Douglas Jerrold gave this distinguished English auth.o.r.ess this "_nom de plume_," and her style has the point, brightness, and delicacy which it suggests.--This is not a cook book as the t.i.tle might mislead some to suppose, but a fresh, vigorous, powerful story of English country life, full of exquisite pictures of rural scenery, with a plot which is managed with great skill, and a surprise kept constantly ahead so that from the opening to the close the interest never flags. There is life in every page and a fresh, delicate, hearty sentiment pervades the book that exhilarates and charms indescribably.
The heroine--Charlotte the housekeeper--is one of the finest characters ever drawn, and merits unqualified commendation.
As a whole, for beauty of style and diction, pa.s.sionate earnestness, effective contrasts, distinctness of plot, unity, and completeness, this novel is without a rival. It is a "midnight darling" that Charles Lamb would have exulted in, and perhaps the best as yet produced from a woman"s pen.