THE SPANISH HOUSE

First of all, this is not a story about Spain, in spite of its title. The Spanish house of the story was situated near Brussels, and the story takes place in England and Belgium. The story is sensational -- and romantic, with Lady Eleanor's familiar gypsy slant through the character of a gypsy waif, adopted into a household, there to disrupt several lives. An Irish painter, his beautiful Jewish wife, the orphaned French schoolgirl and the gypsy lad create situations which color the two children's later life, and eventually -- after years of melodrama and a somewhat picaresque existence, the gypsy returns to claim his rights, the romance ends on a note of tragedy. The childhood part of the book has real charm. But the prize ring, the career as barker to a bearded lady, and the months as lover to a movie star fail to ring true and spoil the book. Rental appeal.