The Washingtons [From the London Saturday Review]

Simpskinson's novel *The Washingtons* is reviewed in this article. The opening lines characterize it as a failed attempt to amuse, inform, and elevate readers. Simpskinson, a rector from Northamptonshire, Britain, with an interest in the antiquities of his parish, utilizes records from libraries in Althorp and Brington to construct his romance. The article calls it a "religious novel" about the British heritage of America's greatest hero, Washington. The result is "a production of almost unexampled dryness and heaviness." The most amount of praise Simpskinson receives is in the handsomeness of the novel's cover design. The article's author is particularly interested in debating the question of which member of the Washington family was the first to imigrate to America.