The thoughtful diary of an upper-crust Bostonian woman, written between the years 1844 and 1904. When the diary opens, Elizabeth Mason is an enthusiastic nine- year-old about to embark on a trip to New York. When it closes, she is a seasoned grandmother who has married, raised five children, lost a brother to war, and witnessed the death of her husband. Mason's writings, which editor Taylor has divided into seven chronological sections, have a strong element of aristocratic reserve yet still manage to portray a warm and complex woman. She is only tangentially interested in public affairs (she barely mentions the Civil War, for example); what fascinates her is the private sphere. By far the most revealing section of her diary occurs between 1854 and 1857, when she is being courted by numerous suitors. Their attentions make her reflect deeply on women's role in society (``But is it not possible,'' she asks, ``that women's true place is yet to be perceived...?'') and the capriciousness of love (``What can he know of me, excepting that I have pretty manners and brown hair and can smile—-alas, alas is this the way one is to stumble on one's lot?''). Most of the other sections are substantially more descriptive than reflective, but throughout is a pervasive sense of the precariousness of 19th-century life. Many of Mason's friends die unexpectedly of disease, accident (one young friend burns to death when her dress catches fire), or childbirth. Taylor illuminates Mason's sometimes disappointingly brief entries with informative footnotes, a background introduction, and 16 photos (not seen). A revealing glimpse or 19th-century Bostonian society, written by an intelligent and perceptive woman who's not afraid to question either herself or her world.
Pub Date: Sept. 17, 1991
ISBN: 0-8070-5104-7
Page Count: 338
Publisher: Beacon Press
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1991
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
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