There are moments of real beauty here, but emulating Nabokov is not a task to be taken lightly. Zanganeh's literary hero...
An odd, genre-bending tribute to Vladimir Nabokov.
Nabokov, the master of narrative trickery and literary puzzles, was known for, among countless other accolades and seminal works, his innovative autobiography, Speak Memory, which was less a straightforward memoir than a series of memories that blurred fiction and fact and past and present. It is only fitting then, that literary scholar Zanganeh, obsessed with Nabokov since finding a copy of Ada on her mother's nightstand long before it was appropriate reading material for her, uses a similarly vague structure in this work. The author intertwines her memories as a reader of Nabokov with scenes from his life and his books, as well as present-day visits with his son Dmitri. Zanganeh is not the first to wax philosophical about Nabokov, though her interrogation of his work and her own experiences with it is more scholarly and less immediately compelling than that of her famous counterpart, Azar Nafisi. Structuring the narrative around the notion of happiness, Zanganeh delves deeply into his feelings on love, both in his novels and in his lifelong passionate relationship with his wife and unconditional affection for his only son. She muses on place, traveling through the American West that so enchanted Nabokov, and on nature, focusing on his absolute passion for butterflies. Though the author at times brilliantly captures Nabokov's calculated whimsy, some of her material feels gimmicky and detracts from her scholarship. The recountings of conversations with Dmitri, for example, are both lovely and informative, and are far more effective than imagined conversations with his long-dead father.
There are moments of real beauty here, but emulating Nabokov is not a task to be taken lightly. Zanganeh's literary hero left behind some awfully big shoes, which she just can't quite fill.Pub Date: May 2, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-393-07992-0
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Norton
Review Posted Online: April 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2011
Neither helpful nor humorous.
A self-help book disguised as humor.
On the surface, veteran self-help guru St. John is a good guy. He’s offered advice for the masses in print and on television, and wrote advice book Get Out of My Way–I’m Late For My Life (2003). In the introduction to his sophomore outing, he breezily discusses how important humor is to personal growth–a concept that seems like a fine launching point for an advice book. Unfortunately, one page later, we learn that St. John’s idea of helping is to insult and demean. A slight book, every page of this alleged parody consists of a cartoon rendering of one of eight “clueless characters,” each offering up two or three sentences of daily affirmation beginning with the promise, “Today I will...” St. John’s clueless characters are imbued with what most will consider stereotypical and offensive qualities. There’s Aquanetta Jackson, an African-American single mother of four who “takes her kids to see their fathers in prison annually.” (Yes, it says “fathers.”) There’s Soo Yoo, a 20-something Korean woman who manages a small manicure business and “screams for no reason.” And there’s Spencer Sterling, a metrosexual who “frequents gay clubs only for the attention.” The advice is, at best, unfunny, and at worst, inflammatory and obnoxious. For example, under the header “Karma,” Aquanetta tells us, “Today, I will intentionally inflict pain on stupid people. They have it coming.” In his ham-fisted, nasty manner, St. John is obviously telling us to do the exact opposite of his characters, but the whole project is so mean-spirited that readers may choose to ignore the author’s “lesson.”
Neither helpful nor humorous.Pub Date: March 7, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-595-41655-1
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Unadorned, but savvy, business acumen.
Faith-based motivational advice on conducting business, and life, from an auto dealer.
Smalls, an African-American who opened the first minority-owned major auto dealership in Berkeley County, S.C., is a deeply religious individual. He may not be Rev. Ike, but he believes that “if we tell God, our Father, about our dreams of career success or financial freedom, will he not bless us in ways that we could not have imagined?” The author’s God has been a steadying, inspirational force in his life, but the decent, down-home business advice he imparts will put any reader in good stead, religiously inclined or not. Through biblical parables, Smalls explains the rules by which he runs his dealership: focus, diligence, humility, preparedness, being a good neighbor and trusting his gut instincts to do the right thing. Stern but reassuring, he keeps his staff on their toes while making sure they feel integral to the operation. He also provides enriching opportunities out of his own pocket, like schooling that may take employees away from his business but adds to the common weal. Through interviews with Smalls’ family members and associates, co-author Ludlam shows an individual who cherishes his integrity and principles above all else. Smalls may be driven to succeed financially, brimming with diligence and confidence, optimistic and spirited, but honesty and good works never take a back seat to making a buck. As a foil to the hardworking Smalls, the authors created a fictional character, Frank Byggs, a man burdened by regret, self-doubt, defeatism, temptation and negativity. Sure, Frank is an obvious straw man, too easily confuted, but where his weaknesses lead him may be all too familiar to many readers.
Unadorned, but savvy, business acumen.Pub Date: Feb. 14, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-595-41254-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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