Notes on some Books of Special Interest
PUBLISHED BY
ALEXANDER GARDNER,
PAISLEY AND LONDON.
AT ALL LIBRARIES.
JAMES HEPBURN, Free Church Minister. By Sophie F. F. Veitch, Author of "Angus Graeme, Gamekeeper," etc. 2 vols., Crown 8vo., 21s.
"A strong story of real life and cannot fail to give Miss Veitch a prominent position among modern novelists.... The whole story is exceedingly powerful."—Saturday Review.
"The work of fiction which heads the list may fairly be described as a singularly powerful and fascinating novel. Description by comparison is frequently convenient, though occasionally misleading; but we do not think we shall convey a wrong impression if we say that 'James Hepburn' bears a strong resemblance to some of the most vigorous and characteristic of Mrs. Oliphant's realistic Scottish stories.... James Hepburn is one of the most truly heroic characters in recent fiction, with a certain largeness and grandeur in his heroism which are wonderfully impressive, and yet with a homeliness which never permits him to slip for a moment outside the range of our imaginative belief. In creating an ideal character of unmistakable flesh and blood, Miss Veitch has achieved an unequivocal success, and one or two of the pivot situations in the book are conceived and presented with such dramatic power and sympathetic insight, that in virtue of them alone 'James Hepburn' takes place among the most remarkable and admirable of recent novels.... There are chapters in 'James Hepburn' of which we feel convinced that the author of Scenes of Clerical Life would not have been ashamed.... Such a novel is not only a book to admire, but one for which to be grateful."—The Spectator.
"'James Hepburn' is a novel in two volumes, which is quite startling in the freshness and beauty of its conception.... This book deserves careful reading; there is much more in it than the mere interest of a clever story, and only good can result from its influence."—Literary World.
The author of 'Angus Graeme, Gamekeeper,' has produced another Scottish novel of remarkable power. 'James Hepburn, Free Church Minister,' is at once a striking character study, a skilful picture of the social life of a country town and district, and a powerful sensational story. It is in the first of these aspects that it displays most original vigour.... It must be admitted to be one of the strongest productions of the fictional art that have recently appeared."—Scotsman.