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Art. XLII. Clavering Tower. A Novel. By Rosalia St. Clair, Author of the Blind Beggar, Son of O'Donnel, Highland Castle and Lowland Cottage, &c. 4 Vols. 12mo. Newman and Co. 1822.
To those, who are fond of relations of love and courtship, of the hopes and fears of the tender passion, of warm declarations, agitated hesitations, and timid acceptations, the volumes before us will afford a treat; for this regular routine of interesting detail, occurs about eight times, we believe, in the four thin duodecimos in question. We can allow for a little diffuseness of relation on these subjects towards the end of a novel, and in an in-[116]dividual case; for in the common course of fictitious narrative such is the natural termination of all the cares and woes of the hero and heroine, to whom our attention has been called; but it is a little too much to go through a thrice and double thrice repeated tale of love; we get tired of seeing lovers upon their knees, and mistresses lisping their blushing consents, and of hearing the description of fine handsome youths and beautiful girls. We had rather be amused with something more uncommon, and less hacknied [sic]. On the whole, we think that Clavering Tower may find admittance to the dressing rooms of those to whose comfort it is positively necessary to see a novel on their toilet tables, but we do not imagine it to possess novelty or interest sufficient to introduce it to the attention of those whose tastes have been formed on productions of a superior order of merit. [complete]
Provided by Julie A. Shaffer, January 2000
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