Over the Mountains JOHN DUNBAR'S Escape through the Pyrenees (Peter
Davies, 12s. 6d.) is a belated but interesting addition to the escapers' book club. The author, an American, came down by parachute over the Ile d'Oleron, off the west coast of France; trudged to Spain, climbing over the Pyrenees in the process; and returned safely to Britain. His comparatively un- adventurous journey is told in a flat narrative style which lends it authority, by contrast with some deliberately inflated escape stories, but there are times when the reader cannot help wishing that Mr. Dunbar had more sense of occasion. Out of the 170-odd pages, less than half are devoted to the actual escape, and only a dozen of them—easily the most interesting— to the crossing of the Pyrenees. The rest of the book is devoted to his internment in Spain, and is of little interest. Still, it is impossible for a tale of this kind to be dull; and the first half of the story is often moving in its simplicity.
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