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FOREVER SISTERS

Name: FOREVER SISTERS
Author: Claudia O'Keefe
ISBN: 0-671-00792-0

edited by Claudia O'Keefe ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 1999

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A powerhouse of 18 women writers reflect on sisters (not on PC sisterhood) in a medley of tales that commemorates the sometimes hateful, sometimes tender and trusting bond between two women who grow up together. According to Whitney Otto’s opening chapter, “Seven Sisters: An Analysis of Numbers,” sisters don’t even have to share genes. A provocative list of possible sororal relationships includes sisters-in-law and sorority sisters. What defines a sister, says editor O’Keefe (who also edited an anthology called Mother, not reviewed), is a mutual history and culture, whispered secrets, and longevity. Celebrating—or sometimes damning—the relationsip are such heavyweight authors as Marilyn French and Fay Weldon, as well as less well-known but talented writers, like Caroline Leavitt, who have contributed original writings to this collection; Alice Walker, Ann Beattie, Cristina Garcia and others offer reprints of relevant stories or excerpts from novels. Leavitt’s compelling piece sets sister against sister because of a man (he loses); Weldon, in “Pyroclastic Flow,” creates a sister and a brother-in-law who give her a pain in the neck. Susan Palwick combines mysticism and earthiness in “G.I. Jesus,” a story of separation and reunion; also on another plane is poet Rita Dove’s account of Beauty’s sisters, withering at home while her wild romance with the Beast flourishes. Alice Walker’s story is of a mother who is forced to choose between her daughters. Ethnic bases are covered in stories from Hispanic, Asian, and Eastern European authors. Closest to capturing the essence of a sisterly relationship is Carol Edgarian’s “Sister Rue.” “My sister is not my friend’she is too close, knows too much,” says Edgarian. “The gift my sister and I give each other is the truth.” Vital and celebratory, with no sloppy sentiment, these stories are honest as only sisters can be.

Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1999

ISBN: 0-671-00792-0

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Pocket

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1999

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.