The Ne'er-Do-Much

[from Review in The National Magazine, 1918, Vol 47, page 284]

In "The Ne'er Do Much," Eleanor Hallowell Abbott has even surpassed her own reputation for stories of an unusual nature. Within the one hundred and forty-four small-size big-print pages she introduces a South American millionaire who gave a dinner to which he invited only celebrities "he wished he knew": an old man, a young girl, a young woman and a young man. With the four latter-named persons the story particularly deals. They are unacquainted, and, to make conversation, decide to tell their troubles to one another, drawing secret "lots" to determine which shall tell true troubles and which purely fictional.

At the conclusion, many of the mysteries are cleared up, but the author maintains the element of uncertainty even then by leaving the young woman's status and relation to the story still unrevealed.

Entertaining and diverting is "The Ne'er-Do-Much," a book with which to spend a very pleasant few moments.

To appreciate Eleanor Hallowell Abbott, you have to be in the mood for something slightly odd, and extremely cute. Cute tripping sometimes, adorably or cloyingly, depending on your taste, over the line into twee. I can take and enjoy her, like merengues or marzipan, in small doses. And "The Ne'er-Do-Much" is just short enough, and with just enough mystery to cut the sweet, to work alright for me. The two-lies-two-truths is a charming conceit and my one criticism, which the description references, is that the conclusion draws a veil over the most interesting character's story. Did Abbott intend to write a sequel? Did she do so? I'd love to find out...