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SNOW ON THE PEA SOUP

Name: SNOW ON THE PEA SOUP
Author: Gregory Randall
ISBN: 978-1491876268

AND OTHER ANECDOTES

by Gregory Randall ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 29, 2013

Quick and light, with a lack of self-importance that makes it more charming than frivolous.

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A random collection of memories, part travelogue and diary, held together by light interjections of humor.

First-time author Randall has traveled the world as a businessman, gathering his pithy memoirs in the process. This is less a tale than an accumulation of cosmopolitan ruminations, stylistically held together by neat, aphoristic brevity. The point doesn’t seem to be historical documentation—he freely admits that since many of the remembrances are more than 30 years old, he “may not recount them all perfectly”—but more a meditation on one man’s meandering about the globe, sustained by wit and charm. The reflections are generally scattershot and short: In 142 pages, there are more than 150 chapters, some barely registering as a full-fledged paragraph. The themes touched upon are wide-ranging, even discontinuous: Chilean wine, groceries, actuarial communication skills, Brazil, Prince Andrew and unpleasant flights are only a tiny sampling of what the book offers. The overarching tone is one of whimsical informality, as with this delightful (though ungrammatical) digression referring to a bathroom in Sydney, Australia: “Upon leaving the customs hall, the condom machine in the men’s lavatory had graffiti written on it which stated, ‘In the event of complaint, post baby in slot.’ ” Sometimes, the disjointedness can be bit grating, leaving readers unmoored from a progressing story or guiding ideas. Mostly, however, the unpretentiousness of the observations and the spirit of levity with which they’re offered make up for the lack of structure and chronology. Sometimes, the author’s observations can be sociologically astute (he has a trenchant and mordantly funny analysis of Dutch thrift) but most of the book seems unburdened by intellectual ambition—a saving grace for the volume, in that it never pretends to offer more than it does, which is the casual cogitations of a globe-trotter.

Quick and light, with a lack of self-importance that makes it more charming than frivolous.

Pub Date: Aug. 29, 2013

ISBN: 978-1491876268

Page Count: 164

Publisher: AuthorHouseUK

Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2013

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.