18 DECEMBER 1897, Page 24

Everybody's Business. By Agnes Giberne. (J. F. Shaw and Co.)

—This is the story of how the village of Old Maxham gets its life- boat, and very well told it is. The village is drawn to the life ; the jealousies, pettinesses, and scandals that are so rife in these little communities are faithfully recorded ; but the substantial elements of kindness and faithfulness to duty that lie beneath them and outlast them are not forgotten. Everybody's Business has merits considerably beyond the average of its kind