Dempsey proves to be that rara avis, a witty birder, but even humor can’t wholly convey ornithological obsession to any but...
A transplanted Brit travels the birding grounds of America to spy on the avifauna.
Equipped with maps, bug spray, spotting scope, field glasses, camera, bird book and, of course, iPod to check birdsongs, debut author Dempsey explored the state of Washington in its customary rain and the Everglades of Florida in their accustomed insect swarms, hoping for a fleeting glimpse of rare fowl. His travel took in special tracts in Michigan and Pennsylvania, a bit of Mexico and lots of New York’s Central Park. (Dempsey is now the editor in chief of Hudson Street Press in New York.) Travails included a few confrontations with belligerent gunslingers, native waitresses and coarse amateur birders. But there were sympathetic birders and bloggers to assist with the differences between Scott’s oriole and an orchard oriole. The author traveled with bird nerds Don and Donna Graffiti (“mostly a product of my fevered imagination,” he admits) in pursuit of a life list that just might include a buff-bellied hummingbird, a crested caracara or even a dickcissel. To be seen in Arizona were the elegant trogon, the zone-tailed hawk and lots of warblers; in Texas, the fabulously colored green jay. No wonder, with all the avian excitement, a herd of bison was just a cliché to the blasé Dempsey; the only beings better than birds were his twin girls. (He gives no reason for his broken marriage, but readers may well wonder if a lonely spouse might have urged him to “get a life!”) The writing is cute—the author describes his own belly as well as bird bellies—and sincere—he wants us to fix the environment and save many wonderful species while they still exist.
Dempsey proves to be that rara avis, a witty birder, but even humor can’t wholly convey ornithological obsession to any but fellow travelers.Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-1-59691-335-4
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2008
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
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
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf
