Next book

PITCH PERFECT

THE QUEST FOR A CAPELLA GLORY

Wit and nostalgia mitigate, but don’t entirely compensate for, a weak story arc and lack of emotional engagement.

Endearing but ultimately disappointing inquiry into collegiate a cappella via three beloved groups.

With a fanatical fan base and famous alums including Barbara Streisand, Prince, John Legend, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, even Osama bin Laden, collegiate a cappella has been a cultural touchstone for much of the 20th century. GQ senior editor Rapkin, who was a member of Cornell University’s Cayuga’s Waiters, approaches the subject in the tradition of popular films like Spellbound and Wordplay (and the Christopher Guest movies that mock them). He focuses largely on three groups. The all-female Divisi from the University of Oregon is a relatively new band that has become a favorite on the competition circuit. The Tufts Beelzebubs are known as the gold standard for music arrangement and album recording. The University of Virginia’s Hullabahoos, also a newer group, has a rock star-reputation, gigs opening for the Lakers and plenty of girls lining up on campus to meet them. Some colorful characters emerge, particularly Divisi’s founder, who stayed on at Oregon long past her prime to shape her squad; a troubled young music director at Tufts who left the Bubs in a lurch when he had to go on medical leave; and a handsome Hullabahoo who attracted wealthy old benefactors with his youthful looks and charm. Perhaps even more amusing are the alums who can’t let go: One Tufts grad made a career out of producing a cappella albums, and another continued to lend his country home to the Bubs even after they accidentally burned down the house they were renting from him in Somerville, Mass. Still, the author fails to enable readers to connect with the amusing, astonishing and, most importantly, human aspects of this obsessive hobby. Though Rapkin highlights several competitions and notable gigs throughout the book, there is no conclusive event or end moment to wrap things up.

Wit and nostalgia mitigate, but don’t entirely compensate for, a weak story arc and lack of emotional engagement.

Pub Date: June 1, 2008

ISBN: 978-1-592-40376-9

Page Count: 288

Publisher: Gotham Books

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2008

Categories:
Next book

NUTCRACKER

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:
Next book

THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE

50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...

Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.

Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").

Pub Date: May 15, 1972

ISBN: 0205632645

Page Count: 105

Publisher: Macmillan

Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972

Categories:
Close Quickview