A literary journey through Portugal from bottom to top, by a freelance writer with a reputation for erudite outdoor articles. From the Algarve to Tras os Montes, Proper and old-world confrere Adriano hunt and gather pieces of Portugal. Proper, an American, had spent a couple of years there while serving in the foreign service, and he knew there was much to take in if done appropriately. Hence the leisurely, sedate pace of the pair's countrywide ramble; they have time to stop and smell the roses, time to take a good look around. Proper's eye is for the telling detail, and he finds it everywhere—in the odd snippet of anthropology or passage of history, in a sampling of wine or a mythological tale. Language, national temperament, regional cooking, architectural styles, bookstores, markets—all yield something to Proper in his search for what makes Portugal distinctive. He also finds ample opportunity to indulge in two favorite pastimes: fly-fishing for trout and shotgunning for snipe and Portuguese partridge. Here, he takes all these disparate elements and fashions them into a place-portrait of beauty and depth and originality. The writing has an oblique character, with idiosyncratic gaps and fractures. Running through the book is a humor so dry it threatens to combust spontaneously, while a faint trace of poetry gives the account the woven qualities found in a good prose poem. The time and effort of a slow, close reading are repaid in spades. A charmer of a book, weird and wonderful. Proper is no longer the private property of the rod-and-gun club.
Pub Date: March 1, 1993
ISBN: 0-671-78226-6
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1993
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 2025 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.
