An advertising executive and screenwriter sets out on a path to self-discovery and personal fulfillment by participating in dog agility training.
Throughout the challenges of being a single mother, starting her own business and negotiating a rocky romance, Quinn has had one constant: her love for dogs. When she decided to introduce her Rhodesian ridgebacks, Nairobi and Sheila, to the demanding world of agility training, however, she received much more than she expected, including scathing reprimands from her Eastern European trainer, Irina, and humbling encounters with failure, both on and off the field. As she trained Nairobi and Sheila to turn, run and jump at her command, she also reevaluated her own well-worn responses to stress and chose instead to live in the moment with the same contentment that her dogs exuded. Much of the book has a kind of “Zen and the Art of Dog Training” vibe, which will likely appeal most to readers who enjoy inspirational literature—whether they love dogs or not—but Quinn’s enthusiasm for the prosaic subject matter (detailed depictions of dog-walking abound) elevates her memoir above the realm of saccharine self-help. Her tone conveys a sincere desire to share her new outlook with others, especially those who “have a tentative connection with life” rather than feeling fully connected to it. Many readers will empathize with her struggle to end a self-destructive relationship with her boyfriend, as well as find comfort in the commandments listed in the chapter titled “The Way of the Dog.” Lively photographs of the ridgebacks on the training course punctuate the text, while a supplementary list of resources devoted to agility training will prove useful for canine enthusiasts as they explore the possibility of engaging their own pets in this sport. Despite some repetitive moments, this uplifting memoir encourages reflection and goal-setting, all within the ever-popular narrative framework of the human-dog bond.
Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-58005-370-9
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Seal Press
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2011
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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