6 APRIL 1895, Page 27

Crowned Victor. By Hannah B. Mackenzie. (Oliphant, Ander- son, and

Ferrier.)—Lewis Read, a young medical student, inclined to be vicious, becomes a changed man through the gentle influence of a woman's sympathy. The good stuff in the man eventually makes a hero of him, and in performing a dangerous operation—a forlorn hope—he loses his own life while he saves another's. We hear more of the woman who brings this about, and her lover, a man of stern character and harsh views, both of whom are interesting people, than of Lewis Read. The story, however, is complete and well told, and works out satisfactorily ; and to the last none of the three lose their individuality. There is some good teaching in Crowned Victor, and the characters are distinctly vigorous and lifelike.