Like her garden, Simon's imaginary correspondence with the nation's most illustrious gardener is a beguiling mix of history, whimsy, and practicality. Writing and gardening on Nantucket since 1973, Simon, in the best tradition of the genre, is both agreeably forthright and curious—traits that serve her well as she shares her delight, her concerns, and her knowledge with a man whose gardens at Monticello still reflect his own curiosity and expansive visions of what could be cultivated in the new republic. Deferring to the seasons that define a gardener's year, Simon writes her first letter in late October and her last in mid-August. These times respectively mark the end of one gardening year and the point when the garden for that year ``is Done''—a vague but nonetheless recognizable moment that is ``simply a state of being that commences at a certain time in summer and continues until a killing frost.'' In the letters that precede this point, Simon introduces her varied household and describes both the current state of her garden and appropriate seasonal activities. In her first letter she describes drawing the map of her garden, which will be her guide for the next year's plantings. In others she discusses the merits of various plants and practices; comments on native plants and historic seeds, pondering what varieties Jefferson himself grew; opines on the best tomatoes for pasta sauce; and, as she evokes the exquisite indecision of making her annual catalog orders, reviews seed catalogs' history, which dates back to the early 1700s. Harvesting her garden's bounty, Simon observes how this moment connects to the past and to Jefferson himself, whose favorite ``Tennis Ball'' lettuce she is currently enjoying in salads. Literate evocations of a place and a passion that, like the best of the genre, are as much about living a richly fulfilling life as cultivating a garden. (line drawings)
Pub Date: March 4, 1998
ISBN: 0-609-60097-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 1997
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
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
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