THE CHINA · MAIL, SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 1959.
WHAT A KICK I GOT FROM THIS LOT.
FORD BANDOLPH CHURCHE
PAGAN AND PASSIONATE
COAN DUT HOT CORNY
A.DANDY IN DISFAVOUR
IN Two MINDS
ВАНЕЯ НОВ FOR ME
Here's one story about a barmaid I'd willingly
listen to again!
1.
THE FOLLOWING SEASONS, by Donald Ford (Bodley Head, 158.)
An
да
PERFECTION FROM
A PINTAMILKADAY
IN THE DEFEAT
AND BHOYA IN MILLIONAIRES' NOW
THE PROFESSOR
BOOK PAGE
SIEGE
glittering like a pile of. The problem la explained in a Nerval, who lived on a pint of from goat's milk per day, and amused bubbles" near by, the narrator story that is perfectio of this long short story mools first word to last. This, perhaps, himself by letting horned anakes not 80 mysterious: Mr glide over his flesh. A wild, old acquaintance, Freddie is Sesion.
Stewart, a don at Christ Church, unusual book of distinct quality.
the name Seston,
he remembers, is Oxfort, hos, under director Di
art Michael Innes, written superla- obscure gallery in the North of England, tive detective stories. and writes books on Iution painting. It puzzles bim that Seston should live In luxury at Dantell's, until he realines that Serton also, under another name, writes widely read detec- tive stories.
Cuff arrives Inspector
from Scotland Yard. He Informs them that a murder has been done in necording 10 England exactly'
the formula of Seston's latest
ODD HOBBY
ICANUS, A YOUNG MAN IN THE BANANA, by Axel Jenafn. (Afte
Unwin IB.)
.
AN
THE V.I.P. by Ellaston Trevor (einemann, 168.).
The old triangle gets a
new and vivid look
By RICHARD_LISTER
| A NET FOR VENUS. By David Garnett, Longmans. 12s. 6d. THIS is a quite brilliant little novel. It takes the most dangerously banal-looking subject ma county women from Wiltshire, with a devoted son and husband, falling passionately in love with a. dashing young man from a circus-and treats it with such directness, truth, vividness and vitality that it is never in danger of being banal in the least. The story is both simple and he has a compulsive depiro to subtle, short and crowded, and 'ald his wife ii her Infdelity. quite un-put-downable..
The beautiful Venetia's 'rela- tions with her agreeable, civil ized husband, Toby, are in the doldrums. He is an ex-pilot who
This triangular relationship, as complicated in its texture as it is simple in the telling, la bo- of the secretary, Angels, devilled by the jealous spying. who last a leg in the war and is doesn't know that Toby knows, en aircraft eclentist, absorbed in problems of
and by pollo acure which airflow and metal fatigue for outside her nge young Sebastian home
range.
from school,
Toby's patience is rewarded
fatuation, and this ruffle in the Wiltshire waters ends in a scene.
COMES ALIVE by Venella getting over her in-
He has a highly competent of near farce with Angela trying secretary, Angela, who is in to expose Carto and Vencils and love with him; the son, Sebas- only succeeding in opening the dan, is at boarding school, and son's eyes to a situation he can- Venetin in Wiltshire Is bored not comprehend. Elft. Her affair with her
common dazzling ani
young Mr Gamett tells his tale with about extravaganza
acireus man,
Carlo, revitalises a remarkable economy. Though Ruritanian-type king who her feelings.
brief, his novel is closely pack- gets to London
scized and is
ed: the characters are fresh. and
hidden by
Between Communist
assignations, sho alive, contemporary; the scenes agents, together with an English comes alive with her husband, vivid and varied. The narrative. talented girl who loves him.
too, He, when he discovers the is as rapid and compelling as reason, has a double reaction. ons of Somerset Maugham's, but one hand he 'becomes on a much low superficial level On tho obsessed by phantasies of killing In short, a minor triumph. the young man in the nastiest
-(London Expreu Seroler). ways possible; on the other hand
.Into
whodunit. The electricity, was THIS salvage and connected to the bath pipes in a young Norwegian (hrust his Bursts of firing at the west certain ingenious' manner.
1,300 miles. But way
the end of Kensington Gardens as Seston's book is not yet pub- desert and built himself a siege is laid to the Russian
then, had the hermitage, of rocks
the Embassy in Millionaires' Row, murderer cribbed the idea?
London Express Service.). cave of the ex-draper Maurice.
IVORCING his art from his polities, the prospective Socialist candidate lished, How DAY
for Epping in the coming General Election has boldly produced a Welsh novel of rich and pagan allure.
is not to be trusled"
Here is one Welsh novel with World War came when she was respond with him, for he really no Chupel in fi and no politics. 18.
Gwilym Evans 19 0 hill farmer.
wlic ils first
dies
Today's readers will probably
judge that the Queen maligned
a loyal, it untuly, servant, and that her persistent mistrust was
American Although she had leaving him with an unwanted tallonality, Betty Lussier push daughter. He falls in love with ed ernight over to England and a ferry piloi. In the Rachel, the big barmaid in the became
war she met her Spanish as unjust as it was ill-founded. valley.
business-man husband.
carller Prince
Her prejudice progo mainly Prusperous life in Madrid is from Lord Randolph's All right for some woman. (I feree quarrel with the
to know I). Lots of when the latter had suggested meet that the Marquis of Blundford
The ex-barmala, strong, pô5- of siunats, quarrelsome, is ond the most satisfying characters Sven in English Betken this year, happen The story of her deep love for worldly, painted women Gwilym, fer the son she bears daily, rossip, him after their marriage,
This woman's answer was to
and make "el should marry Lady Aylesford,
This and plan for wasting time, usually
angered Randolph, who threatened to publish former for the wildly lovely Top Farm, in "el cinema." is remarkably enthralling.
letters written to Lady Aylesford by the Prince. The matter became so warm that a duct in Rotterdam was considered, and the Queen and the Cabinet were drown in to avert a con. stitutional crisis.
A sine novel, Mr Ford's prose order big American traclor Dade on with integrity and 2 and enough" Texan inuize seed kiloflunt, ungroping, apt to plant up 1,000 acres. LPS, not unlike that of D. H. Lawrence.
Hed-bearded Mr Ford is cur- repily writing two other novels and a blography of Sir Stafford Crippy, He is a magistrate and
She induced a business friend hur
of her husband's to allow
as a partner to cultivate 1,000
In these pages the reader can another Winston
acres of his vast farmtonds almost ce what was then Spanish Morocco. Churchill - dogged by ill-luck!
is chairman of the London With Pilar, her Spanish maid, and -health, and denied truly County Council's General Fur and four young
sons the great opportunity pacing the poses Committee, yet he is only oldest was born on an English prosperous bun inhibile Vic-
Folk course" she went to torian scene, Larache, on the Atlantic coast.
34.
FARMER'S
GLORY
ONE WOMÁN FARM, by Betty Lussier (Cape, 19).
WHAT woman this bit of Wattovicraphy revealal
Born in Canada ami reared on Maryland farm, the Second
QUICK FLIPS
I once nearly got shipwrecked and beat into Laroche when the weather eased. There I
great Moors striding the dust, bunches of parsley in their fats.
Up the River Lukua, at whose mouth our buttered yacht lay, the mosquitoes were big as hornets. The locals were all malarial, the quays drenched in bloud from the tunny catches.
SPIRIT
LANGUAGE
IN TWO MINOS, by Mary Ceel (urnish Hamilton, 130.).
her devouring stride. Mosquitoes
But Betty Lussier takes all in IT seems to be difficult to aren't even mentioned. Malurin? Pout!
the modern sophisticated Eng- transtute into decent writing
lishwoman's péculiar attraction, her waywardness, her bubbling She arrives. settles on "her" charm, her humour-something land, sows, grows, and harvests. quite, Corn growing is almost a discare important.
with her,
indigenous, and very
and it is peculiarly Miss Nancy. Mitford has done contagious. She succeeds over it beautifully. Who else? Yet whelmingly In spite of every here is a new young difficulty.
writer who, in her first novel,
woman
Then, to make a fine ending, toes that, and more. As well as her Spanish partners, jealous of presenting a woman of charac- efficiency and fearful of her ter and wit, a woman who really progressiveness, get rid of her. loves and is loved, she presents
world alarming An extraordinary story
• A QUEST AND HIS GOING, by P. 1. Newby (Cape, 16%), It seems to be fashionable to
dare Eytians while deploring well told. their to's. Mr Newby's Egyptian, who came to London
when the Suez Are was kind- ling, is certainly engaging and often funny. Good writing.
HOY IN A GREY COAT, by Jean Ross (Hutchinson, 15s.). arnoli Excellent novel about backward boy with rich,' un- But happy, separated parents.
the manner of telling is even better. It is done mainly in the thoughts and reflections of adult characters. Jean Ross has an original talent.
! THE FIG TREE, by Aubrey
TRIUMPH, TRAGEDY
LORD RANDOLPH CHURCHILL, by Robert Mrs James (Weidenfeld and-Nicatson, 16%,).
11
of the
the Spirits.
Clare, the beroine, to a musician living in A London bed-silter with another musician who is waiting for his divorco to come through. Theirs is a higgledy-plagledy domestle Ute. scratching for money, parled_hli But day, laughing at night. Clare has been a spiritualixt, and a spirit whom she known as Peter begins to take POISES- sion of her on: Pago. One, and cannot be exorcised until the lost chapter.
18
and
Feier is as detestable as Clare THE young tribune who is
charming. Insistent, elever, short life of triumph and tragedy," as Sir Max Beer ruins her. She is driven to an diabolical,. ho systematically bohm described, Lord Randolph Churchill, was born in February asylum, where she submits to The young 1849 and died in January 1893. Insulin treatment.
woman's fight for sanity The seventh Duke of Marl happiness is horrifying. A Brillth scientist Injects an borough married the
It would be intolerable were eldest Italing fg Ice with desoyribo-daughter of the third Mamule it not for a wonderfully light nyelvic acid. The colossal of Londonderry: Lord Randolph and pleasing touch and zestful fruits prove strongly aphro-was thele second surviving son. Presentation of character, and disiac. Talians fascinated.
altuation.
Menen (Chatto & Windus, 15%).
British retentist appalled and Ele wna, of course, the father bara Vallenn to help. Wilty of Sir Winston, and the grand SHORT
light entertainment.
father of the presant "Randolph,"
опе
When Queen Victoria
• UNSHACKLED, by Dame morning at Balmoral opened a Charla abol Pankhurst (Hutchin-box from the India Office, whore 256) after pame Lord Randolph then officiated, Christobel's death last year this the found a pile of cigarette manuscript was found hidden 8th. Even the Queen is ro- In an old, trunk. It is a rusten- ported to have been amused, gette tub thumber, sub-tied But she never liked him. "How We Won the Vote? How
"Clever undoubtedly..." sho toʻuse, it might be betlerind wrote of him to the Prince of
-Londen Express Service), | | Wales, / "But pray don't cor-
CIRCUIT
TOR MÀN WHO WROTE USTECKIVE. STORIKE, by J. X M. Mewart. (Clolianej,
Be Mark's "apun
and
JACKY'S DIARY
BY
Jacky Mendelsohn
Ate 312
леде
To Day we got up Brighton early" & Went To The Beache
Think & Saw A Gee-Man Who Was Looking for A Girl SAY, HE KEPT on WA,ching all THE Ladies that POST
LADY
There's a Grown Man Who Sits in a High-CHAIR. HIS
There must of been Millions. of People Theres MayBe Even THOUSANDS
The Beach is A good place to find Dropped Hot Dogs AS LOTS OF PEOPLE DON'T LIKE THEM ONCE they fall in the Sando
One man kept Jumping on an other MAN, Hat Like best is if You - Who Would grab him By the NECK & hold Him
Job is to Reap Comic Books/Stand near the End of The Straight up in The Air Only & didní KNOW. Life-Save PEOPLE When OCEAN & LOOK down, You WHICH ONE was The Good Guy, so couldnt get VERY DIZZY AND SICK TELL WHO TO RODT."
they YELL HELP
Comic
There was a Man & a Lady Who Were KISSING Good-BUY ALL DAY BUT they weren't going ANY PLACE because THEY were still there when we went Home
for
Daddys Hands goT TEAL Rep all the way up to his ELBones He feels nice & Warm Like a Radiator afit &ETS Cold tonight, BOLL SNEAK in bed
Him
ADD VICE FOR CHILDREN:
Af Your Parents BET LOST at The BEACH, Dont CRY but Tell The Life Saver. And As S007) as He finishes reaping HERL Hold You up Your Friend ACK
•