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MAN REPELLER

Name: MAN REPELLER
Author: Leandra Medine
ISBN: 978-1-4555-2139-5

SEEKING LOVE. FINDING OVERALLS.

by Leandra Medine ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 10, 2013

Humorous, insightful and sometimes-sparkling essays that will appeal to readers interested in the pure fun of fashion.

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Medine writes the well-publicized blog Man Repeller, and her debut memoir reveals extended, comedic stories about her Manhattan upbringing, adolescent embarrassments, young marriage and, always, details about what she wore.

The author defines herself as “this girl who accidentally stumbled into what turned into a career that allowed me to penetrate an industry I’d always admired.” Her penchant for sartorial choices that have nothing to do with garnering male attention—and her writing on the subject—resonates with thousands of devoted blog readers. She is candid, rebellious, outspoken and able to laugh at herself, and these qualities are on display on every page. “You can rest assured…that each and every sartorial object depicted, dramatized, and described…is as authentic a nod to my memory as it is to the clothing that shapes it,” she writes. Peppered with photos of Medine, some of which qualify in equal measure as unflattering and hilarious, the book is divided into chapters according to each one’s central item of unattractive clothing. These include “The Tent Dress,” “The White Socks,” “The Lesson of the Harem Pants,” “The Canadian Tuxedo,” and, for the closing story of her wedding, “The Big White Dress (And an Organza Jacket).” Throughout, Medine confesses to innumerable outrageous outfits and her present-day verdicts on the clothes; the aforementioned harem pants, for instance, are ruled “violently offensive,” but they did contribute, in a funny way, to her reconciling with the boyfriend she later married. In a strong, consistent narrative voice, Medine displays wit, unabashed openness and a knack for weaving seemingly superficial, materialistic details into essays that are rich with sly wisdom and the colorful personalities of family members and friends.

Humorous, insightful and sometimes-sparkling essays that will appeal to readers interested in the pure fun of fashion.

Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2013

ISBN: 978-1-4555-2139-5

Page Count: 256

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Review Posted Online: Aug. 8, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2013

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.