Word: nico
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Dates: during 1930-1939
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...actress, but not enough to carry the engagement through the first jealous suspicion of misconduct. Jenny Heysten knew that she loved him more than the two lovers who followed, but she found solace in her genius, which flourished or failed as her emotional life varied. When Jonkheer Nico returned, however, and saw her in an ingenue part, her seeming innocence recaptured him. Once more he tried to bridge the social gap between them. He had broadened while abroad and might have been successful, but the joy of acting had so gripped Jenny's introvertive nature that she could not fight...
Staidly, solemnly written, this book is impressive. Jenny, whose entry into stage life is told in The House of Joy, develops into a clear character, engaging yet unpleasant, selfish, pathetic in her talents and her indecision. Nico through his consistency attains a sort of prosaic greatness. The main worth of the book, however, is the contrast between two splendidly portrayed environments: the Dutch home, the Dutch stage. The conflict is a familiar theme but the detailed, vigorous painting of the scenes transforms the commonplace material...