Godiva Durleigh. By Sarah Doudney. (Hutchinson and Co.) —It is
rather singular that so experienced a writer as the author of "A Woman's Glory," should have fallen into the mistake of making her new story—which, moreover, is expressly described as " a novel for girls ''—about a third too long. An ordinary reader, and still more a girlish one, will see after a comparatively few pages, what fate is in store for the good girl, who is, of course, Godiva, and for the poor girl, who is, of course, Joy, and very shortly afterwards what is to become of the siren of the story, Belle Espinasse, who is equally, of course, a " beautiful creature, selfishly good-natured, frankly false." Fortunately—and in spite of certain exciting adventures of an amateur lion-tamer, which recall an old novel by Mr. James Payn—Godiva Durleigh is in every respect the heroine of this story. She has an extraordinarily good father, and perhaps on that account becomes a very good woman. Many of those for whom her history is obviously intended will say that she is a trifle too hard upon her lover Rex, in spite of a fleeting fancy which seems to stamp him with the character of instability. But she makes amends for this harshness by making a proposal to him after the manner of Bathsheba Everdene to Gabriel Oak, although the two are as unlike Bathsheba and Gabriel as they can well be Several of the minor characters—Lady Colinette in particular—are exceptionally well drawn.
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