20 DECEMBER 1890, Page 27

The Troubles of Monsieur Bourgeois. By George Frost. (Eden, Remington,

and Co.)—The struggles of Monsieur Bourgeois to achieve those ever-receding desiderata, economy, and a dot for his daughter, despite the extravagance, and hankerings after the society of their betters, of his women-kind, are most moving and vivid. His ludicrous attempts at economy, ludicrous as compared to the sweeping lavishness of his wife and daughter, will appeal to both bourgeoisie and middle class. The ambition of the class he represents is not supposed to be so eager, and certainly it is not so full of indefinite grades of complexities, as the corre- sponding class in another country ; yet it appears that human nature is the same everywhere. Mr. Frost's sketch is, however. very well drawn, and seems to us very close and truthful. The " Bourgeois " is unmistakeable, if not very delicately drawn, and he and his family are capital likenesses. The broken English becomes a little tedious, by-the-way ; the short, jerky style might have been preserved without the repetition of " ze ;" however, the book is most readable, and no one can misunderstand it.