Sincerely written and full of sage advice—an astute guidebook for first-time travelers and people stuck in a rut.
Drawing on the author’s experiences as a seasoned traveler, this handy guidebook helps people with stagnant lives enrich themselves abroad.
Although Ennis spent part of his childhood in Ireland, the Virginia-based writer didn’t become a serious globe-trotter until he finished a master’s degree. Inspired by his adventurous friend John, Ennis found himself transformed not only by travel, but also by ambitious language acquisition. Most of the book consists of straightforward advice, from how to pick a destination to budgeting and studying a new tongue. Ennis says he’s conversational in five languages besides English—a process he started in his mid-30s—and his earnest enthusiasm is infectious. But Ennis also intertwines an episodic fictional story about Mark and Hannah, a loving couple who have become mired in routine. When Hannah meets a Dutch visitor at work, she becomes enamored of Holland and convinces Mark to plan a vacation there. They learn basic Dutch, study the history and culture of the Netherlands, and plan an itinerary that appeals to their interests. In preparation for the journey, they even start to cook Dutch foods in their own home. Ennis peppers his book with color photographs of famous locales, such as the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro and the canals of Venice. He caps each chapter with a simple exercise—“Mental Voyages,” he calls them—and starts each new section with a rousing quote from a famous author, such as Mark Twain and Ayn Rand. While Ennis writes with pride and authority, he refrains from filling his text with self-inflating anecdotes. He shifts the spotlight to Mark and Hannah, whose believable narrative demonstrates the positive effects of travel and reveals how even a short excursion to a friendly (and stable) country can powerfully bolster a relationship. The book may be short and breezy, but it’s a resource readers could very well revisit again and again.
Sincerely written and full of sage advice—an astute guidebook for first-time travelers and people stuck in a rut.Pub Date: Feb. 11, 2015
ISBN: 978-1502584090
Page Count: 108
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: April 21, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
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.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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