There is an intermingling in the tale of the "Pearl-Maiden" that glint of "King Solomon's Mines" and the memory of "Quo Vadis." And accepting the fact that we can hardly expect H. Rider Haggard's usual thrills that accompanied the metamorphosis of "She". We can be grateful to him for holding our interest through nearly 500 pages of the book.
This is a love story of the noble Roman, Marcus, and Miriam, the Christian Pearl-Maiden is made the pivot for rapidly revolving scenes of gorgeous coloring. The slave ring and its incidents, Miriam bound to the pillar on the Temple wall to perish miserably, the triumph of the Caesars, contrasted with the hunted lives of the Christians, the scenes in the amphitheater—all are written with vividness.
As far as character-drawing is concerned, Caleb, the unsuccessful lover, struggling against his fate and his own dark nature, and Nehushta, the Libyan slave, with her fierce devotion to the Pearl Maiden, are probably of the greatest interest.
The reader's task will be a pleasant one if he has a taste for vivid and picturesque narrative.
Those who know H. Rider Haggard (and who does not?) will expect to find his writing packed with graphic incident, and the twenty-five illustrations by Byam Shaw will not disappoint.
"Pearl-Maiden' is a highly dramatic story of the fall of Jerusalem, into which much historical material has been worked. The plot is ingeniously woven, and the development is kept brisk by a succession of surprising and exciting incidents.'
From beginning to end, this beautiful story captures the sympathies of the reader, and makes vivid the characters whose lives are set in that period in the history of Josephus and is painted in indelible colours of blood and fire... a romance as thrilling, and an idyll more tender, than any other author has yet conceived.
Suffice it to say Haggard heaps situation upon situation, hurrying the reader onward in a breathless excitement, not to be abated till the last page is reached. The value of the volume, it should be noted, is still further enhanced by the numerous decorative illustrations.
