Page:The Spoils of Poynton (London, William Heinemann, 1897).djvu/302



The Daily Telegraph.—'Six stories by the gifted writer who still chooses to be known to the public at large by the pseudonym of "Sarah Grand." In regard to them it is sufficient to say that they display all the qualities, stylistic, humorous, and pathetic, that have placed the author of Ideala and The Heavenly Twins in the very front rank of contemporary novelists.'

The Globe.—'Brief studies of character, sympathetic, and suggesting that "Sarah Grand" can do something more than startle by her unconventionality and boldness.'

The Ladies' Pictorial.—'If the volume does not achieve even greater popularity than Sarah Grand's former works, it will be a proof that fashion, and not intrinsic merit, has a great deal to do with the success of a book.'

The Pall Mall Gazette.—'All are eminently entertaining.'

The Spectator.—'Insight into, and general sympathy with widely differing phases of humanity, coupled with power to reproduce what is seen, with vivid distinct strokes, that rivet the attention, are qualifications for work of the kind contained in Our Manifold Nature which Sarah Grand evidently possesses in a high degree. . . . All these studies, male and female alike, are marked by humour, pathos, fidelity to life, and power to recognise in human nature the frequent recurrence of some apparently incongruous and remote trait, which, when at last it becomes visible, helps to a comprehension of what might otherwise be inexplicable.'

The Speaker.—'In Our Manifold Nature Sarah Grand is seen at her best. How good that is can only be known by those who read for themselves this admirable little volume. In freshness of conception and originality of treatment these stories are delightful, full of force and piquancy, whilst the studies of character are carried out with equal firmness and delicacy.'

The Guardian.—'Our Manifold Nature is a clever book. Sarah Grand has the power of touching common things, which, if it fails to make them "rise to touch the spheres," renders them exceedingly interesting.'

The Morning Post.—'Unstinted praise is deserved by the Irish story, "Boomellen," a tale remarkable both for power and pathos.'

The Court Journal.—'Our Manifold Nature is simply full of good things, and it is essentially a book to buy as well as to read.'

The Birmingham Gazette.—'Mrs. Grand has genuine power. She analyses keenly. . . . Her humour is good, and her delineation of character one of her strongest points. The book is one to be read, studied, and acted upon.'


 * WILLIAM HEINEMANN,, W.C.