The Wine of Life. By Maude Annesley, (John Lane. 6s.)—
The heroine of this novel bacomes decidedly intoxicated by the wino of life. In the opening chapters her husband, by means of a plot, procures a divorce from her, and the rest of the book is concerned with the story of how Lady Branton, who rejoices in the name of Uli, uses the freedom which she has unwillingly had thrust upon her. It cannot be said that her story is edifying. In the first instance, she falls in love with a painter, to become only a few months after even more desperately enamoured of a strange Hungarian gentleman who has an almost hypnotic effect upon her. The Hungarian is extremely violent in character, and very nearly kills his lady-love—who has incidentally become his mistress—just before the time fixed for their marriage. As a not unnatural result, Uli breaks off her engagement and returns to London. There she falls in love with the friend who, although his friendship with her had been perfectly innocent, was the co-respondent in her divorce case. The story is both' melo- dramatic and unpleasant, as will be seen, and would not be worth noticing save for a very picturesque account of a journey into the mountains of Hungary during the winter. These few chapters are worth reading, although it must be confessed that even in them there are some flagrant outrages against good taste.
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