An amusing, well-intentioned adventure story that forgot to add the adventure.
Two best friends set out on a road trip across Africa.
British actors and bosom buddies McGregor and Boorman produced a surprise hit in 2004 with the fun-loving travelogue Long Way Round (2004), which chronicled the duo’s adventures as they cruised around the globe on their motorcycles, making friends and delivering wisecracks along the way. They get the travel bug again here, but decide this time to point their headlights toward the often-discussed but seldom-experienced continent of Africa. The authors prepare for the trip in the United Kingdom by learning survival tactics: how to sweet-talk hostile army officers carrying AK-47s, etc. Regrettably, this proves to be the most exciting section of the book. Their preparations suggest hair-raising adventures to come, but what we get when they finally hit the road is more akin to a prosaic vacation. The format is familiar: two dudes on cycles overcoming the usual vehicular emergencies and chatting up the locals. But the narrative lacks energy. Libyan sandstorms and herds of indifferent elephants present some minor dangers, but the authors seem satisfied with simply describing the local scenery. Even their visits to AIDS clinics and UNICEF facilities feel like sterile public-service announcements. The book is redeemed somewhat by the sincerity of the authors, who are truly likable guys, even if their shtick has gotten a little old.
An amusing, well-intentioned adventure story that forgot to add the adventure.Pub Date: July 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-1-4165-7745-4
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2008
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
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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