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Vasectomy, Fresh Flounder and God?

Name: Vasectomy, Fresh Flounder and God?
Author: Harry Sarazin
ISBN: 978-1481003445

AN ANTHOLOGY

by Harry Sarazin ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 4, 2013

A well-written collection of personal writing that may not have broad appeal.

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A debut collection of letters, essays, poems and stories from Sarazin, a retired FBI officer in Wisconsin.

There’s no apparent rhyme or reason to the order of pieces in Sarazin’s anthology. As he explains in the introduction, he chose the title to hint at its randomness: “Look at the title. Those three things in the title are the titles of three of the essays in the book. Not much connection among them is there.” However, despite the lack of a throughline, most of Sarazin’s pieces center on one of several subjects—his lake house in Wisconsin, sailing, politics, religion, his experience in the military and his time working in the FBI. Overall, he’s a solid writer. The entertaining, plot-driven stories show a great deal of imagination, as in “The Storm,” a whimsical fairy tale about a leprechaun that Sarazin wrote for his granddaughter. His self-deprecating humor is endearing—“What I’ve done in my chosen profession and personal life, although vitally important at the time, had, in reality, all of the earthshaking rumble of a fly stomping his way across a picnic table”—and the life experiences he details are both heartwarming and heartbreaking, including his falling in love with his wife in 1955 and losing her in 2011. Yet the limited number of topics becomes repetitive by book’s end; readers may feel like they’ve heard multiple versions of the same story. Additionally, without knowing the author, the average reader may not be particularly enthralled by his mostly personal, family-centric stories and the extensive essays on political and religious beliefs. Sarazin mentions in his introduction that he wrote the book at the behest of his friends and family, and ultimately, they’ll be the best audience for it.

A well-written collection of personal writing that may not have broad appeal.

Pub Date: March 4, 2013

ISBN: 978-1481003445

Page Count: 338

Publisher: CreateSpace

Review Posted Online: May 14, 2013

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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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:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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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.