4441. New England: Indian Summer 1865-1915, by Van Wyck Brooks (read 19 May 2008) This 1940 book is the sequel to the author's more famous The Flowering of New England, which I read 21 July 1946. (Took me quite a while to get to the sequel, eh?) I found about half of this book of interest, His discussion in regard to particular authors during the period had considerable interest for me. I was especially struck by what he said about Mary E. Wilkins Freeman and her "plain, stark. factual tales." His portrait of Henry Adams also is vivid and all in all his writing is sometimes very powerful and attention-holding--and some times it isn't. He impresses by his encyclopedic knowlege of the authors of the period. ( )