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A WORD TO THE WIVES

Name: A WORD TO THE WIVES
Author: Dorothy Rodgers
ISBN: 0394452356

by Dorothy Rodgers Mary Rodgers ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 29, 1970

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A mother-and-daughter collaboration—black print for D.R., brown for M.R., with conveniently annotated margins re the soi-disant content as well as illustrations—obviously something for both generations. Dorothy Rodgers' tone is of course terribly gracious; Mary's is a nice change (she doesn't like "mingy blobs of pressed caviar on damp toast") while both more than acknowledge a world in which caviar exists. . . . i.e. if you discuss who gets the color TV and who the b/w, or at a time of austerity, you might scrimp by renting the summer place. The Rodgers' Rules of Order cover houses, decor, appliances, marketing, children, entertaining and finally you. When it comes to running that household, you should do everything (they call it trivia. . . ) although you can ask him to pick up something you might have forgotten at the store. But then this is all predicated on the assumption that "while women are acquiring more and more freedom, it seems unjust to expect men to dry more and more dishes" although what this freedom is seems to be for other people. Some of the incidentals are helpful from getting a babysitter via your local hospital (a student nurse) or maintaining the checkbooks. . . . Once again, it will no doubt be personally promoted, with Her and Her appearances?

Pub Date: Oct. 29, 1970

ISBN: 0394452356

Page Count: -

Publisher: Knopf

Review Posted Online: May 8, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1970

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.