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Radio Record, Volume V, Issue 44, 13 May 1932, Unnumbered Page

"A \ TSS JANETTE COOPER has written us a delightful story of simple family life, in "Hathaway House" (Hamish Hamilton). The Hathaways live in the town of Buffalo, and the fumiay is a yery ordinary one, although the: facile pen of Miss Cooper makes it attractive. We can picture John, who spends far more than he should on hooks, and his wife Ann. Then there is Penelope, who does not keep her engagement to the violinist, and Alice, who writes a poem and wins a prize. Aunt Emma is there with her parrot, and the dear old judge, with several others, who are well portrayed and whom we are glad to meet, A book you will wane to linger over. s ed * Most of the older residents of New Zealand will have read "Jessica's First Prayer," by HWesba Stretton, This was only a nom de plume, her real name being Sarah Smith, wad whose centenary ix of Midland interest. She wis born in 1838z at Church Stretton, in Shropshire, and was the daughter of a bookseller, She became a "prolific writer of popular novels for young anid old alike, During her lifetime her name spread far, and her books were trauslated info all Enropean and several Asiatic Janguages. Like many nineteceuth century writers, esba Stretton Was obsessed with a desire for social reform, and keenly aware of social evils. Many of her books have historic yalue. reflecting as they do the social conditions of the time. This authoress died in 19114, and in her seyenty-nine years wrote upwards of forty volumes, If the vogue for her noyels has long since died. Hesba Stretton’s name will still go down to posterity for her association with Dickens, who accepted many of her contributions for "Household Words! and "All the Year Round," Fo ¥ wl BE. OV. LUCAS, of the eclectic taste, much to admire in some American similes, collected by 9 Mr. Krank Wistach. Mr. Lucas admires the aptuess of the trans-Athurtic mind in this form of wit. One or two of the similes are culled oat random: Unhappy as a radio announcer in the silence room of the public library. IIappy asa beg in a florist's. Useless as one dolar in a night club, Guilty as a bottle under the table. Easy to start as a Hindu riot. Dull as an honest wrestling match. Contented as a movie actor in a Hall of Mirrors. Stupid as the pencil notes you find in other people’s buoks, Unimpressed as Gandhi reading a clothing store ad. Ifficient as the man who never dropped the top of a tooth-paste tube, Coldly critical as a baby’s stare. Wrong as whisky at breakfast. Unexpected as the top step that isn't there, Silent as a collarbutton under u bureuu.

"JANE COMES SOUTH," by Eminer! line Morrison (Long). The theme of | this story is divorce. Jane Wilding comes from a strict family living in the ' North, who have a healthy horror of | divorce. Jane, during a visit abroad, meets Sir Francis Cresswell, and they fall in love. Sir Francis, however, has been divorced in the usual way, and feels the disgrace, so Jane marries his young cousin, with whom she is not at all in love. Later, Jane finds herself in a position when a divorce seems to be the only solution of an impossible situation. The outcome of Jane’s de cision makes two people happy. The Puritan outlook of the Wildings, who are typical of a large class of people in England to-day, is well told, and the story makes a very readable book. * * 5 (QURTOUSLY different from Mr, Beverley Nichol's previous novels is *Hyensong" (Cape). In this story he paints a pathetic picture of the great Trela. With a voice of infinite beauty, she has been placed on a pedestal and treated like royalty. Neyer had a singer more adulation, and never had one made so much money. Yet with it all she is not a happy woman, Like so many "stars,? although she knows her yoice is going, she cannot bring herself. to retire, for the thought of younger queens of song occupying her once whassailable throne embitters her whole outlook, and brings out a streak of cruclty in her, This novel is more than a word picture of one woman; it has a delightful love story running through its pages, and will be welcomed by Mr. Nichol’s many readers. # a # AY R. GILBERT FRANKAU, in his new book, "Christopher Strong," tells a story of most exciting motor races, and a great love. He also gives us peeps behind the scenes of several incidents that are both piquant and vivid. The ill-fated romance between Strong and Lady Felicity Darrington, Iengland’s Goddess of Speed, is well and heautifully told, and shows how a great Jove can humanise a man. This book. I feel sure, will be widely popular. * + s "rNELT OILY OF THE RED PLAGUE," by George Popoff. In this book ihe author gives a detailed and documented account of the Bolshevists’ occupation of Riga in the first five months of 1919. The occupation lasted only five months, but they were months of terror. Thousands of people djed of staryation, and thousands more were ¢xeeuted. Riga is an old commercial city, whose conditions of life are more like those of Europe than Russia, and is the only large city outside their own Jand in which the "Reds" were able to give a demonstration of what they would like-to do with Western civilisaLON, +