Page:The Spoils of Poynton (London, William Heinemann, 1897).djvu/304

 With a Photogravure Portrait of the Author

Morning Post.—'The merits of the book are great. Its range of observation is wide; its sketches of character are frequently admirably drawn. . . . It is extremely refreshing, after a surfeit of recent fiction of the prevalent type, to welcome a really clever work by a writer who is certainly not hampered by conventional prejudice.'

The Queen.—'It is impossible to deny the greatness of a book like The Master, a veritable human document, in which the characters do exactly as they would in life. . . . I venture to say that Matt himself is one of the most striking and original characters in our fiction, and I have not the least doubt that The Master will always be reckoned one of our classics.'

The Daily Chronicle.—'It is a powerful and masterly piece of work. . . Quite the best novel of the year.'

Literary World.—'In The Master, Mr. Zangwill has eclipsed all his previous work. This strong and striking story of patience and passion, of sorrow and success, of art, ambition, and vain gauds, is genuinely powerful in its tragedy, and picturesque in its completeness. . . . The work, thoroughly wholesome in tone, is of sterling merit, and strikes a truly tragic chord, which leaves a deep impression upon the mind.'

Jewish World.—'For a novel to be a work that shall live, and not merely please the passing taste of a section of the public, it must palpitate with the truth of human experience and human feeling. . . . Such a novel is The Master, Mr. Zangwill's latest, and assuredly one of his best works. Interest in the story is sustained from beginning to end. From the first page to the last we get a series of vivid pictures that make us feel, as well as understand, not only the personality and environment of his characters, but the motives that compel, like fate, their words and actions.'

Leeds Mercury.—'The Master is impassioned and powerful, and, in our judgment, is vastly superior to Children of the Ghetto. From the first page to the last the book is quick with life, and not less quick surprises. . . . The impression which the book leaves is deep and distinct, and the power, from start to finish, of such a delineation of life is unmistakable.'

Liverpool Mercury.—'The accomplished author of Children of the Ghetto has given us in The Master a book written with marvellous skill, and characterised by vivid imaginative power. It is not a volume to be taken up and despatched in a leisure evening, but one to be studied and enjoyed in many an hour of quiet, or to be read aloud in the family circle, when the toils of the day have given place to retirement and peace.'


 * WILLIAM HEINEMANN,, W.C.