A report on surviving the midlife crisis while tickling the ivories. The stereotypical yuppie drives a Volvo, vacations in New England, has a really fulfilling job, and listens religiously to ``All Things Considered'' on NPR. Noah Adams, we learn in this rambling journal, drives a Volvo, vacations in New England, and has a really fulfilling job cohosting ``All Things Considered.'' This book documents a year in Adams's life spent pursuing a dream: to become proficient at the piano. Freaked by the thought that he's 51 years old (``I have outlived Schumann by six years,'' he frets), Adams is even more shaken up when he reads the obituary of Lewis Thomas, only to learn that they both shared a passionate desire to learn how to play the piano—only Thomas didn't live long enough to fulfill his dream. Goaded into action by the shadow of the big ``D,'' Adams scrapes up enough spare change to purchase a new Steinway (although, he assures us, it was the cheapest one on the lot), along with some fancy computer software. His position as a radio talk meister gives him the opportunity to interview a slew of keyboard wizards, from popsters like Tori Amos to the classical prodigy Leon Fleisher, who, after losing the use of his right hand due to a repetitive-stress injury, has made a new career as a one- handed recitalist. However, Adams has little background in piano pedagogy or performance, so much of what he relates is pretty basic. Meanwhile, he flits from system to system, now attempting a mail-order course in improvisation, now dipping into a week-long intensive course in Vermont. The book (and year) ends triumphantly when Adams surprises his wife with a Christmas Eve recital. Warm and fuzzy reading from a warm and fuzzy guy; just be happy that you don't have to hear him play. (Author tour)
Pub Date: March 15, 1996
ISBN: 0-385-31404-3
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
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
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