More soul-searching and imaginative (to say the least) hypothesizing by Wolf (Parallel Universes, 1988, etc.)—this time in an attempt to explain shamanistic ``miracles'' in terms of quantum physics. It hurts to be a left-brained guy in a right-brained milieu, and the reader feels for Wolf as he once again attempts to explain extra-normal phenomena (shamanic healing, fire-walking, shape- shifting, out-of-body experiences, time travel, etc.) in terms that a typical modern physicist might agree with and understand. In the end, though, theories of radioactive Druidic stones that transform ultrasensitive children into shamans sound more desperate than satisfactory—as do speculations that shamans heal through sound vibrations and that time travel results from the existence of parallel universes, and shape-shifting is possible due to the observer effect, etc. Much of the book centers on Wolf's journey to the jungles of Peru, where he imbibes liquid distilled from the hallucinogenic ayahuasca plant, communes with local shamans, and emerges ``healed'' in ways obvious only to himself—while reading meaning into such innocuous coincidences as the presence of a comely Peruvian actress at an ayahuasca rite (a trickster-spirit's attempt to distract him, or perhaps a manifestation of Wolf's own feminine half) or the screening of a film about a Peruvian seeker (an amazing manifestation of Wolf's own spiritual journey). Memories of previous encounters with Druids, Cabalists, Buddhists, medicine men, and helpful spirits provide grist for more wide-eyed speculation along the way of what seems to amount to an amazing exercise in wishful thinking. Reality is what you make it, the physicist wistfully concludes—and in Wolf's highly subjective world, nothing could be truer.
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1991
ISBN: 0-671-67534-6
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1991
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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