A dream come true for the many aficionados of bestselling mystery writer Sue Grafton. Fans who can't get enough of the sassy, in-your-face private investigator heroine of Grafton's mystery series (``A'' Is for Alibi, ``B'' Is for Burglar, etc.) can rely on this breezy book to keep them going through those frustrating in-between-publication periods. ``G'' Is for Grafton (coming from the novelist's own publisher) is an astonishingly thorough analysis of the life of Kinsey Millhone. The authors (Kaufman is a legal scholar and Key a Shakesperean, both at the University of South Carolina, Columbia) poured through Grafton's books, ending with ``M'' Is for Malice, to produce a biography of Millhone, an explanation of her personality, and a walk through her daily life (``Kinsey doesn't take vacations,'' and ``she doesn't keep house plants or pets''), including descriptions of her various apartments (``What does Kinsey do in her spare time to relieve the stress of her high- pressure job or just for fun? Clean the house, of course''). The authors have even included a log of all her cases to date, itemizing the client's name, the object of the investigation, the ultimate confrontation, and Millhone's role in the outcome. (Throughout, information is referenced with the title and page number of the book that served as the source.) But ``G'' Is for Grafton isn't just a compendium of tidbits about Millhone and her psyche—it also examines Grafton's writing style, plot structures, themes, and achievements in contemporary American detective fiction. The authors present a credible argument for her as a leader, if not the leader, in making her genre more psychologically interesting. Also featured is an interview with Grafton. One can only hope that a second volume will follow Grafton's excursion into the second half of the alphabet. (maps, diagrams, photos, not seen)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1997
ISBN: 0-8050-5446-4
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 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
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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