Briefly the story is this, Kit Mal-lant, travelling in Peking, meets Bert Holm returning to America after a seemingly gallant achievement "in mountain climbing. Disappointed in ove, Kit is attracted by the simplicity, the physical beauty of Bert and marries him. Bert's waning career as American hero is revived by another expedition to India, and" crushing down all human values his publicity agent and Kit keep Bert a polished shell for popular adulation, Kit seems to have everything to make her a fine, warm character, yet [she is not. - Her sensitiveness becomes snobbishness; her childish expectancy fand faith become a hardened cynic lam to fool and destroy others. Her Superficial judgment traps her at the end, Verdict not Sustained Bert Holm, a fool, albeit a handsome fool, is. oversimplified. The author says of him that he "in one fearless oct of heroism ruined his life." But her story does not sustain her verdict. It was not heroism he jshowed—that is a quality of spirit which is Instinct in one's life. "Bert Holm is not a "careless hero" (a conradiction in terms); he is essentially [the man he shows himself to be on the "second treacherous, This. is. Pearl Kit Tallant with "comprehension suddenly as vast as the universe" gives up. her faith and joins the rest in fooling the public. One is brought to the conclusion that saying things fare simple does not make them 30, saying on action is great does not make It 50, Perhaps the best explanation for {this story is that-it was written for a woman's magazine (although it is teresting to note that Mrs. Buck's more daring departures in the psychology of sex were omitted from the magazine version.)
"The reviewer would like to commend the foresight of American pub-Fishers in_authorizing special editions for the China trade. If more firms would follow this practice the pirated Books trade would be less flourishing.
This book, in spite of its title, Com} a thoroughly scholarly work and is
delightfully written biographies of the memo one of the most musician that has yet appeared. It fs, to date, the only. life of Ravel written in English, and one can prediet with confidence that no one Will bbe so rash as to attempt to improve fon it, at all events for many years to come. It was undertaken early in 1988, a few months after the com-osser's tragic death. In order to moke it ap authentic as possible Mrs, Goss. has done ing humanly possible to obtain all available firsthand information. Here she has been fortunate in obtaining the willing assistance of Edouard Ravel, Maurice's brother and only surviving near relative, who opened up for het inspection "Lo Belvedere", the composer's village retreat in' Montfort TAmaury, about 20 miles from Paris and allowed photographs to be taken, Madame Reveleau, the—faithful "bonne" of the establishment, told willingly of the 1 happy years she had spent in Ravel's service, *Il tait lst bon. so easy to care for." Life-long friends, such as the Bonnets and the pianist Vifies, had much to relate, whilst considerable assistance and information was derived from Maurice Delage, G. Jean Aubry and Henri Février, well-known stars of the Parisian musical and _lterary firmament, the cellists Maurice Mare. chal and Gerard Hekking, who had toured with Ravel, his dear friend the violinist and otitic Helene Jourdan-Morhange, the planist, Margerite Long, the American connoisseurs Mr. and Mrs, Schmitz, Hans Kindler, conductor of the Washington National Orchestra, Adolf Holm the dancer, and Alexander Steinert, all of whom supplied personal details of the utmost interest Jrom their own Teco!- Teetions.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.