Naj, a Wall Street Journal writer born and raised in Bengal, travels in Central and South America and the US Southwest in pursuit of pepper specialists and special peppers—all of the hot, capsaicin-endowed varieties known to most of us as chiles. Naj tramps the Andean foothills of Bolivia—a likely candidate for the birthplace of hot peppers—with a botanist seeking the mother of all chiles. He is drawn to the Yucatan by haba§ero, a Mayan staple and the hottest of all peppers. He visits the McIlhenny Company of Avery Island, Louisiana, and digs up ugly controversies surrounding its jealously protected trademark tabasco sauce. He attends a National Pepper Conference in North Carolina, and visits pepper farmers, tasters, breeders (of ``designer chiles''), pathologists, pharmacologists, and enthusiasts in Texas, New Mexico, and elsewhere. Naj's account of all of this goes down easily; and a chapter on peppers' appeal, including speculation on the ``pepper high'' and its possible addictive qualities, has a special interest for the growing cult of North American chile users. His botanical information, though, isn't much help in sorting out the different varieties and names; at times, he seems to toss off peculiar statements of fact without much questioning or trying to reconcile or even cite his sources. Still, an agreeable assemblage of lore and field reportage.
Pub Date: June 9, 1992
ISBN: 0-394-57077-4
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1992
BOOK REVIEW
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
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
