From the New Yorker, Bermudian Holiday and Cosmopolitan come these murmurations by an expert anatomist of confusion, whose knowledge of its mysterious physiology is not to be confused with anyone else's. This expounds his standing (and jumping) rules for a happy marriage, the unexpected dividends of a good clean, sweeping generalization, the chances of survival on a pleasure cruise, the joy of filing and forgetting when correspondence confounds and how man can outwit woman (no ladies, and gentlemen's rules here). There's a sketch or two, more than one dilemma (telephones in closets to be coped with in French and buying your wife a flag and flagpole for Christmas, among them), Aunt Wilma's quandary over odd change, some parodies, the heinous crimes of a practical joker, happy endings for old ballads, etc., etc. Although there is a piece on humor being a headache, it's for certain the only ailment here will be a laugh-ache at the wry disarray of human perplexities. Have a nice time.
Pub Date: Oct. 26, 1953
ISBN: 0743233409
Page Count: 314
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1953
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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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