Between the Tides
By James Hanley These " descriptive essays of the sea " (Methuen, 8s. 6d.) leave no doubt that Mt Hanley knows his subject. His use of technical terms is both convincing and intelligible. Nor is this his only merit. He is a compassionate and intelligent observer, refusing to allow the romance of the sea to blind him to its miseries, yet equally refusing to deny the existence of romance. If he is occasionally affected, his affectation is more often banished by his genuine humanity. It is difficult to understand why these essays are a little dull—a little flat and undistinguished. However odious the comparison, it impossible not to think of Hemingway and Richard Hughe-- There is nothing in this book to compare with the descriptive passages of To Have and Have Not or In Hazard. Ye: 'Mr. Hanley invites comparison if only because he is so often imitative of these two writers. His worst fault is his style Here is a Kiplingesque example of his lack of distinction "The happy-go-lucky, easy-going crowd. The simple, drink ing, hearty, generous crowd." Mr. Tom Harrison should b, consulted! Mr. Hanley is a prolific writer, and most of hi books seem to suffer from too much haste. He is sometime- capable of a brilliant descriptive phrase, and if he spent twice as long on each of his books they might be more than twice as good.
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