Young Mistley. 2 vols. (It. Bentley and Son.)—This anonymous novel,
which is evidently a first attempt in fiction, is not altogether a satisfying performance; but its defects are in the main those of inexperience, and it is by no means deficient in promise. Unfor- tunately, the writer, whom we take to be a lady, has chosen a subject of which her knowledge is very imperfect, the consequence being that the book leaves a somewhat muddled impression upon the reader's mind. Some of the chapters dealing with Mistley's expedi- tion to Central Asia are very graphic ; but the expedition itself seems to lack an intelligible raison d'gtre, and the young feminine con- spirator who attempts, for no sufficient reason, to assassinate the hero, is a very unreal personage. Still, the book has ease, brightness, and refinement, and can be read with pleasure.
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