Saint Monica. By Mrs. Bennett-Edwards. (J. W. Arrowsmith, Bristol.)—We do
not know whether the author means this book to be one of "those objectionable, as a rule, productions—a novel with a purpose," to quote her own words. If it has a purpose, we may possibly find it in some words of her heroine :—" If the laws of his country have made it impossible for a man to get rid of a woman by cleaner means than by driving her to vulgar sins, the law, not the man, is responsible." Veronica Connyston finds that her husband, after a year's marriage, has ceased to love her, and that he loves a certain Monica Viking, and is loved in return, though Monica, being a decent woman, will not own it. Mrs. Connyston compromises herself with a certain George Westbury, in order to set her husband free, and he marries Monica. This is the tale which Mrs. Bennett-Edwards has amplified with a quantity of sentiment and description which we do not care to characterise in the terms that it deserves. Presumably she has a public ;
there must be women, we can hardly believe that there are men, who read such books. We know by experience that it is quite useless to criticise. We can only protest against the profanation of such a name as Monica.
Previous page
