26 SEPTEMBER 1903, Page 24

Johanna. By B. M. Croker. (Methuen and Co. 6s.) —"

Shaven- neen," which lathe Irish equivalent of Johanna, would have been a more melodious title, both for Mrs. Croker's book and her heroine. Although the heroine in question is an attractive and pathetic • creature, the story as a whole is rather thin, and once the scene is shifted from the romantic scenery of the Kerry hills to the squalor of a Dublin lodging-house it loses not a little of its charm. Mrs. Croker's easy, natural style and genial outlook always render her good company ; and if she is not here at her best, she has at least given us a pleasant and wholesome story.