“The story is told entirely from the point of view of the heroine.... The hero of the book is a cheerfully profligate earl (the villain being gloomily profligate), who is awakened to the seriousness of life when the heroine repels his advances, and he succeeds to a dukedom.... At the end of five hundred and fifty closely printed pages the duke repents of his sin and marries the heroine, who is discovered to possess ‘the golden current, the divine fire,’ which can apparently only be derived from ancestors whose names are in the peerage.”—Spec.
“Mr. Maxwell has other admirable qualities, notably a keen instinct for character, a sense of humour, and many craftsmanlike devices for rendering that humour effective.”
| + | Acad. 68: 856. Ag. 19, ‘05. 890w. |
“The first half of the story is better than the last, for in the last we approach very close to sentimental melodrama. It rings feminine.”
| + — | Ath. 1905, 2: 267. Ag. 26. 640w. |
“In general, Mr. Maxwell seems to miss the finer point of characterization. For all that, there are passages in his book, even in the fairy tale part of it, which stir the feelings. He has humour; he is master of his words, and he can retain his reader’s attention through a very long and unevenly handled story.”
| + — | Lond. Times. 4: 262. Ag. 18, ‘05. 340w. |
“Another story almost as extraordinary and possibly even more intense in its holding power [than ‘The ragged messenger.’]” H. I. Brock.
| + + | N. Y. Times. 10: 760. N. 11, ‘05. 1160w. |
“A novel of more than usual interest and strength.”