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BOUND BY HURT

Name: BOUND BY HURT
Author: Fabiola Manyi-Orellana
ISBN: 978-1-5255-2787-6

by Fabiola Manyi-Orellana ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 12, 2018

A heartfelt but sparse portrait of a difficult life.

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A debut Romanian author presents a memoir of trauma, immigration, and spiritual awakening.

Manyi-Orellana writes that she was 4 years old when an unnamed neighbor in Romania first sexually assaulted her. She tells of more instances of abuse over the next several years; once, she says, she was forced to go on a ski trip with her family to her abuser’s family home in the country. In 1988, when the author was 10, she and her immediate family left Romania for the United States. Her adjustment to life in New York City wasn’t always easy, but when she returned to her home country to visit a sick grandmother, things were far worse, as she was trapped and raped by an older man. After returning to America, the author says, she experienced other difficulties, including an abortion at 18 after an accidental pregnancy and strained communications with her parents. As an adult, she started a family with a man who later intentionally set their house on fire. She writes that although she had always doubted the presence of God, she eventually turned to religion for comfort. After some false starts, she grew to find peace through religious belief and specifically found strength in Scripture; she figured out that “hell is real and so is God.” Although Manyi-Orellana’s memoir is light on specific details, the account of her journey is truly a jarring one. In particular, readers will get a vivid sense of what it’s like to live with long-term abuse. The book makes for a quick read, as it’s fewer than 70 pages long. However, some portions move so quickly that they can become confusing; for example, her account of her spouse’s arson and ensuing arrest creates more questions than it answers. How did he go about the task, for instance, and what were the court proceedings like? Overall, the author’s story is certainly striking, but readers may wish for more detailed information.

A heartfelt but sparse portrait of a difficult life.

Pub Date: July 12, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-5255-2787-6

Page Count: 84

Publisher: FriesenPress

Review Posted Online: Sept. 10, 2018

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

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.