Quirky and evocative sketches that capture the human spirit and the passing of a simpler and more genteel era. Drawing upon the people and places around her, White (Mama Makes Up Her Mind, not reviewed), a first-grade teacher and NPR commentator, creates a picture of American life, from portraits of family members to landscapes as diverse as northern Vermont and the Florida Everglades. Set primarily in the South, these mostly brief essays explore the passage of time and our attitudes and beliefs about the past. The voice is that of the native child, comfortable with the pace and aware of the region's history and lifestyle. In vignettes populated by eccentric characters and recounting zany situations, the reader encounters a former Rose Queen who daily relives her high school graduation while picking roses from municipal parks; a newly rich cousin intent on reuniting for his new mansion a set of Chippendale chairs that has been spread out among many family members; and an old southern woman who allows her once magnificent home to deteriorate around her and the house's eventual restoration to its former glory. These stories are written with respect and affection, and White never falls into the trap of turning her unusual characters into caricatures. The title sketch, the last in the book, is one of the more self-consciously philosophical in the collection, and seems to belong to another group of stories, until it becomes clear that herein lies the point of the book: Life is just a one-night stay in a modest motel, but the ice is free, a breeze ripples the water of the pool, and peaceful dreams are dreamt there. Focusing on the brevity of life, White reminds her readers that every moment has its unique value.
Pub Date: May 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-201-62670-5
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Addison-Wesley
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1995
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
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
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