A Man of the Moors

A Man of the Moors by Sutcliffe is an interesting and pleasant story though not without sadness. Sutcliffe is evidently a keen observer of Nature and there is much poetry in his descriptions of the Yorkshire moors. The hero of the book is Griff Lomax— whom the author most accurately describes as a Pagan —and his fights and adventures are related with great spirit. Indeed. Griff and his mother are the other characters in the work which seem really alive. Most of the others—the women especially— behave as no human beings would ever act in real life. The episode of Roddick and Janet reads like an imitation of Jane Eyre ; but Mr. Sutcliffe has the wonderful genius which enabled Charlotte Bronte to reconcile her readers to the most unlikely events. The consequence is that his version both in morality and probability stands next to the famous original Bildungsroman. It has the further surprise of leading up to a gratuitous ending which eagerly presses upon the reader.