Patricia : a Mother. By "Iota." (Hutchinson and CO. Os.)—
The plot of this story is decidedly ingenious, so far, that is, as concerns the iniquitous will of the widowed heroine's first husband. The struggle, also, which Patricia makes for tho soul of her only child might in other hands have been made ex- tremely interesting. But there is an absence of distinction, not only in the actual writing, but in tho ideas propounded by the author, which deprives tho story of any value it might have had. Could the lady who writes as " Iota " first learn to think coherently, and then to write with some pretensions to purity of style, it would be easier to forgive her for her occa- sional startling errors of taste. It would also be easier to read her book with the attention due to a certain seriousness of aim which may be found in the account of the heroine's maternal trials. As things are, it is impossible to recommend a book in which the taste of the reader will be constantly outraged by
Previous page
