Thirty years after her Sex and the Single Girl assured women that acting smart and feeling sexy aren't incompatible, Brown (Having It All, 1982, etc.) returns to explain how aging also fits right into the formula. At 69, the Cosmo Girl hasn't lost a step; with outrageous confidence, she's still assuring readers that looks, charm, and sex with a man are what it's all about (``Sex is one of the three best things there is and I'm not sure what the other two are''). In the chirpy, anecdotal style of a women's magazine article, Brown glosses over marriage, sex, clothes, food, and exercise, using as examples her own experiences and those of friends, famous and otherwise. Though dismayed by the fact of aging (``the ideal state for an older woman is younger''), the author recognizes the new exigencies. As one friend sums it up, ``Between fifty and sixty, sex is out there; if you want it, you can connect. After sixty, you have to supply the sled, the snow, and the dog team.'' Brown does mention that health and financial security are key to anyone's game plan, and she includes relevant observations on doctors, the 30-vitamin regimen that helps maintain her greyhound weight, and loneliness—but the emphasis is really elsewhere, and when she approaches the serious health issues of aging women, she can't let up on the casual asides and naughty gossip. Furthermore, Brown is cavalier about cosmetic surgeries, champions estrogen treatments, and still defends the 1988 Cosmo article that downplayed the risks of AIDS to women. For the woman who wasn't born yesterday and won't stop thinking about tomorrow's lover, these lubricated sentiments can offer humorous support—but for many, Brown's lifelong pursuit of happiness will seem no more uplifting than flimsy lingerie.
Pub Date: March 18, 1993
ISBN: 0-688-10017-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1993
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.
