Stronger than Love. By Mrs. Alexander. (T. Fisher Unwin. 3s.)—Part
of this novel seems to us an excellent bit of work, better than what we have seen before from Mrs. Alexander's pen. As long as Monica Deering is permitted to remain a simple, affec- tionate girl, patient under harsh treatment, grateful for kindness, and heart-whole, she is a charming figure. But then there has to be a plot; we have to be taught that there is something " stronger than love," and Monica becomes a melodramatic heroine. Our readers must have often observed that plots do spoil novels. We have a delightful picture of life, with which we feel quite content. Then there is a transformation scene. Some tragical passion, or some extraordinary scheme of self-denial, is brought upon the stage. Every one acts perversely and unnaturally. Is there a really well-authenticated case of a woman refusing a lover, not for some difficulty of circumstances, but because she thought that he ought to marry some one else?
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