The second part of the trilogy which began with Men At Arms (1952) continues the leisurely perspective of World War II, and while the narrative itself is perhaps a fitful one- it is animated not only by the splendid display of its satiric invention- but also by its compassionate concern. For Waugh, in this series which may well be his magnum opus as well as the outstanding British novel to come out of this war, is a far gentler commentator than in his earlier books, and Crouchback, his central character, is his spokesman- a gentleman, a romantic, a Roman Catholic. He is also one of the dispossessed who hopes to regain- through the war- a sharper definition to his life. Physically the action proceeds from London, to the Isle of Mugg where Crouchback is temporarily stationed, to Egypt, and then Crete— and among the "happy warriors" there are many brilliantly, and few extravagantly, conceived characters; Trimmer, once Virginia's (Guy's former wife) hairdresser, who with his raid on the French coast known as Operation Popgn becomes a hero; Ivor Claire, with whom Guy senses a remote kinship; Brigadier Ben Ritchie-Hook who is still brandishing his ferocious form of heroism; etc., etc. But for Guy, there are many moments of faltering faith; in others- a priest who proves to by a spy, in Ivor- who deserts, in the British Army- during the humiliating dispersal in Crete; and in himself- when after this particular action- he is to "resign an immeasurable piece of manhood" after his escape in an open boat..... From the first book which had a glowing press- but a perhaps less impressive response- you can best determine your market here which will be at an intellectual rather than popular level.
Pub Date: July 7, 1955
ISBN: 0140182454
Page Count: 248
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: April 11, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1955
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.
Sisters work together to solve a child-abandonment case.
Ellie and Julia Cates have never been close. Julia is shy and brainy; Ellie gets by on charm and looks. Their differences must be tossed aside when a traumatized young girl wanders in from the forest into their hometown in Washington. The sisters’ professional skills are put to the test. Julia is a world-renowned child psychologist who has lost her edge. She is reeling from a case that went publicly sour. Though she was cleared of all wrongdoing, Julia’s name was tarnished, forcing her to shutter her Beverly Hills practice. Ellie Barton is the local police chief in Rain Valley, who’s never faced a tougher case. This is her chance to prove she is more than just a fading homecoming queen, but a scarcity of clues and a reluctant victim make locating the girl’s parents nearly impossible. Ellie places an SOS call to her sister; she needs an expert to rehabilitate this wild-child who has been living outside of civilization for years. Confronted with her professional demons, Julia once again has the opportunity to display her talents and salvage her reputation. Hannah (The Things We Do for Love, 2004, etc.) is at her best when writing from the girl’s perspective. The feral wolf-child keeps the reader interested long after the other, transparent characters have grown tiresome. Hannah’s torturously over-written romance passages are stale, but there are surprises in store as the sisters set about unearthing Alice’s past and creating a home for her.
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.Pub Date: March 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-345-46752-3
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2005
A strict report, worthy of sympathy.
A violent surfacing of adolescence (which has little in common with Tarkington's earlier, broadly comic, Seventeen) has a compulsive impact.
"Nobody big except me" is the dream world of Holden Caulfield and his first person story is down to the basic, drab English of the pre-collegiate. For Holden is now being bounced from fancy prep, and, after a vicious evening with hall- and roommates, heads for New York to try to keep his latest failure from his parents. He tries to have a wild evening (all he does is pay the check), is terrorized by the hotel elevator man and his on-call whore, has a date with a girl he likes—and hates, sees his 10 year old sister, Phoebe. He also visits a sympathetic English teacher after trying on a drunken session, and when he keeps his date with Phoebe, who turns up with her suitcase to join him on his flight, he heads home to a hospital siege. This is tender and true, and impossible, in its picture of the old hells of young boys, the lonesomeness and tentative attempts to be mature and secure, the awful block between youth and being grown-up, the fright and sickness that humans and their behavior cause the challenging, the dramatization of the big bang. It is a sorry little worm's view of the off-beat of adult pressure, of contemporary strictures and conformity, of sentiment….
A strict report, worthy of sympathy.Pub Date: June 15, 1951
ISBN: 0316769177
Page Count: -
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1951
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
APPRECIATIONS
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