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SACRED HORSES

Name: SACRED HORSES
Author: Jonathan Evan Maslow
ISBN: 0-679-40875-4

MEMOIRS OF A TURKMEN COWBOY

by Jonathan Evan Maslow ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1994

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This plodding tale of Maslow's adventure to Russia's Turkmenistan in search of an exotic horse is salvaged only by the historical filler. What began as an itch to ride a fine Turkmen horse turns into a two-year struggle to secure an official invitation to visit a remote corner of the Soviet Union. After learning the Russian language, taking riding lessons, and desperately searching for contacts, Maslow finally lands a position on a visiting delegation representing New Mexico. Maslow provides an intriguing peep into the lives of male Turkmens, though by his account they spend most of their time eating and drinking vodka. Except for a few stereotypical references to the slavelike life of Turkmen women toiling for hours in the boiling kitchen, Maslow fails to provide any sense of women other than their duty to serve their men. Once, finding a strange woman curled up beside him, Maslow is inspired to write an essay on ``why men don't ride horses anymore,'' concluding that every civilization has ``to deal with the question of how to keep men's pants zipped.'' Such tangential gender stereotyping detracts from an exploration of the rich culture. His sometimes elitist attitude toward Turkmen officials and country people also seems out of place. Somehow he makes friends who invite him to return. On this second trip he manages a short ride on an Akhal- Teke purebred steed. But Maslow's dream of riding across the desert never materializes. He concedes that he is probably not a good enough rider to handle such a magnificent beast for the duration of the journey and credits Central Asia for teaching him to recognize and accept his personal limits, ``a hard lesson for a male.'' Interesting history of Turkmenistan and horses, but an awfully long and condescending account of a man's failed dream.

Pub Date: April 1, 1994

ISBN: 0-679-40875-4

Page Count: 336

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1994

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.