BY THE AUTHOR OF "BALLYBEG JUNCTION."
THE MERCHANT OF KILLOGUE A Munster Tale
BY F. M. ALLEN
AUTHOR OF "THROUGH GREEN GLASSES," "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 phasesand circumstances which have not, so far as we know, been approached byany other novelist or satirist. The work is not describable, it is notto be indicated by comparison; the very touch of occasional caricaturein 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 smallinterests and petty ambitions in the town that is all the world to itsinhabitants; the swift stroke of fate and sudden investment of the scenewith tragic interest--are Mr. Downey's own. Mick Moloney's last 'fewwords with the master' is an incident worthy to be placed beside thefamous death scene in the mountain-pass in 'Tom Burke.'"
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH.
"Vivid and convincing sketches of Irish provincial life abound in 'TheMerchant of Killogue.'... The story is admirably worked up to asurprising and startling _denouement_."
WESTMINSTER GAZETTE.
"The only fault we have to find with 'The Merchant of Killogue' is thatit is too conscientious.... In depicting his characters he shows rareskill and knowledge as well as a very considerable gift of humour. Theyare all vivid, distinct, and lifelike.... The workmanship is of quiteunusual 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, JohnO'Reilly, is an artistic creation."
LITERARY WORLD.
"Natural, strong in local characterisation and colouring, with manytouches of quaint humour peculiarly Irish and racy, and bright andreadable from cover to cover."
SATURDAY REVIEW.
"There is no questioning the ability of Mr. Edmund Downey's Munstertale. It is long since a writer has introduced us to a set of charactersso fresh, so unlike the usual creations of the novelist."
VANITY FAIR.
"Every character in the book is put down in words so subtle and strongthat for yourself you know the people. There is nothing of the new womanin it, and not a line concerning the analyses of soul and body. It isjust a picture of Irish life which might have been written in shorthandas it happened, and written out afterwards in longhand, so clear andsharp and vital is it. It is an exciting story, with a thrilling windingup."
ST. JAMES'S GAZETTE.
"When we say that Mr. Downey reminds us not a little of his greatprecursor, Lever, we are paying him no idle compliment."
GUARDIAN.
"One of the best descriptions of Irish life that we have read sinceLever."
SPECTATOR.
"A very bright and vivacious book.... The merchant is a very carefullypainted portrait, and he is really made to live."
THE SUN.
"Before you are half-way through the first chapter of this entertainingbook you realize that you are here face to face with Ireland drawn fromthe life, that this is fiction not of stale convention but of first-handobservation, and that the story demands more than ordinary attention."
ATHENAEUM.
"It is pleasant for a reviewer to be able to congratulate him on thegood account to which he has now turned his extensive acquaintance withIrish provincial life."
ST. PAUL'S.
"The humour is neither farcical nor conventional, it is the humour ofsituation and character.... The dialogue is animated, easy, and naturalthroughout."
LLOYDS'.
"The rich racy humour of Irish life bubbles up in many fantastic formsand 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 ofIrish 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 inthe 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 lifefrom experience."
IRISH WEEKLY INDEPENDENT.
"'The Merchant of Killogue' is a book in which high spirits predominate.It is no mean compliment to say that two or three chapters read likechapters of 'Charles O'Malley' or 'Harry Lorrequer.'"
BOSTON (U.S.A.) LITERARY WORLD.
"A remarkable novel of Irish life is 'The Merchant of Killogue.' I donot know any novel which paints the life so realistically.... As aportrait of the time and the people the book ought to live."
+W. HEINEMANN+, PUBLISHER, BEDFORD STREET, STRAND, LONDON
The Watcher, and other weird stories Page 9
