Lotteries of Circumstance. By R. C. Lynegrove. Methuen and Co.
6s.)—It seems rather a pity that Mr. Lynegrove should have chosen the form of a novel to convey his evidently intimate knowledge of German domestic life. What he is really giving us is a critical impression of the people and ways of Germany as contrasted with those of our country. Discussions take place between the characters on compulsory military service, on the European situation, on the regulations controlling the life of the young German officer ; and all these subjects appear to be dealt with on first-hand evidence, some of them with considerable breadth of outlook. Those parts of the book which are given over entirely to the romantic episodes Of the plot tend to be vulgar and rather unpleasant. Mr. Lynegrove has a poor opinion of the mental powers of German women, and a searching and hostile eye for their physical appearance. He is to be congratulated on the appearance of translation which. he has succeeded in impart- ing to his style of writing, but his novel would have been more convincing had it been written with greater sympathy and a less obvious prejudice in favour of our own countrymen.
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