Yet another humorous, sometimes tear-spattered account of the joys and tribulations of first-time motherhood, this one by the author of How to Honeymoon (1986). New York writer Weston didn't think much about having babies until her husband threatened to abstain from sex unless she put away her diaphragm. Left with such a choice, Weston became pregnant almost instantly, and so was able to introduce her readers to all the wonders and horrors of a typical modern-urban gestation. Cravings for potatoes and fears of miscarriage led to worries over money and career stagnation after baby Elizabeth arrived, but this author weathered all with a cheery attitude and even resolved, during a respite in the journey, to repeat the whole process. Though Weston's affection for her daughter, her relish for the maternal role, and her unusually carefree life give this book a warm, positive tone, her anecdotes prove sufficiently run-of-the-mill (except for an interesting detour into New York's baby-modeling industry) to convince readers that happy families really must be all alike—and a bit humdrum. Okay, but not as appealing as Joan Leonard's Tales from Toddler Hell (reviewed above).
Pub Date: May 10, 1991
ISBN: 0-316-93163-2
Page Count: 280
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1991
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
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
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