A Model Wife, and other Stori-s. By Mrs. Comyns Carr.
(George Allen.)—We must own ourselves somewhat disappointed with these short stories. We expected something more pleasing from the author of " North Itslian Folk," for the tales which the author mentions on the title-page are unknown to us. We must own to the weakness of liking to be pleased when we read fiction. Mrs. Comyns Carr has literary power,—that we know. But she is somewhat touched with the modern passion for the doleful. Happily, she is not wholly dominated by it. We can assure her that, whatever the fashion among writers, the great majority of readers like smiles more than tears.—Scenes from the Show, by George R. Sims (Chatto and Windus), is another volume of short stories, in which tragedy and comedy are duly mingled. Each has a sufficiently interesting plot; the figures, if slightly drawn, have the look of being alive. The humour is not vulgar, nor are the reader's feelings needlessly harrowed. Altogether, we have here the work of a practised writer who knows what the average reader wants, and can provide it out of a slender stock of materials.
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