A laid-back, humorous remembrance of a cottage gone by.
A New Yorker with a “hankering” for a country cottage buys a five-bedroom house in Pennsylvania on the advice of friends in Lowengard’s memoir.
The hankering that the author had in 2013 had specifications: The house had to be less than a two-hour drive from Bloomingdale’s in Manhattan, small enough to be cleaned with a particular Dyson vacuum cleaner without unplugging, and within short walking distance of tennis courts. The house at “Bucknoll Hills” was much larger than anticipated, but she purchased and moved into it in December. It needed significant maintenance, but she was pleased to have friends and family visit there. However, she eventually wrote up a “contract” outlining house rules, such as “As you enter, please note the gleaming wood floors throughout the cottage….It takes six years for the finish to cure, so please remove your soccer cleats and stilettos before you walk in the door.” The new Bucknoll Hills resident started a yoga class, despite disliking yoga, and learned how to maintain a fireplace. The book’s subtitle references Sex and the City, and many readers will find this fitting, as the prose ably mimics the voice of the fictional character Carrie Bradshaw with a tone that’s jokingly self-seeking, sarcastic, and sometimes punning; the latter is effectively shown in a chapter that’s dedicated to the great abundance of ticks in the region surrounding the cottage: “The uptick in ticks has divided Bucknollers into two schools, the Franticks, and the Apatheticks.” It’s unclear whether the book is intended to inform or entertain, although the latter seems most likely; according to an author’s note, the names of places and people have been changed. Lowengard also offers an account of a night at a Poconos rodeo, a discussion of bumper stickers, and a survey of houseguest games. Also of note is the fact that the book was originally published as a series of “newsletter columns,” or blog posts, and it straightforwardly retains the casual feel of a blog in printed form.
A laid-back, humorous remembrance of a cottage gone by.Pub Date: June 1, 2023
ISBN: 9798988189008
Page Count: 147
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: May 25, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A blissfully vicarious, heartfelt glimpse into the life of a Manhattan burlesque dancer.
A former New York City dancer reflects on her zesty heyday in the 1970s.
Discovered on a Manhattan street in 2020 and introduced on Stanton’s Humans of New York Instagram page, Johnson, then 76, shares her dynamic history as a “fiercely independent” Black burlesque dancer who used the stage name Tanqueray and became a celebrated fixture in midtown adult theaters. “I was the only black girl making white girl money,” she boasts, telling a vibrant story about sex and struggle in a bygone era. Frank and unapologetic, Johnson vividly captures aspects of her former life as a stage seductress shimmying to blues tracks during 18-minute sets or sewing lingerie for plus-sized dancers. Though her work was far from the Broadway shows she dreamed about, it eventually became all about the nightly hustle to simply survive. Her anecdotes are humorous, heartfelt, and supremely captivating, recounted with the passion of a true survivor and the acerbic wit of a weathered, street-wise New Yorker. She shares stories of growing up in an abusive household in Albany in the 1940s, a teenage pregnancy, and prison time for robbery as nonchalantly as she recalls selling rhinestone G-strings to prostitutes to make them sparkle in the headlights of passing cars. Complemented by an array of revealing personal photographs, the narrative alternates between heartfelt nostalgia about the seedier side of Manhattan’s go-go scene and funny quips about her unconventional stage performances. Encounters with a variety of hardworking dancers, drag queens, and pimps, plus an account of the complexities of a first love with a drug-addled hustler, fill out the memoir with personality and candor. With a narrative assist from Stanton, the result is a consistently titillating and often moving story of human struggle as well as an insider glimpse into the days when Times Square was considered the Big Apple’s gloriously unpolished underbelly. The book also includes Yee’s lush watercolor illustrations.
A blissfully vicarious, heartfelt glimpse into the life of a Manhattan burlesque dancer.Pub Date: July 12, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-27827-2
Page Count: 192
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2022
An engrossing and ominous chronicle, told by a master of the form.
Documenting perilous times.
In his most recent behind-the-scenes account of political power and how it is wielded, Woodward synthesizes several narrative strands, from the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel to the 2024 presidential campaign. Woodward’s clear, gripping storytelling benefits from his legendary access to prominent figures and a structure of propulsive chapters. The run-up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is tense (if occasionally repetitive), as a cast of geopolitical insiders try to divine Vladimir Putin’s intent: “Doubt among allies, the public and among Ukrainians meant valuable time and space for Putin to maneuver.” Against this backdrop, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham implores Donald Trump to run again, notwithstanding the former president’s denial of his 2020 defeat. This provides unwelcome distraction for President Biden, portrayed as a thoughtful, compassionate lifetime politico who could not outrace time, as demonstrated in the June 2024 debate. Throughout, Trump’s prevarications and his supporters’ cynicism provide an unsettling counterpoint to warnings provided by everyone from former Joint Chief of Staff Mark Milley to Vice President Kamala Harris, who calls a second Trump term a likely “death knell for American democracy.” The author’s ambitious scope shows him at the top of his capabilities. He concludes with these unsettling words: “Based on my reporting, Trump’s language and conduct has at times presented risks to national security—both during his presidency and afterward.”
An engrossing and ominous chronicle, told by a master of the form.Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2024
ISBN: 9781668052273
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2024
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