University of Virginia Library

“Mrs. Holmes' stories are universally read. Her admirers are numberless.
She is in many respects without a rival in the world of fiction. Her characters
are always life-like, and she makes them talk and act like human beings, subject
to the same emotions, swayed by the same passions, and actuated by the same
motives which are common among men and women of every day existence. Mrs.
Holmes is very happy in portraying domestic life. Old and young peruse her
stories with great delight, for she writes in a style that all can comprehend.”

“Mrs. Holmes' stories are all of a domestic character, and their interest,
therefore, is not so intense as if they were more highly seasoned with sensationalism,
but it is of a healthy and abiding character. Almost any new book which her
publisher might choose to announce from her pen would get an immediate and
general reading. The interest in her tales begins at once, and is maintained to
the close. Her sentiments are so sound, her sympathies so warm and ready,
and her knowledge of manners, character, and the varied incidents of ordinary
life is so thorough, that she would find it difficult to write any other than an
excellent tale if she were to try it.”

“Mrs. Holmes is very amusing; has a quick and true sense of humor, a
sympathetic tone, a perception of character, and a familiar, attractive style,
pleasantly adapted to the comprehension and the taste of that large class of
American readers for whom fashionable novels and ideal fantasies have no
charm.”