ABOUT BOOK

Katie Jones, living on an army post in the Mississippi River valley with her officer brother, takes her regimented, carefree life for granted until she foils a young woman's suicide attempt, then begins to probe the girl's psyche for motives. As the girl's mental state improves, she tells Katie of her past life in Centralia and Chicago, reveals the reason for her despondency, and together the two find a greater awareness of the meaning of life. The life style as described in The Visioning is unconventional and exciting for 1910, but seems pretty tepid by today's standards; and the philosophies which the two girls construct have appeared before and since in stories penned by romantic idealists. Still, the story is pleasant and offers a different concept of middle western life although vague references to locale are annoying.--Book Review Digest, 1911