VICTORIA AT NIGHT: And Other Stories

Thirteen short stories by a newcomer to the ranks of the sensitive and coolly perceptive young ladies who have highlighted the recent literary scene. Ranging in technique from first person to third person narrative, in viewpoint from a young girl to a middle-aged man, 22-year old Miss Beigel displays considerably more technical versatility than many of her contemporaries. Love in several of its many faces, adjustment to the adult world and loneliness form the dominant themes, although in too many cases the elliptical style, vignette form and involved psychological approach make it difficult to find the figures in these small carpets. Three of the stories have appeared in Mademoiselle and New World Writing, and on the evidence displayed they are more a forecast of promising things to come than technically finished and emotionally satisfactory literary entities.