"There have been few instances of any young writer so rapidly coming into wide and strongly interested notice as that of Miss Mary Robinson. Her first little volume, A Handful of Honeysuckle, was plainly to a large extent derivative, but at the same time it showed so much native sweetness, so much delicacy of touch and occasional strength, that great things began to be prophesied of the youg poetess. In due time appeared The Crowned Hippolytus: and other Poems, and Miss Robinson's position was confirmed, the volume exhibiting very marked increase of strength, though it was not without some markedly tentative efforts. Personally, I do not think this volume of verse has yet been done full justice to. In 1884 was published The New Arcadia, a book that deservedly attracted very considerable attention; though some of Miss Robinson's most discriminating friends doubted the advisability of her attempting the reform of the condition of the agricultural classes by means of poetic special pleading. There are, unfortunately, too many examples of the ruin of poetic and artistic genius through the tendency (so rapidly growing into unconscious or uncontrolled habit) to "preach." Since this anthology was first published, another volume of verse by Miss Robinson has appeared, under the title An Italian Garden. This writer has a very sweet and true lyric voice: if she will be but loyal to herself, she may yet take a very high place indeed..." (Sharp)
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(Text from Sonnets of This Century.)