“The oppression which has seemed of late to brood over the work of Mr Compton Mackenzie has cleared away, we hope never to return. In ‘Poor relations’ the sun comes out brightly from the clouds, a gentle breeze of humour blows the story along, and the reader from the first page to the last enjoys himself immensely.”
+ The Times [London] Lit Sup p513 S 25 ’19 850w
MACKENZIE, COMPTON. Vanity girl. *$2 (1½c) Harper
20–7724
It is the story of the clever scheming of a vain, selfish, heartless but very beautiful girl. Her first step to use her beauty as an asset was to go on the stage. As “Vanity girl,” opportunities offered to cast her net for a titled husband. She captured the fifth Earl of Clarehaven and was received by the family on equal terms. Her first disappointment came when the fates denied her a son to inherit the earldom, and her second when her foolish husband, with cards and horses, succeeded in losing the family estate. When he is killed in France, and the sixth Earl of Clarehaven at last arrives, the impoverished countess still has one trump card left. She marries the millionaire Jew, who is now owner of Clare, on the condition that he make over the entire estate to her son.
“In whatever contempt Mr Mackenzie may hold his public—how is it possible that he should dare to invite them to partake of such sickly food? We should not waste space upon so pretentious and stupid a book were it not that we have believed in his gifts and desire to protest that he should so betray them.” K. M.
− Ath p639 My 14 ’20 760w
“This writer does have the instinct for action and, once you accept his people as figures in a picaresque novel, you have something to tie to, as you never do with Mr George. The ‘trouble’ here, indeed, is that Mr Mackenzie, not being aware of his true job, deviates into sense, that is, into interpretation, just often enough to queer his real pitch.” H. W. Boynton
+ − Bookm 52:251 N ’20 300w Boston Transcript p4 S 22 ’20 1200w − Dial 70:107 Ja ’21 80w