bookshelf

THE TEMPLE OF THE JAGUAR

Name: THE TEMPLE OF THE JAGUAR
Author: Donald G. Schueler
ISBN: 0-87156-651-6

TRAVELS IN THE YUCATAN

by Donald G. Schueler ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 28, 1993

bookshelf

Few will argue with the worthiness of Schueler's intentions in recounting his experiences as a dedicated conservationist piloting as asthmatic van along the back roads of southern Mexico and neighboring Belize, visiting the wildlife preserves and Maya temple sites along the route. Having suffered a personal tragedy (the AIDS death of a longtime lover), Schueler means to demonstrate the healing power of travel and commitment—but he never clearly links his day-to-day adventures and his gradually improving emotional state. Schueler, depressed and disillusioned, picks up his story as he reluctantly heads south from Palenq£e Mexico into the Yucat†n. Uppermost in his mind is the faint possibility of sighting a jaguar, a cat that is rapidly vanishing even in the remotest sections of Central America. Passing through ramshackle country villages, he meets a series of colorful personalities—60-ish Anita, at whose home he spends a few weeks, becoming part of the woman's raucous, life-affirming family; Joann Andrews, a tough-as- nails organizer of the ProNatura Peninsula de Yucat†n, an organization bent on preserving the area's natural and cultural heritage; and members of the teams that discourage poachers and count bird populations in the nature preserves along the author's way. Eventually, though, a monotony creeps into Schueler's narrative—there's little to distinguish one nature enthusiast from another—even though the narrative picks up steam when it moves to Belize City, with its raffish denizens apparently more interested in boozing than bird-watching. Schueler finally does spot his jaguar, finding fulfillment in that triumph—but his road-weary readers are unlikely to share the joy.

Pub Date: April 28, 1993

ISBN: 0-87156-651-6

Page Count: 272

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1993

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

bookshelf

NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

bookshelf

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

bookshelf

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

bookshelf

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.