The three main characters in this self-described ``biographic fiction''the author, his wife, and a homeless man they befriendare real; beyond that, it's difficult to tell what's true and what's not in this often confusing book. Attorney/writer Levin tries to tell two stories: the tortured tale of a longtime homeless man named Jimmy Don Polk and the self- absorbed tale of California attorney/writer Bob Levin (The Best Ride to New York, 1978). The two met in 1989 when Levin took an interest in Polk and tried to help the ``black man in a wheelchair.'' In telling the homeless man's story, Levin also relates intimate details about the lives of Bob Levin and his supportive, psychotherapist wife, Adele. But most of the book consists of long, first-person monologues from Polk, the longest by far being his fantastic Vietnam story, which takes up about half the bookand turns out to be an elaborate lie. When Levin discovers that Polk's tale of being conscripted into a super-secret army unit and sent to Vietnam to kill the Cong is not true (Polk was shot during a convenience-store robbery and never went to Vietnam), he is devastated. Why? Mainly because Levin nurtured high hopes for turning Polk's lurid war story into a book. ``I was so proud. I was certain my book would be significant.'' Levin, with Adele's encouragement, decided to write the book anyway. It comes with two happy endings. Polk overcomes his alcohol and drug addictions and finds a comfortable place to live. Levin's manuscript is accepted by ``a small, independent publisher in Texas'' recommended by ``a novelist friend.'' The result could be titled ``Bob Levin's Angst-Ridden Quest to Publish a Book about Jimmy Don Polk.''
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1995
ISBN: 1-880909-38-3
Page Count: 275
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1995
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 2024 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.
bookshelf
