The Watcher, and other weird stories Part 21

AUTHOR OF "THROUGH GREEN GLa.s.sES," "A HOUSE OF TEARS,"

"IN ONE TOWN," ETC., ETC.

In Three Volumes.

THE WORLD.

"An inside and intimate picture of Irish life and character, in phases and circ.u.mstances which have not, so far as we know, been approached by any other novelist or satirist. The work is not describable, it is not to be indicated by comparison; the very touch of occasional caricature in the election scenes, and in the 'brigand' of the story, O'Ruark, which throws out the sheer clear actuality of the people, the places, the 'ways'; the extraordinary humour of the talk; the jarring of small interests and petty ambitions in the town that is all the world to its inhabitants; the swift stroke of fate and sudden investment of the scene with tragic interest--are Mr. Downey's own. Mick Moloney's last 'few words with the master' is an incident worthy to be placed beside the famous death scene in the mountain-pa.s.s in 'Tom Burke.'"

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH.

"Vivid and convincing sketches of Irish provincial life abound in 'The Merchant of Killogue.'... The story is admirably worked up to a surprising and startling _denouement_."

WESTMINSTER GAZETTE.

"The only fault we have to find with 'The Merchant of Killogue' is that it is too conscientious.... In depicting his characters he shows rare skill and knowledge as well as a very considerable gift of humour. They are all vivid, distinct, and lifelike.... The workmans.h.i.+p is of quite unusual merit."

DAILY CHRONICLE.

"Mr. Downey's Celts are human beings, motived by the ordinary motives, and talking like rational men and women. His central figure, John O'Reilly, is an artistic creation."

LITERARY WORLD.

"Natural, strong in local characterisation and colouring, with many touches of quaint humour peculiarly Irish and racy, and bright and readable from cover to cover."

SAt.u.r.dAY REVIEW.

"There is no questioning the ability of Mr. Edmund Downey's Munster tale. It is long since a writer has introduced us to a set of characters so fresh, so unlike the usual creations of the novelist."

VANITY FAIR.

"Every character in the book is put down in words so subtle and strong that for yourself you know the people. There is nothing of the new woman in it, and not a line concerning the a.n.a.lyses of soul and body. It is just a picture of Irish life which might have been written in shorthand as it happened, and written out afterwards in longhand, so clear and sharp and vital is it. It is an exciting story, with a thrilling winding up."

ST. JAMES'S GAZETTE.

"When we say that Mr. Downey reminds us not a little of his great precursor, Lever, we are paying him no idle compliment."

GUARDIAN.

"One of the best descriptions of Irish life that we have read since Lever."

SPECTATOR.

"A very bright and vivacious book.... The merchant is a very carefully painted portrait, and he is really made to live."

THE SUN.

"Before you are half-way through the first chapter of this entertaining book you realize that you are here face to face with Ireland drawn from the life, that this is fiction not of stale convention but of first-hand observation, and that the story demands more than ordinary attention."

ATHENaeUM.

"It is pleasant for a reviewer to be able to congratulate him on the good account to which he has now turned his extensive acquaintance with Irish provincial life."

ST. PAUL'S.

"The humour is neither farcical nor conventional, it is the humour of situation and character.... The dialogue is animated, easy, and natural throughout."

LLOYDS'.

"The rich racy humour of Irish life bubbles up in many fantastic forms and shapes throughout Mr. Downey's novel."

MORNING POST.

"Excellent portraits abound in this tale of Munster."

STANDARD.

"The plot acts mainly as a peg on which the author hangs his sketches of Irish character, and these are excellently done. The merchant himself ... is a remarkable study.... O'Ruark is, in his way, quite a creation, and his perennial flow of Irish wit is one of the pleasantest things in the three volumes."

TRUTH.

"The characters and the scenes are excellently drawn."

LIVERPOOL MERCURY.

"A story that holds the attention of the reader down to the last page."

FREEMAN'S JOURNAL.

"The book has all the interest of a story that we feel derives its life from experience."