A colorful and re-readable little handbook of uplifting (if sometimes hackneyed) sentiments.
Chiacchia offers an illustrated anthology of favorite quotes, essays, and anecdotes.
In her slim nonfiction debut, the author presents readers with a book full of pithy observations from a wide variety of sources (from actress Mary Pickford: “What we call failure is not the falling down, but the staying down”) accompanied by vivid color photographs throughout. The format and tone of Chiacchia’s selections vary; she shifts from quick bites to longer pieces, including a touching tribute to her godmother, Shirley. Some of the included quotations are of dubious attribution, and others are silly, like this epigram from Albert Pike: “What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal” (the world is full of enduring works—books, institutions, the Great Pyramids of Giza—that were created for the aggrandizement of single individuals). There’s also a strong Christian theme running throughout. Even in such a brief collection, some of the cliches and nostrums Chiacchia conveys feel either interchangeable or so bland as to be empty of content; it hardly matters whether or not Abraham Lincoln actually said “Whatever you are, be a good one” if the sentiment itself is essentially a greeting card message. And Chiacchia’s personal motto—“the only opinion of yourself that matters is your own”—might have a cozy self-help ring to it, but it’s unlikely she herself completely discounted the opinions of all the friends and loved ones who make appearances in these pages. Her book is on far firmer ground when she’s dispensing practical advice, about life in general or business in particular; she advises readers looking at any “shiny object” to ask: “Is it a good thing?” “Is it useful?” “Is it truthful?” Good tips, regardless of context.
A colorful and re-readable little handbook of uplifting (if sometimes hackneyed) sentiments.Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9798385005840
Page Count: 114
Publisher: WestBowPress
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
None
Does glasnost mean the Cold War is over? Le Carre, the ultimate chronicler of Cold War espionage, ponders that issue (and others) in an up-to-date spy fable: his drollest work thus far, his simplest plot by a long shot, and sturdy entertainment throughout—even if not in the same league with the Karla trilogy and other le Carre classics. British Intelligence has gotten hold of a manuscript smuggled out of Russia. Part of it consists of wild sociopolitical ramblings. But the other part provides full details on the USSR's most secret defense weaponry—which is apparently in utter shambles! Can the UK and US trust this data and proceed with grand-scale disarmament? To find out, the Brits recruit the left-wing London publisher Bartholomew "Barley" Scott Blair, who has been chosen—by the manuscript's author, a reclusive Soviet scientist nicknamed "Goethe"—to handle the book's publication in the West. Barley's mission is to rendezvous with Goethe in Russia, ask lots of questions, and evaluate whether he's for real. . .or just part of a KGB disinformation scheme. Barley—a gifted amateur jazz-sax player, a quasi-roue in late middle age—has few doubts about Goethe's sincerity; he shares, with increasing fervor, the scientist's Utopian dreams of nth-degree glasnost. But the mission is soon mired in complications: CIA interrogations (with lie-detector) of Barley; venal opposition from US defense-contractors; and Barley's intense—and dangerous—love for Goethe's friend Katya, the go-between for his USSR visits. Narrated by a Smiley-like consultant at British Intelligence, the story, unwinds in typical le Carre style (leisurely interrogations, oblique angles), but without the usual denseness. The book's more serious threads—debates on disarmament, Barley's embrace of world peace over the "chauvinist drumbeat," the love story—tend toward the obvious and the faintly preachy. Still, Barley is a grand, Dickensian creation, the ugly Americans are a richly diverting crew, and this is witty, shapely tale-spinning from a modern master.
None NonePub Date: June 9, 1989
ISBN: 0141196351
Page Count: 430
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1989
Has heart but lacks craft and efficiency.
In Ferguson’s debut novel based on a true story, a driven businesswoman takes extreme and innovative measures to combat prejudice and propel her career.
Though qualified and proactive as a real estate manager, Rhoda, an African-American, finds herself frequently shut out of high-level positions due to racism even in 21st-century Manhattan. In one instance, she’s hired during a phone interview only to be told once she arrives at the Upper East Side office that the broker position has been filled. Yet when she returns disguised with a blond wig and lightened skin, calling herself GeeGee, she’s hired on the spot. In a similar fashion, Rhoda ignites her struggling hair extension side-business. Following advice from a peer that she will need to have a white “face” of the company, Rhoda calls on GeeGee. Eventually, with the support of the NAACP, she testifies and wins a victory affirming that companies are forbidden to ask for race identification when hiring and they may not look outside of skill and experience to fill a position. The conceit of this novelized “true story” is intriguing, although which parts are based in fact and which in fiction is unclear. The dialogue-heavy prose doesn’t have much fluidity, often due to preceding dialogue tags in which a sentence ending with a comma introduces a paragraphlong quote. There’s a similar problem in the novel’s exposition, particularly due to the use of passive voice, which slows scenes down. Toward the end, Rhoda falls in love with a white man who initially knows her only as GeeGee. Once that episode is resolved, Ferguson describes the wedding night with the sensual expertise of a seasoned erotica pulp writer. For the preceding pages, though, another edit could help shape the spirited tale.
Has heart but lacks craft and efficiency.Pub Date: Nov. 19, 2013
ISBN: 978-1481744447
Page Count: 240
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Review Posted Online: Jan. 7, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
