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MAY ALL BE FED

DIET FOR A NEW WORLD

Robbins's Diet for a New America (1987) was one of those virtuous guides to alternative eating that said nothing much new but somehow caught on: The publishers claim 350,000 copies in print. Here, Robbins conveys the same message—that meat and dairy production are bad for the world's hungry as well as for consumers' physical and spiritual health—in the same punchy manner, replete with preachy homilies, arresting statistics, and quotes from both medical authorities and other popular writers. Except perhaps for his strong argument that drinking milk doesn't prevent bone loss, this is familiar stuff to any casual reader of the genre; but there's no denying Robbins's success at predigesting the studies and sermons for new converts. The recipes are also in the unsophisticated natural-food mode: There's one for ``Italian'' rice croquettes that uses brown rice, tofu, and soy sauce, and there are lots of sugar-free desserts that put heavy demands on maple syrup. They won't convert advanced foodies, but they'll do fine with Robbins's following.

Pub Date: Sept. 16, 1992

ISBN: 0-688-11625-6

Page Count: 300

Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1992

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NUTCRACKER

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

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

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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