The Sovereign Power. By Violet A. Simpson. (Smith, Elder, and
Co. 6s.)—Miss Violet Simpson's last novel, " The Bonnet Conspirators," was a graceful and amusing story, perhaps a little slight, but well put together. Her present book, The Sovereign Power, marks a very distinct advance, and proves that Miss Simpson possesses the rare gift of romantic story- telling of the historical order. She has the details of her period so completely at her fingers' ends that the reader has no sense either of One in her striving for accuracy, or of anachronism in the constant appearance of everyday turns of expression. She contrives to make her reader accept the period of which she is writing, and forget that its date was a hundred years ago. She has also a considerable power of character- drawing ; and the Chevalier is a living figure, and not too fantastic to be credible. The saving grace of humour which was so apparent in "The Bonnet Conspirators" is not so strongly marked in this book, which is on much larger and more serious lines. But the author has a light touch, and contrives to avoid boring her readers, even in the opening explanatory chapters. We shall look forward with considerable interest to her next work.
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