Narcissus in the Way. By Cl. V. McFadden. (The Boilley
Head. 8s. 6d. net.)—The opening chapters of this book show considerable promise and the descriptive writing is maintained at a high level of excellence. The book has, in fact, many of the elements of a first-rate novel. Unfortunately, however, much of the effect is spoilt by the author's want of grip in the development of her characters, in the later stages of the story also, murders and other deeds of violence are introduced into a plot which was obviously never intended to bear the weight of anything so momentous. The want of sense of pro- portion which mars the book in this respect may also be partly responsible for other inequalities of treatment. For instance, on the first page we are told that the novel takes place at the beginning of the nineteenth century ; but this fact appears for the most part to have been lost sight of as the book proceeds, for so far as local colour is concerned, except for a few isolated instances, the story might quite well have been timed at a much later period. These may seem small blemishes in a book that displays many good qualities and a measure of literary dis- tinction, but for that very fact they are the more to be regretted.
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