Mr. Stephen McKenna has long been known as one of the most bril-ant of contemporary novelists and his "Breasted Amazon" (Hutchinson, London. 8/6) does not disappoint in the slightest his extremely large circle of followers, In fact one is on quite safe ground when stating that this very lengthy story is one of the finest books he has ever written, The essence of the plot is not involved in any way at all It is purely and simply the record of a love affair between the handsome, middle-aged Sir Miles Carrington, Master of Moigns Castle, and the beautiful and self-willed Lorna Galloway, a none too Successful novelist by choice and a divorcee by virtue of the findings of the law. The author, with his custom mary exquisite pen pictures, has painted a veritable masterpiece, in propounding a well-developed theme that analyses with brutal frankness the physical and mental reactions and emotions of two people in love. Having novelized her marriage—some persons will certainly believe that such an act amounts to nothing short of infamy—Lorna lived in fear of her ex-husband who had threatened to maim her for life, until, in a dream, she wandered to a cottage on Sir Miles's estate, where she was eventually to recover her peace of mind and the opportunity to write again It was there she first encountered her host in rather dramatic circumstances, and, determined at any cost to retain her tranquillity in a haven of sheer delight, she offered the lord of the manor anything he desired of her.
Physical attraction later developed into something fat different and a mighty struggle is witnessed between the two whose sole object is to bring happiness into the other's existence. But in the process of this mental conflict they become estranged and re main so until fate steps in and throws its loaded dice, entangling them in its snares once more. The great love of Carrington for Lorna brings to them both a happiness neither has previously experienced and under its magic spell the girl is virtually inspired to produce the finest work of her career. The period of courtship is treated magnificently by a writer who fully understands the frailties and passions of human nature, and in the most stylish English one can read with the greatest of pleasure a tale that, fundamentally, could well be a story of many of our own lives.—
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.