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SAILING THE SOUTH PACIFIC

Name: SAILING THE SOUTH PACIFIC
Author: Lois Joy Hofmann
ISBN: 978-0-9840913-4-8

IN SEARCH OF ADVENTURE AND MOMENTS OF BLISS

by Lois Joy Hofmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A

A handsome memoir that should interest would-be sailors, as well as the author’s loved ones.

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The second entry in a retired couple’s seagoing travel memoir trilogy.

The inaugural volume of Hofmann’s (The Long Way Back, 2017, etc.) remembrance of an around-the-world catamaran trip chronicled their travels from Canet, France, to San Diego, and this sequel follows them from there, through the South Pacific to Bundaberg, Australia, in 2002. Along the way, the author documents stops in such exotic locales as the Marquesan Islands, French Polynesian islands such as Tahiti and Bora Bora, and New Zealand. This time, the trip is haunted by the dark specter of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Still reeling from their expulsion from the biotech company they founded and frustrated by its subsequent floundering, the Hofmanns were in search of an opportunity for self-reflection and renewal. The author memorably describes their brushes with danger; while sailing though Tongan waters, for example, they heard a radio distress call seeking donations of A-positive blood after a shark attack. They also portray the quotidian quirks of long-distance travel, as well as their simple exhaustion. The book is once again vividly illustrated with full-page, color photographs, and crammed with diverting historical asides; for example, there’s a brief account of the Tahitian origin of the word “tattoo.” Also, this installment includes lessons that Gunter learned about sailing that could prove useful to readers who might be planning a boat trip of their own. Most readers won’t find all of the author’s account to be gripping, and at a certain point, it starts to feel like watching a stranger’s unedited vacation video. Hofmann’s writing, while lucid and sometimes poetic, can also be cliché-ridden. After describing some intramural drama among the staff at a Fijian resort, for instance, she adds, “The plot thickens.” Still, this is an informative travelogue overall, and a gorgeous coffee-table book.

A handsome memoir that should interest would-be sailors, as well as the author’s loved ones.

Pub Date: N/A

ISBN: 978-0-9840913-4-8

Page Count: 312

Publisher: PIP Productions

Review Posted Online: Nov. 7, 2018

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

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.