Elegantly simple in language, these three novels probe the elemental forces of human personality. In "Two Mothers" the demonic will of a woman runs amok in a whirlwind of maternal power, while in "The Marquis of Lumbria" another unforgettable heroine steers a violent course through the dense sea of tradition. By contrast, "Nothing Less Than a Man" focuses on a Nietzschean hero, a man who embodies human will deprived of spiritual strength. ( )