SOME RECENT FICTION

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 18, 16 October 1920, Page 11

SOME RECENT FICTION

Some "Jwikins Books," ' "Siiv Herbert Jenkins, .the authw-pub-I lislier-,-.to-,whom we 0v.% such curiouslydiverse productions as. the delightfully humorous" "Eihdle". books, and -what in' recognised,as the standard "Lifa of Georke : Borrow,- has recently oaused a.sen.Mtion in the-English publishing world by'thfl issue of some new and excellent fiction at prices at wlfich certain of his fellow publishers declare it to be quite' inipos-' sible to issue new books' profitably. A few weeks'.ago, in reviewing that realistic picftire of'a'coal.'miher's life, "The Underworld," I drew attention to th/i fact that this novel-,'.an entirely now-and original work, was issued at the low price of half-a-crown (N.Z. price 3s. Cd.) Mr.; Jenkins now "sands mo copies of' a" reissue, at the same' moderate price, of that: very. successful. hovel, "Patricia. Brent, Spinster,". and of an entirely new .story, "The Coming of Bill," by-tho always en- ; tertaining -writer, Mr. P. Q. Wodehouse,; whose Piccadilly-Jim" was suoh a special-, ly amusing. production. "Patricia Brent," which owed its popularity to its delight-; fully,,:unforced,/and pleasantly: ironical: humour, has, so tlife publisher declares, with just Dridn,. been translated into the Swedish, iDutcli, and other' European; languages,, and lias also been filmed' with. great success., The issue of a ifcw'and! cheaper edition -will probably ehsurti for* the story.;, an extended popularity, with; Australasian;readers. ■-. ;. ' '■' ;.'

The scfene of'-Mr. Wbdehouse's -new: story, "The.Coming of Bill," is laid in NewTorlc; where tho hero, Kirk Win-: field, an artist,' .who enjoys a snug'.pn-; vate' income; marries a very -haiidspme, young lady,-:whose father, tho'., typical' Amoricari financier, strongly objects.: to His Saughter's choice'. Tho young. pcopl6 come together -through the kindly- offices of the lady's aunt, a confirmed and.ad-; vonceOugenist, never r tired of expoundihe her favourite theories as to the mosi enUable mating of healthy and hand'some yoiing.'people; with'the naturalise-; quel of healthy, and handsome ohildreuTheim'atrimbnial.differences of. the artist and his wife, and how the temporarily, estranged couple are' brought ' -together again' thrbugh/their common interest'm; their boy,'provide Mrl, Wodehouse. with material for a veiy interesting story,' told' with all that vivacity and hurootir. ;foi whieh He has earned so -wide a •Teputa-" tion. "The Coming of Bill" is, in truth, a domestic comedy at its best, .and at suoh may be confidently .recommended to my readers., The redoutable Mre. Porter, with -)her./unbounded- admiration W, muscle, and her peculiar-views as to"-the parentage and the upbringing .of children, is'one of/the most entertainms cEaracters 'it has been, my good fortune to encounter In- latter-day fiction. ■- That powerful story, > "The Underworld," of which the publisher. foTwards a copy, has already been reviewed at length in this journal. Other new _Jen-. kins books" 'will be referred to in a future issue. . .'-.. ' '

"Timb&r Wolves.!' >Mr. the Australian' novelist,'.-vfhbse first' story, "The Coastlanders," won such well-deserved, approval, now gives us, in his "Timber Wolves" iHodder and Stougnton.l . a 'story which shows a marked advance.; Tho scene is the timber district'.of North-east Tasmania, the plot centring round.the. courageous attempt of John Heritage, a young Melbourne lawyer, to break down.'"the monopoly of some .wealthy- and' unprihoipled timber j speouJators and'to'win justice for the small settlers .who. are interested in the eaw- , milling industry.' The hero has a hard and almost hopeless struggle with the monopolists, but although in his ."'.'.timber" 'speculation" he .is not altogether successful he.finds ample compensation, iit the love of a very de.iightful girl-., whose father is self-exiled in'the bush as 'the Tesult of a quarrel with a'..rival whom, 60 ho erroneously 'imagines,' he has' killed.. There >ls ' a subsidiary story'of a great fortune which has, been loft to tho irirl's father by an old: comrade of.'his jyouth, arid 'this and : the main motif of the : .timber monopoly ale ingeniously itnterwoven. 'The'.'.lbcal colour of the story is •'" picturesctue and convincing, and.the minor' characters are strongly- drawn.- Although.in'certaih'Of : its .'details the story may recall' Mr. ; Peter Kyno's > "Valley, of - the Giants," Mr. .Cromn's novel .original and highly dramatic incidents, and reflects high credit upon its au- ' thor's-gifts of .'imagination and capacity to create effectivo situations and interesting 'characters. Mr. Cronin is by far the most promising novelist ; that Aushas .produced for some time'past. ,"Sir Harry." ■ 'Mr/Archibald Marshall gives us, in his I now story, "Sir Harry" (-W. Collins, Sons, and..Co.) a..very. characteristic oxaniplo of that _ pleasant, essentially restful fic-tion-'which' is associated with hisnnmo. Jiistjag'Trpllope, with whom ho is-so.' '(iften compared, specialised in country; paraoik and-ecclesiastics generally, 'Mr.Marshall specialises in the English country, ./gentry. 'In, "Sir Harry", he' gives; .an engaging study,-of a young English' land owner, 'brought up by a private '■tutor-and carefully ehiolded, ■ so- that haughty:old aryiocrat, his grandmother, fdiidly' imagines, from all possible association,with, and possible contaminalion •by, poisons who are not of the bluest blood: and best possible breeding. Tho young man's . father, had, it appears, married an'actress, and good Lafly Brent 'is- determined that her- grandson shall jiot. maifi any ' mesalliance: "But ■in -matters of love-making- even tho. 'most carofully "shephorded young man has .often' a knack' of deciding for* himself, nnd so it comes about that the youthful scion of the groat houso of Brent, meeting'one day in tho woods a very charming young lady) falls in love with her, despite the fact flint she .possesses a bibulous and Bohomian artist-father, and that, her mother, .like his town, had beoh'oii tho .stage. 'The story has a pathetic ending,' for the youthful'herois killed at. tho war, but. before that dark page is reached there is much charming love-making and some- very olever cjiar : acter-drawing for tho reader- to enjoy. "The White Hen."

"The White Hen," by Phyllis Campbell (Mills and Boon, per Whitcoinlw and Tombs), is a story' of modern French life, tho interest'contring round the loss of a superb diamond which an impecuiu■ous French dukiv desires to sell in order to provide his daughter, with a dot. A young American of immense wealth, -who Vails in lovo with the dainty Jabquoline, a silly mother who is bitten .with a craze for" spiritualism, and who imagines the soul of an old lover is imprisoned in a certain white hen, of which she is the devoted custodian, to say nothing of the white lion herself, all play prominent parts in' a pleasant little-.do-mestic comedy. The story, of American oriyn.-T'.should, imaging", is 100 liberally drenchedviyith sentiment, but it makes amusing ..enough reading.