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POWER AT PLAY

Name: POWER AT PLAY
Author: Betty Beale
ISBN: 0-89526-503-6

A MEMOIR OF PARTIES, POLITICS AND THE PRESIDENTS IN MY BEDROOM

by Betty Beale ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 1993

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A breathy memoir of eight Administrations' worth of parties, by a former Washington-society syndicated columnist. Beale started chronicling the D.C. social circuit during the Truman era, attending an estimated 15,000 parties before retiring in January 1989. Her capsule portraits of the entertaining styles of the various Presidents, however, hold few surprises. The Kennedys were elegant, although things sometimes got a little raucous in private (Beale cites parties at Bobby and Ethel Kennedy's during which Ethel repeatedly pushed fully dressed guests into the pool). LBJ was gregarious; Carter had the White House menu printed in English instead of French. The Reagans window-dressed events with Hollywood types. More amusing than Beale's party critique is her avalanche of minutiae representing the society columnist's stock in trade. She compares notes about chihuahuas with Haile Selassie, talks about pride with Imelda Marcos. She describes the pair of throne-like chairs that the Eisenhowers occupied during state dinners, and reveals that the hors d'oeuvres were generous in the Kennedy White House, and that LBJ was a dance partner ``with a good sense of rhythm.'' Beale scolds the Carters for including Amy in formal dinners and adamantly defends Nancy Reagan's china acquisition. And while the author doesn't share much about the nuts and bolts of her job, she does tell all about a three-year affair with Adlai Stevenson, even quoting from corny love poems she sent him. Beale clearly is a pro in her specialized world. Readers seeking fresh social or political gossip will come away hungry, but those who thrill to hear Nixon describe himself as ``an earring man'' will find lots to nibble on at this trivia-laden buffet. (Photographs—not seen)

Pub Date: June 1, 1993

ISBN: 0-89526-503-6

Page Count: 352

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1993

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.