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NO SHIRT, NO SHOES . . . NO PROBLEM!

Name: NO SHIRT, NO SHOES . . . NO PROBLEM!
Author: Jeff Foxworthy
ISBN: 0-7868-6234-3

by Jeff Foxworthy ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 3, 1996

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The star of his eponymous television show has hit it big with recordings and paperbacks (You Might Be a Redneck If, not reviewed, etc.) and now presents more of what was once called rube comedy. He plows the same field thoroughly worked by his fellow Atlantan, the late Lewis Grizzard, and a sort of yokel dybbuk appears to be at work as Foxworthy recounts yarns of his wayward blue-collar, redneck boyhood. Projectile vomiting seems to have been the most debonair of activities, and we are presented with enough instruction in the finer points of mooning to threaten the firmest of civilizations. What passes for Foxworthy's life story, thus far, involves fishing with granddaddy, life with oft-married mamma (a.k.a. Carole), encouragement of his sporting life by oft- married daddy (a.k.a. Big Jim), courtship rituals of Dixie denizens, and the manly art of maintaining a singles' apartment. The relationship between hunting and gender isn't scanted: ``All men delight in pursuits that disgust women. Hunting is near the top of the list,'' he says. ``You never see deer heads in beauty parlors.'' To complete the picture, add some talk about a lot of nasty relatives, a little attention to body effluents, and a discussion of the author's vasectomy. (He, like may gents down his way, is much concerned with his ``package'' and, one supposes, may some day have to be persuaded not to show you his operation.) Foxworthy, a slick Southerner who kind of likes his celebrity, provides simple fodder for his fans. The hillbilly hijinks, to be fair, are mildly entertaining, but you might be a redneck if you take this text for anything more than showbiz ephemera. (Author tour)

Pub Date: June 3, 1996

ISBN: 0-7868-6234-3

Page Count: 224

Publisher: Hyperion

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1996

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.