Mr. Michener is modest about his ability to turn out this kind of book, which is a series of reflections on "where we are and where we are likely to go" as we approach the American bicentennial. And with good reason. For what he has produced is a banal restatement of the problems confronting America: urban congestion; racial tension; educational crises; proper use of communications media; environmental erosion: and over-population. And to these he proposes solutions redolent of the editorial pages of every, maior publication in the country for the past year: we must get out of Vietnam; we must evolve a new spiritual agreement; we must distribute the benefits of our society more equitably; we must re-establish and maintain control. And all this in sixteen thousand words, each one of which is uttered with the solemnity of a pope pontificating on a matter of faith. Whatever happened, one wonders, to the storytelling enterprise that fired Tales of the South Pacific? To the sense of historical continuity that produced Iberia? Whatever happened, in fact, to editors who had the courage to say "no" even to best-selling authors?
Pub Date: Sept. 21, 1970
ISBN: 1568493118
Page Count: -
Publisher: Lippincott
Review Posted Online: Sept. 30, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1970
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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