A learned and lyrical journey down the ceaseless stream of history, through its foaming rapids and across its placid pools....
An engrossing account of a journey down a Mesoamerican river system that figures prominently in the mythology and history of the region.
Shaw (whose prior occupations include river guide and editor of Adirondack Life) perceives the transcendental significance of rivers and travel upon them. “To the Olmec,” he writes, “both canoe travel and spirit travel led to communication with one’s ancestors and the transformation of the flesh into spirit and back again.” In a work that is part travelogue, part metaphysics, Shaw moves gracefully from descriptions of landscape and riverscape to ruminations on the ancient civilizations through whose ruins he glides. “[A]ll of Mesoamerica is a historical echo chamber,” he says, with reverberations “too loud to miss.” Shaw had traveled to this border area between Guatemala and Mexico before, and in 1996 he executed the rough passage whose details occupy much of his lovely text. He recognized that he would not be the first to descend the Usumacinta and its tributaries, but he wanted to find “the heart of the country.” Intercut with narratives of his sometimes harrowing experiences on the river (and in it: several times he capsized, once with nearly fatal result) are accounts both of the onshore history and of the current political situation that ranges from chaotic to criminal to lethal. All along the route he encounters armed persons—some in official capacities, some not (a few soldiers at one “dinky army base” are tossing a Frisbee). He sees evidence of poaching and other natural destruction and hears tales of ruthless bandits down-river; when the stories become too compelling to ignore, he abandons his trip. There are times of wonder, too, as he realizes that “we live atop others’ ruins, programmed for extinction.” Among the most thrilling moments are those in the rapids as he and his companions test their considerable skills.
A learned and lyrical journey down the ceaseless stream of history, through its foaming rapids and across its placid pools. (endpaper map, line drawings, photos)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-393-04837-3
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Norton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2000
BOOK REVIEW
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
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