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OFF THE ROAD

Name: OFF THE ROAD
Author: Jack Hitt
ISBN: 0-671-75818-7

A MODERN-DAY WALK DOWN THE PILGRIM'S ROUTE INTO SPAIN

by Jack Hitt ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 1994

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A smug travelogue through France and Spain. Hitt (The Perfect Murder, 1991), a contributing writer at Harper's, had dismissed religion in college as an irrelevance. Then, as he turned 35 and approached an early midlife crisis, he became attracted to the idea of a pilgrimage, which he saw simply as ``a guy out for some cosmically serious fresh air,'' as just ``a long walk.'' A trip to New York City's Cloisters and a spree at a camping outfitter sets him on his way. The destination of the pilgrimage is Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain, one of the three great pilgrimage sites of the Middle Ages (after Rome and Jerusalem), renowned as the burial place of the apostle James, who had come to evangelize Iberia. Hitt sets out to walk from France but quickly succumbs and takes a train and even a taxi. A stern encounter with an old woman who serves as gatekeeper of the pilgrims' route causes him to vow to be more resolute. He endures rain, cold, fatigue, and hunger. As he travels he encounters and falls in with others on the same path, eventually reaching his destination, leaner and older—but not necessarily wiser. He shares with readers the tales of his march and those he meets. He also includes much history and lore about the route and the age when millions traversed it. Tales of Roland, Charlemagne, Knights Templar, and the Holy Grail abound. He also chronicles the devastation of the Franco era and the country's recovery under King Juan Carlos. Though there is much of interest in both the journey and the telling, many readers will be put off by the author's self-indulgent tone.

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1994

ISBN: 0-671-75818-7

Page Count: 256

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1994

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
BUNCH OF AMATEURS
by Jack Hitt

- BOOK REVIEW
THE PERFECT MURDER
edited by Jack Hitt

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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.