MANY A GREEN -ISLE; By Clifford Bax. (Heinemann. 7s. 6d.)—We
have here a book that is neither quite a novel nor quite a volume of short stories, but a very subtle and intriguing blend of the two. A certain young man is invited by :beautiful woman, whom he has met but once, to join her house party in the South of France. When he arrives, it is suggested by the hostess that each guest shall tell of the happiest incident in his life. Eleven stories are told in the moonlit garden by eleven guests of widely varying tempera- ments, and, as might be expected, each one's moment of happi- ness is very different from his neighbour's—one has delighted in the shedding of blood, another in serene love experienced after years of passion—a third in the snaring of a rich husband, and a fourth in a single night's escape from poverty. All the tales have one thing in common—the moment of happi- ness stands out, aloof and dazzling, from the rest of life, like a green isle shimmering in a desolate place. Monotony of style might be expected in a book of this kind, and Mr. Bax is to be congratulated on having avoided it. He writes charmingly, makes his points clear without stress, and has some very excellent tales to tell.
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