Page:The Spoils of Poynton (London, William Heinemann, 1897).djvu/301



The Morning Post.—'Sarah Grand's Ideala. . . . A clever book in itself, is especially interesting when read in the light of her later works. Standing alone, it is remarkable as the outcome of an earnest mind seeking in good faith the solution of a difficult and ever present problem. . . . Ideala is original and somewhat daring. . . . The story is in many ways delightful and thought-suggesting.'

The Literary World.—'When Sarah Grand came before the public in 1888 with Ideala, she consciously and firmly laid her finger on one of the keynotes of the age. . . . We welcome an edition that will place this minute and careful study of an interesting question within reach of a wider circle of readers.'

The Liverpool Mercury.—'The book is a wonderful one—an evangel for the fair sex, and at once an inspiration and a comforting companion, to which thoughtful womanhood will recur again and again.'

The Glasgow Herald.—'Ideala has attained the honour of a fifth edition. . . . The stir created by The Heavenly Twins, the more recent work by the same authoress, Madame Sarah Grand, would justify this step. Ideala can, however, stand on its own merits.'

The Yorkshire Post.—'As a psychological study the book cannot fail to be of interest to many readers.'

The Birmingham Gazette.—'Madame Sarah Grand thoroughly deserves her success. Ideala, the heroine, is a splendid conception, and her opinions are noble. . . . The book is not one to be forgotten.'

The Woman's Herald.—'One naturally wishes to know something of the woman for whose sake Lord Downe remained a bachelor. It must be confessed that at first Ideala is a little disappointing. She is strikingly original. ... As the story advances one forgets these peculiarities, and can find little but sympathy and admiration for the many noble qualities of a very complex character.'

The Englishman.—'Madame Sarah Grand's work is far from being a common work. Ideala is a clever young woman of great capabilities and noble purposes. . . . The orginality of the book does not lie in the plot, but in the authoress's power to see and to describe the finer shades of a character which is erratic and impetuous, but above all things truly womanly.'


 * WILLIAM HEINEMANN,, W.C.