by Donald G. Schueler ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 28, 1993
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
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by William Strunk & E.B. White ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 15, 1972
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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by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996
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
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