The Scandinavian Ring. By J. Pomeroy. 3 vols. (Tinsloy.)— Writers
of ordinary novels would, we think, consult their own interests, which centre, it may be presumed, in being read, if they would make their stories easily intelligible. Most readers have neither time nor patience to follow complicated plots. They will do their best indeed, though not without much grumbling, when the writing is superlatively good. Where it is of but moderate merit, they refuse to take the neces- sary trouble. To put the matter shortly, what is hard to be understood by persons of average intelligence who want to read quickly is pretty sure to be a failure. Here is this Scandinavian Ring, for instanoe, not at all badly written, in which the characters look and talk like living creatures, but which is such a complication of persons and things that none but a very careful and deliberate perusal, which is really more than Mr. Pomeroy, in sight of all the masses of modern literature, can ask for, can have a chance of disentangling it. This present writer, who has a fair amount of experience in novel-reading, bat to whom it is of course a necessity to read quickly, has been beaten by it. That there is a hero, he believes, but he does not know which is the man ; that there is a mysterious ring, which disappears and makes every one wretched, and reappears, much to the general comfort, he knows, but he knows very little more. But if anyone has plenty of leisure for making out a puzzle, ho will not find the work particularly disagreeable.
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