Wright, Mary Tappan (Mrs. John Henry Wright). Tower: a novel. †$1.50. Scribner.
In her story of the faculty side of college life, Mrs. Wright presents a “masterful president and bishop, several young professors, a few pathetically overworked and underpaid old ones with their wives, children and personal friends.” (Ind.) Eighteen years separate Silvia Langdon, the bishop’s daughter and her lover who parted without pledging of vows. Upon his return to the faculty temporarily he finds her “young and fascinating” at thirty-eight. There is a pathetic side to the renewed love-making which, however, ends triumphantly.
“There is obvious merit in ‘The tower’, but its plot is extremely slight, and lacks movement and interest.”
+ – Ath. 1906. 1: 695. Je. 9. 130w.
“In these final pages Mrs. Wright has cleared herself of the charge of being incapable of creating real human beings.” Edward Clark Marsh.
+ – Bookm. 23: 628. Ag. ’06. 1080w.
“There is plenty of clever characterization in the book, and the people are sufficiently differentiated to be interesting. They invariably talk well.”
+ Ind. 60: 1223. My. 24. ’06. 390w.
“The author has somewhat of the insight and delicacy of touch that might have turned out a bit of Cranford-like description of the dullness and narrowness of faculty life in a small college town; but the many pages of uninteresting detail and conversation rob the book of real charm.”