26 OCTOBER 1901, Page 20

Barbara West. By Keighley Snowden. (John Long. Ga.)- We recognise

that Barbara West is written with the intention of doing good. But we doubt very much whether any good is really done by novels that show up the cowardly vice of vulgar men and the squalid misery of their silly victims. The only parts of this book that canto read with any feelings other than pain and shame are the very realistic and lively experiences of the young journalist in the office of the Chronicle. Barbara herself is a poor creature. And it is obvious to the reader, though apparently not to the author, that after all she is responsible for her many misfortunes. She had the opportunity of choosing between an honest man and a showy cad. She preferred to play with both, and was caught in the net of her vanity.