| + + | Outlook. 79: 772. Ap. 1, ‘05. 90w. | |
| + — | Pub. Opin. 38: 796. My. 20, ‘05. 170w. |
“Judge Grant’s sure touch and craftmanship are here, but ‘The orchid’ is hardly a worthy successor to ‘The undercurrent.’”
| + — | R. of Rs. 31: 758. Je. ‘05. 120w. |
Grant, Robert. Undercurrent. $1.50. Scribner.
“His theme is the very modern problem of the divorce evil, and he shows us how the undercurrent of emotion eventually triumphs over reason, and sweeps away the intellectual objections which stand in the path of a woman’s happiness. The situation is subtly handled, and one of the oldest of stories thereby acquires new distinction. It is the familiar story of marriage without much thought, the husband’s rapid development into a vulgar brute, and his final desertion of wife and children. Then the right man appears upon the scene, and the deserted wife is torn by the conflict between desire and duty. The plea of duty is voiced by the representatives of church and society, and their argument convinces her intellect, yet it takes only a slight mishap to the man whom she loves to bring about her surrender.”—Dial.
Reviewed by W. M. Payne.
| + + | Dial. 38: 15. Ja. 1, ‘05. 440w. (Statement of theme.) |
“The opposing claims of church and state to the regulation of marriage have never been more interestingly presented than in the debate between the rector and the lawyer in this book.”
| + | Ind. 58: 1008. My. 4, ‘05. 190w. |
“As a carefully considered, well-rounded, unimpassioned treatment, this book deserves attentive reading and deep pondering. The legal clearness with which Judge Grant has analyzed the question, and the thoroughness and skill with which he has embodied all its aspects in the individual characters and the action of the story, make ‘The undercurrent’ a constructive master-piece. Its interest is timely, therefore, rather than literary, and its value practical and ethical, not artistic. Neither of these facts, nevertheless, derogates from its literary importance. A notable literary expression of conviction among the books of its day.”