19–18840
“Mr Chambers shrewdly gives us glimpses of two scenes which take place before the beginning of the story, but which are vitally important to our understanding of it. One is a foreword and contains the first meeting of Palla Dumont, Ilse Westgard and John Estridge. Estridge is an ambulance driver in Russia, detailed to take Palla Dumont to the Grand Duchess Marie who has obtained permission to have her American companion and dear friend with her in the convent where the imperial family are confined. In the preface we have an equally important scene taking place in the convent when the Bolsheviki arrive to put to death the empress and her children. With such exciting events behind her it is little wonder that Palla Dumont has no real desire to settle down to the ordinary life of the United States after the signing of the armistice. The story is largely concerned with Palla’s revolt from the conventional and her endeavor to fight the rising tide of bolshevism in New York by preaching her gospel of love and service.”—Boston Transcript
− + Ath p763 D 3 ’20 110w Boston Transcript p9 F 7 ’20 600w
“One pictures Mr Chambers awakened by the alarm clock of destiny to realization that the hour is striking in which he must begin to write a new novel and saying to himself with infinite boredom: ‘What in thunder is there left in the world that I haven’t written about? Bolshevism? Is Bolshevism among my titles?”
− N Y Times 24:741 D 14 ’19 700w
“It is all fairly interesting, but rather shallow.”
+ − Sat R 130:440 N 27 ’20 130w
“‘The crimson tide’ promises, in its inception, to be a lively story of adventuring with a strain of characteristic Chambers romance.”
+ − Springf’d Republican p9a Ag 15 ’20 190w