SONGS OF THE DOOMED: Gonzo Papers, VoL III

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SONGS OF THE DOOMED: Gonzo Papers, VoL III

Name: SONGS OF THE DOOMED: Gonzo Papers, VoL III
Author: Hunter S. Thompson
ISBN: 671-42018-6

by Hunter S. Thompson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 14, 1990

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Assorted bric-a-brac from the cluttered cupboard of kamikaze journalist Thompson (The Curse of Longo, 1983, etc.). The writings—reprinted and original, fiction and reportage—span five decades, but the spirit is firmly 60's—zany, anachronistic, moral, frequently reeking with pot or alcohol fumes. The strongest, most controlled piece here—Thompson at his sharpest—is a 1983 Rolling Stone reprint about the Pulitzer divorce trial, an event surreal enough to meld happily to Thompson's fiery prose (which finds Palm Beach a place of "beserk sleaziness. . .where price tags mean nothing and the rich are always in heat, where pampered animals are openly worshipped in church and naked millionaires gnaw brassieres off the chest Of their own daughters in public"). Less successful are the new bits and pieces, which appear formulaically frenzied, with much attention paid to Thompson's recent, highly publicized legal problems. So: an erratically incandescent collection, full of curiosities but not nearly as marvelous as Thompson seems to think.

Pub Date: Nov. 14, 1990

ISBN: 671-42018-6

Page Count: -

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 1990

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
FEAR AND LOATHING AT ROLLING STONE
by Hunter S. Thompson edited by Jann S. Wenner

- BOOK REVIEW
HEY RUBE
by Hunter S. Thompson

- BOOK REVIEW
KINGDOM OF FEAR
by Hunter S. Thompson

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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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

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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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.