26 MARCH 1932, Page 24

BORN OLD—DIED YOUNG. By Inez Holden. (Duck- worth. 7s. 8d.)—Because

it is cynical, economical and intelligent, Miss Holden's is a smart novel ; and because her gifts are real, it is legitimately smart, not merely slick. The serious close, pleasant in itself, misfits the earlier malice of this modern novel.