Purpose
130,000 copies have been sold in England and America.
WESTMINSTER GAZETTE.—“Such a book as this is a rare event, and as refreshing as it is rare. This book ... is a beautiful one—beautiful alike in thought, tone, and language.”
LITERATURE.—“We may safely assert that it will achieve a large success, and achieve it on its merits.”
DAILY CHRONICLE.—“We like this book. It stands apart from the ordinary novel. It tells the story of the growth of a soul.... A great charm of the book is its pictures of outdoor life on a Kentucky farm.... But the greatest charm of all, perhaps, is Mr. Allen’s clear-cut, simple, and vigorous style.”
SPECTATOR.—“Written with all the delicacy and distinction which have already won him so many admirers.”
WORLD.—“Lays upon the reader a grip from which there is no escape.”
DAILY GRAPHIC.—“The character of David, the first figure in the book, is finely drawn.... The book is well worth reading.”
ACADEMY.—“Full of racial warmth and freshest human nature.... Life is intense, richly coloured, and splendidly aspirant in these pages; yet the eternal note of sadness is brought in.”
JAMES LANE ALLEN