Isle of Thorns. By Sheila Kaye-Smith. (Constable and Co. 6s.)—The
heroine of this story is a very modern young lady indeed, and has no idea of conventional morality, though —in spite of the fact that she attempts murder in the course of the book—she cannot be called an immoral person. The hero, on the other hand, in spite of his rejoicing in the name of Raphael, is a rather staid widower, secretary to a man of letters, and Sally Odiarne gives him many a shock. The novel is chiefly concerned with life on the road, Sally being, as she announces in the first chapter, a gentleman tramp, and Raphael Moore himself having to take to the road in pursuit of her. There are many charming pictures in the book. In fact, it may be said that the descriptions of scenery are more attractive than the descriptions of persons ; and the author gets some of the fascination of the open road into her pages. The scene in which the heroine resolves to give herself up to justice is finely written. Pictures of rural life have much attraction for Miss Sheila Kaye-Smith, and she is obviously intimately acquainted with the country she describes.
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