E. Morris Miller's Australian Literature from its Beginnings to 1935 (1940): 688 comments: 'The novel, The Gaiety of Fatma, 1906, almost belies its title. Fatma, the fascinating Franco-Arab girl is first shown in a charming dancing scene on the shore of a small Algerian seaport; she appeals for funds to provide comforts for the sick poor in the hinterland. She tends an invalid Scottish baron who marries her just prior to his passing. Fatma proceeds to England and Scotland, and takes London by storm. On the death of her devoted friend, she goes back to Algeria and continues her charitable work.'