A fine addition to a well-established series.
The 15th edition of this always-strong annual collection features essays that range in subject and tone from philosophical to poetic, guest-edited by Lightman (The Diagnosis, p. 1063, etc.).
Lightman’s assemblage very nearly defies generalization. It includes 21 essays from publications as elite as Harper’s and as obscure as The Natural Farmer on subjects from the metaphysical to the intensely personal, written by naturalists, poets, and scientists. They span the continuum from formal argument to informal reflection. Ultimately, however, these pieces are linked by their sincerity as well as the quality of their composition. As Lightman explains in his introduction, “In reading an essay, I want to feel that I’m communing with a real person, and a person who cares what he or she’s writing about.” Thus, as you proceed through the alphabetically arranged collection—from William Gass’s flawless “In Defense of the Book” to Mary Gordon’s open-ended narrative of her imagined and real encounters with Rome to Edward Hoagland’s quiet reflections on the intersection of nature, mystery, and religion—you’ll encounter distinct voices that are like-minded in their thoughtfulness. From this self-seriousness the collection understandably gains a certain weight: the essays are intended to be thought-provoking, and not on petty issues. Ian Buruma dissects identity politics, Richard McCann dwells on the life granted and taken through his liver transplant, and Steven Weinberg searches for God within quantum physics. Although some rely more heavily on the pronoun “I” than others, each represents (as Lightman desired) a personal struggle to express a thought, explore a belief, or understand a phenomenon.
A fine addition to a well-established series.Pub Date: Oct. 26, 2000
ISBN: 0-618-03578-8
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2000
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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