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Article REVIEWS OF NEW BOOKS ← Page 3 of 4 →
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Reviews Of New Books
edifying ix > discover descriptions of the feelings of the heroine upon being introduced to women whom her father has ^ s ^ whonxhe has eepiivocal connections . Nor is it necessary ^ we should imagine ^ n order to brm ^ of ill fame , such , however , is one ^ ^ She drives out on one occasion in Lady Gregbrook's carriage to call upon a lady who has exhibited great kindness towards her . Her ladyship drops fe ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦¦
cm . ¦ ¦!* Rita" finds her self alone in the strange pla ^ into the drawing-room , and discovers men and w about on sofas and ottomans , some playing cards , others playing dice while one lady especially , who was well known on the Boulevards , was lying lahguishingly over the head of a couch , talking to a youiig man who was toying with her curls ; a , handsome , greasy-looking woman " ( such is the author ' s expression ) being engaged in snioking a cigarette near the fire . To run down stairs—to rush into the street and stand ^ - ^ ow romantic !—
-with bare head and arms in the streets of Paris , are of course but natural consequences ; and very opportunely , her lover picks her up inhis carriage , while his rivnl , strange to say , is in sight also . This same lover , Lord Rawdon , fights a duel with a man who follows Marguerite and insults her ; hut after his heart and body have both been wounded , the heroine marries his rival , and is applauded by the author therefor . u Rife" is a novel of improbabilities and inconsistencies , but it is not a superficial novel . There are exhibitions of talent here arid there which plainly demonstrate
that the writer is not a person of ordinary ability . He has merely in th : s instance committed mistakes which experience will enable him to correct . Far be it from us to inculcate ideas of prudery into anyone ' s head ; but seductions are not necessary in a tale ; and if they are , daughters need not be brought into such close intimacy with profligate women—there are so many subjects infinitely more entertaining and infinitely less revolting . We admire the author ' s talent , while we regret his errors , and we shall be the first to welcome the appearance of a more healthy production from his pen .
My Escape from the Mutinies in Oitdh . By a wounded Officer . In two vols . London : Bentley . —Among the various works which have been presented to us this season about India , My Escape from the Mutinies in Oudh" is perhaps the most curious . Upon a perusal of the first portion , the reader will naturally conclude that he is perusing 9 , romance—cleverly and naturally written—and having for its basis the crisis in our eastern empire . But though the supposition would be , as we have said , natural
enough , he will be mistaken . The work , though bearing a very close resemblance to fiction , is in truth a narrative of events which passed under the eye of the author during some of the most stirring periods of the rebellion ; and which he presents to us in pleasing and glowing language . The idea of working the incidents of a real life into the form of a tale is
certainly novel , but it is a mistake ; because the work , though perhaps rendered more amusing to the generality of readers , loses , to a great extent , its authority as a book of reference . The narrative is in the form of an autobiography , and opens with a description of , the hero ' s childhood , and a great deal which lias nothing to do with the subject . Indeed , the name oi the work is no index to its contents . It seems to have been selected by
the author at random ; or because narratives of recent adventures in India are the only palatable objects of study nowadays ; for Ave do not come upon u the escape of the mutinies from Oudh , " until the latter part of the second volume . However , the work is very entertaining , and is replete with pleasing pictures of native and Anglo-Indian life . The hero was at
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Reviews Of New Books
edifying ix > discover descriptions of the feelings of the heroine upon being introduced to women whom her father has ^ s ^ whonxhe has eepiivocal connections . Nor is it necessary ^ we should imagine ^ n order to brm ^ of ill fame , such , however , is one ^ ^ She drives out on one occasion in Lady Gregbrook's carriage to call upon a lady who has exhibited great kindness towards her . Her ladyship drops fe ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦¦
cm . ¦ ¦!* Rita" finds her self alone in the strange pla ^ into the drawing-room , and discovers men and w about on sofas and ottomans , some playing cards , others playing dice while one lady especially , who was well known on the Boulevards , was lying lahguishingly over the head of a couch , talking to a youiig man who was toying with her curls ; a , handsome , greasy-looking woman " ( such is the author ' s expression ) being engaged in snioking a cigarette near the fire . To run down stairs—to rush into the street and stand ^ - ^ ow romantic !—
-with bare head and arms in the streets of Paris , are of course but natural consequences ; and very opportunely , her lover picks her up inhis carriage , while his rivnl , strange to say , is in sight also . This same lover , Lord Rawdon , fights a duel with a man who follows Marguerite and insults her ; hut after his heart and body have both been wounded , the heroine marries his rival , and is applauded by the author therefor . u Rife" is a novel of improbabilities and inconsistencies , but it is not a superficial novel . There are exhibitions of talent here arid there which plainly demonstrate
that the writer is not a person of ordinary ability . He has merely in th : s instance committed mistakes which experience will enable him to correct . Far be it from us to inculcate ideas of prudery into anyone ' s head ; but seductions are not necessary in a tale ; and if they are , daughters need not be brought into such close intimacy with profligate women—there are so many subjects infinitely more entertaining and infinitely less revolting . We admire the author ' s talent , while we regret his errors , and we shall be the first to welcome the appearance of a more healthy production from his pen .
My Escape from the Mutinies in Oitdh . By a wounded Officer . In two vols . London : Bentley . —Among the various works which have been presented to us this season about India , My Escape from the Mutinies in Oudh" is perhaps the most curious . Upon a perusal of the first portion , the reader will naturally conclude that he is perusing 9 , romance—cleverly and naturally written—and having for its basis the crisis in our eastern empire . But though the supposition would be , as we have said , natural
enough , he will be mistaken . The work , though bearing a very close resemblance to fiction , is in truth a narrative of events which passed under the eye of the author during some of the most stirring periods of the rebellion ; and which he presents to us in pleasing and glowing language . The idea of working the incidents of a real life into the form of a tale is
certainly novel , but it is a mistake ; because the work , though perhaps rendered more amusing to the generality of readers , loses , to a great extent , its authority as a book of reference . The narrative is in the form of an autobiography , and opens with a description of , the hero ' s childhood , and a great deal which lias nothing to do with the subject . Indeed , the name oi the work is no index to its contents . It seems to have been selected by
the author at random ; or because narratives of recent adventures in India are the only palatable objects of study nowadays ; for Ave do not come upon u the escape of the mutinies from Oudh , " until the latter part of the second volume . However , the work is very entertaining , and is replete with pleasing pictures of native and Anglo-Indian life . The hero was at