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LONG WAY DOWN

Name: LONG WAY DOWN
Author: Ewan McGregor
ISBN: 978-1-4165-7745-4

AN EPIC JOURNEY BY MOTORCYCLE FROM SCOTLAND TO SOUTH AFRICA

by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 1, 2008

An amusing, well-intentioned adventure story that forgot to add the adventure.

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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

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.