Change. By M. P. Willcocks. (Hutchinson and Co. 6s.)
—Miss Willeockee latest novel is very uneven ; she is afraid of no experiment, and writes of men and women whom she does not understand, as well as of those whom she does. But she shows an intimate sympathy with the varying stages of adolescence, and can define truly the mind of a girl of sixteen, with its restless dissatisfaction, its self-sufficiency, its consciousness that "there's other things besides me in the world that Pm. part of." The earlier part of the book is, consequently, full of interest, both at Bess's school, and at John's school, which is Bess's home. And later, when love affairs come to the young people, and disillusionment, there is, in spite of occasional good-natured vulgarity, a constant discernment. The book is more satisfactory in spirit than in technique, for it is hampered by vagueness, and the tag which adorns the title-page—plus cela change, plus c'est /a mine chose—is certainly suitable. Just as, at a party, a hostess will break upon an interesting conversation -with fresh intro- ductions, so the writer of Change hands us round from one set of people to another, and takes no particular trouble to bridge the many gaps.
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