felicity of easy rhyming which is not unworthy of our best writers
of satire..., The prevailing impression of the whole is of that easy
strength which does what it likes with language and rhythm. ....
The style is light and playful, with admirable touches of fine
discrimination and rich humour; but the purpose is earnest. .... The
book is a very clever and a very wholesome one. It is one of those
strong, crushing, dramatic satires, which do more execution than a
thousand arguments."
From "TEMPLE BAR."
"It is said to be by Lowell. Truly, if America has more than one
writer who can write in such a rich vein of satire, humour, pathos,
and wit, as we have here, England must look to her laurels.... This
is poetry of a high order. Would that in England we had humourists who
could write as well. But with Thackeray our last writer of humour left
us."
From the "WESTMINSTER REVIEW."
"'Saint Abe and his Seven Wives' may lay claim to many rare
qualities. The author possesses simplicity and directness. To this he
adds genuine humour and interposes dramatic power. Lastly, he has contrived
to give a local flavour, something of the salt of the Salt Lake to his
characters, which enables us to thoroughly realise them.... We will
not spoil the admirable canto 'Within the Synagogue' by any quotation,
which, however long, cannot possibly do it justice. We will merely say
that this one hit is worth the price of the whole book. In the author we
recognise a true poet, with an entirely original vein of humour."
From the "MANCHESTER GUARDIAN."
"It is thoroughly American, now rising into a true imaginative
intensity, but oftener falling into a satirical vein, dealing plainly
enough with the plague-spots of Salt Lake society and its wily, false
prophets.... Like most men capable of humour, the author has command of
a sweeter and more harmonious manner. Indeed, the beautiful descriptive
and lyrical fragments stand in vivid and reflecting relief to the homely
staple of the poem."
From the "TORONTO GLOBE."
"It is impossible to deny that the praises bestowed on 'St. Abe and
his Seven Wives' as a work of literary power are deserved."
End of Project Gutenberg's Saint Abe snd His Seven Wives, by Robert Buchanan