A smug travelogue through France and Spain. Hitt (The Perfect Murder, 1991), a contributing writer at Harper's, had dismissed religion in college as an irrelevance. Then, as he turned 35 and approached an early midlife crisis, he became attracted to the idea of a pilgrimage, which he saw simply as ``a guy out for some cosmically serious fresh air,'' as just ``a long walk.'' A trip to New York City's Cloisters and a spree at a camping outfitter sets him on his way. The destination of the pilgrimage is Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain, one of the three great pilgrimage sites of the Middle Ages (after Rome and Jerusalem), renowned as the burial place of the apostle James, who had come to evangelize Iberia. Hitt sets out to walk from France but quickly succumbs and takes a train and even a taxi. A stern encounter with an old woman who serves as gatekeeper of the pilgrims' route causes him to vow to be more resolute. He endures rain, cold, fatigue, and hunger. As he travels he encounters and falls in with others on the same path, eventually reaching his destination, leaner and older—but not necessarily wiser. He shares with readers the tales of his march and those he meets. He also includes much history and lore about the route and the age when millions traversed it. Tales of Roland, Charlemagne, Knights Templar, and the Holy Grail abound. He also chronicles the devastation of the Franco era and the country's recovery under King Juan Carlos. Though there is much of interest in both the journey and the telling, many readers will be put off by the author's self-indulgent tone.
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1994
ISBN: 0-671-75818-7
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1994
BOOK REVIEW
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
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