A unique life well-lived, but the telling isn’t quite ready for prime time.
Vienna-born Hausmann has loved, lost and traveled—and she describes 41 short lessons she’s learned along the way.
Composed of 10 primary sections (“Essential Elements,” “Affairs, Sex and Love,” “Professional Life,” etc.), each part of this memoir includes four short anecdotes with the author’s analyses of the experiences and occasional, special “relearnings,” denoted by yellow sticky note graphics. A first, stand-alone segment opens with the tragic loss of her husband, which left Hausmann with two children and unsure of how she “would and could be a mom and a dad at the same time…living in that vast void which had just opened up.” But rising to a challenge is clearly one of Hausmann’s many strengths, and she rallied to support her family. She worked (first in Europe, then in America) in film, publishing, transportation, construction and education. Determination, a sense of adventure and old-fashioned grit were evident early on; she traveled through Austria and Moscow by bus when she was in her teens and across the Trans-Siberian Railway in her 20s. Hausmann is open to learning and credits many sources—talk show host Charlie Rose, Oprah’s Master Class and the Kama Sutra (rejected due to balance issues; “I read the Cosmopolitan to find better information,” she notes) have all informed and guided her. Hausmann acknowledges English is her second language, and readers may find some awkward word choices distract from the charm of her memoir. Her description of “flying drivers’ exchanges,” with one bus driver slipping behind the other as they cross Russia at 60 miles per hour, is just one of many brow-raising events that would have benefitted from stronger editing. But positive messages (“Just Smile!”), appreciation for others, environmental awareness and gratitude (the Red Cross receives special acknowledgment and a portion of book sales) are all part of Hausmann’s credo, and her first-person account is honest and interesting.
A unique life well-lived, but the telling isn’t quite ready for prime time.Pub Date: Dec. 14, 2013
ISBN: 978-0991272402
Page Count: 204
Publisher: Educ Easy Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 14, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
