A Woman of Moods : a Social Cinentatographe. By Mrs.
Charlton Anne (Ellam Fenwicke-Allan). (Burns and Oates.)— In calling her book "a social cinematographe," Mrs. Charlton Anne herself gives the clue to its weakness,—a weakness the more to be regretted as she has some of the qualities which go to the making of a good writer, including considerable powers of observation, and the gift of causing her somewhat commonplace personages to appear real to the reader. But she has not yet acquired that power of selection which lies at the root of all true trt, and she has made the mistake of choosing a subject far beyond her abilities-, and of treating it in a manner which we cannot but regard as highly injudicious. Even granting that the gruesome topic of hereditary insanity is a proper theme for ction, it should never be handled by any one who has not thoroughly studied it in all its bearings. The harm that may be done to nervous persons by the belief that a solitary case of in- sanity in their family is certain, whatever the cause of it, to affect themselves and their descendants, is incalculable, and far ,outweighs any good likely to be done by works like the one before us. It is to be hoped that in Mrs. Charlton Anne's next novel she may choose a subject more agreeable than problems so ill-suited to her powers.
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