by Mark Jenkins ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 1997
Some intrepid young men become the first outsiders to boat down the fearsome upper reaches of the Niger River. In the early 19th century, most of the Europeans exploring the remote reaches of this 3,000-mile-long African river perished as from disease or accident, or at the hands of hostile natives, and while Jenkins (Off the Map, 1993) and his three mates face those same challenges to only a slightly lesser degree, their expedition is ultimately done in by a mixture of ennui and anger. Still, before the Niger flattens out and the narrative follows suit, the expedition has its moments. After climbing in the wet, heavily forested mountains of Guinea to locate the river's headwaters, the fellows launch their frail kayaks into the fast-moving stream; running into nearly impenetrable walls of vegetation, they are forced to flee from swarms of bees, to retreat in the face of an angry hippo, and to constantly scan the water for malevolent crocodiles. John and Rick, the two less experienced kayakers, develop grudges against Jenkins and his buddy, Mike, who shares the author's lust for risk-taking adventures. As the river settles into its broad floodplain and slows, Jenkins and Mike begin to think of their wives at home in Wyoming, both seven months pregnant. Short of their original destination, Timbuktu, the pair disembark, leaving John and Rick—who eventually kayak the entire length of the river—to go it alone. But after Mike flies home, Jenkins decides he wants to reach Timbuktu after all and buys passage on a packed steamer. Interspersed are flashbacks to an earlier, rambling trip to North Africa when Jenkins was a teenager, and far more interesting tales of the early and mostly tragic adventures of the foursome's predecessors. While the narrative's occasional sluggishness and sometimes boastful prose can be heavy wading, the subject matter ought to hold the interest of like-minded adventurers. (20 color photos, not seen)
Pub Date: June 1, 1997
ISBN: 0-688-11585-3
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1997
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by Mark Jenkins
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by Mark Jenkins
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by Mark Jenkins
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996
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
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by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson
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by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis
by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955
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
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developed by Ludwig Bemelmans ; illustrated by Steven Salerno
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by Ludwig Bemelmans ; illustrated by Steven Salerno
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