THE TWO WIVES

by Frank Swinnerton ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A

It is two years since Swinnerton's last novel, Harvest Comedy, was published, and proved bitter disappointment to those who had faith in his star. Now with The Two Wives he stages something of a comeback, with a story more skilled in craftsmanship, less dependent on wire pulling on the part of the author to make its pieces fit into the pattern. And yet it does not measure up to the Swinnerton of Nocturne and September, his two finest novels, in my opinion . This is a story revolving around a little English comedian, favorite of the London audience, a star in his own right, but yearning, secretly, to play straight drama or even tragedy, to get out of the pigeonhole in which his manager and his public have placed him. Not only is it the story of how he achieved his dream, but it develops the theme of his relations to his family, and to the three women who,successively, dominated him, each in her own way, building, destroying, as he conforms and revolts. There's a warmth of understanding in the telling -- and yet the final impression is one of superficiality; one does not get below the surface of the characters.... The Swinnerton name is good for rentals and sales.

Pub Date: N/A

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Doubleday, Doran

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1940

Categories: FICTION