John Lane, The Bodley Head, Vigo Street, London, W.
Messrs. Roberts Brothers’ Publications.
Foam of the Sea.
By GERTRUDE HALL,
Author of “Far from To-day,” “Allegretto,” “Verses,” etc.
16mo. Cloth. Price, $1.00.
Miss Gertrude Hall’s second volume of short stories, “Foam of the Sea and Other Tales,” shows the same characteristics as the first, which will be instantly remembered under the title of “Far from To-day.” They are vigorous, fanciful, in part quaint, always thought-stirring and thoughtful. She has followed old models somewhat in her style, and the setting of many of the tales is mediæval. The atmosphere of them is fascinating, so unusual and so pervading is it; and always refined are her stories, and graceful, even with an occasional touch of grotesquerie. And there is an underlying subtleness in them, a grasp of the problems of the heart and the head, in short, of life, which is remarkable; and yet they, for the most part, are romantic to a high degree, and reveal an imagination far beyond the ordinary. “Foam of the Sea,” like “Far from To-day,” is a volume of rare tales, beautifully wrought out of the past for the delectation of the present.
Of the six tales in the volume, “Powers of Darkness” alone has a wholly nineteenth century flavor. It is a sermon told through two lives pathetically miserable. “The Late Returning” is dramatic and admirably turned, strong in its heart analysis. “Foam of the Sea” is almost archaic in its rugged simplicity, and “Garden Deadly” (the most imaginative of the six) is beautiful in its descriptions, weird in its setting, and curiously effective. “The Wanderers” is a touching tale of the early Christians, and “In Battlereagh House” there is the best character drawing.
Miss Hall is venturing along a unique line of story telling, and must win the praise of the discriminating.—The Boston Times.