1 AUGUST 1925, Page 25

lithe Gods laugh. By Rosita Forbes. (Thornton Butter- worth. 7s.

6d. net.)—A novel which has the Italian spirit for its underlying theme is If the Gods Laugh, by Rosita Forbes ; but the book is chiefly concerned with Italy's North African possessions. Entangled in the meshes of a love story is a detailed account of a disastrous campaign against native troops, and Mrs. Rosita Forbes, as always, gives her readers a convincing picture of the desert and of those Arabs who have "speaking parts" in her story.