12 MAY 1923, Page 23

A curious story of Ireland before the Treaty, full of

the contradictions of that amazing country. The story proper concerns a family of young people disciplined with incredible severity by an otherwise good-tempered father and mother. Incidentally there are many sidelights on Sinn Fein, towards which the author's attitude is distinctly sympathetic. Alto- gether the book contains a faithful and humorous picture of the topsy-turvy conditions of life on the other side of St. George's Channel.