Tosco Fyvel, writing in Tribune on the same day, called the book "a gentle satire on a certain State and on the illusions of an age which may already be behind us".
tˈɑːskoʊ fˈaɪvəl, ɹˈaɪɾɪŋ ɪn tɹˈɪbjuːn ɔnðə sˈeɪm dˈeɪ, kˈɔːld ðə bˈʊk "ɐ dʒˈɛntəl sˈæɾaɪɚɹ ˌɔn ɐ sˈɜːʔn̩ stˈeɪt ænd ɔnðɪ ɪlˈuːʒənz əvən ˈeɪdʒ wˌɪtʃ mˈeɪ ɔːlɹˌɛdi biː bᵻhˈaɪnd ˌʌs".