Her approach all through is that of poet; her thoughts, her raptures are of the realm of poetic prose.
'The story is concerned with George Gurney, a. Rector's son and. his tragic' misalliance with Meg, the daughter of the village carrier, and two further generations which are the outcome of this marriage. George, when the book opens, is eighteen, an artist and a poet; Meg is seventeen. 'Atter his death from suicide we fo! low the lives of their children, Berlin and the girl, Mazod, who is the true heroine of "Blind 'Men' Crossing a Bridge."
'The title is taken from a Japanese print which has been given to George Gurney and for whom it holds strange, compelling beauty. 'The figures' of the blind men, "shackled fon a bridge." may be said to repre-Sent some of the troubles which he and his have to confront and overcome in their eternal search for beauty. Miss Miles is not afraid of the Unusual. She has written powerful novel, which should be Tead.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.