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UMBRIA

Name: UMBRIA
Author: Paul Hofmann
ISBN: 0-8050-4687-X

ITALY'S TIMELESS HEART

by Paul Hofmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1999

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A charming and delightful, yet flawed, excursion. Two-thirds the size of Connecticut, and with a mere 800,000 residents, Umbria has often languished in the shadow of Tuscany, its more famous cousin to the northwest. Long known as “the green heart of Italy,” it has lately become a preferred roost for British and Americans long priced out of Tuscany, who are seeking an Italian home or an abandoned farm as idyll. For the average tourist, Umbria registers for the jewel-like cities of Perugia, Orvieto, and Todi, as well as for the religious shrine of Assisi. Former New York Times Rome bureau chief Hofmann (The Season of Rome, 1997, etc.) takes us on a leisurely stroll through the region’s countryside, towns, and history, beginning with the ancient and mysterious Etruscans. He shows a fine eye for the landscape, a sensitive palate for the cuisine, and a warm regard for the people. Beyond these, he also informs us of the best time to view the frescos of Perugino in the Collegio del Cambio in Perugia, and warns that fines for dogs found dallying in the Piazza della Signoria in Assisi may come to $625. (He’s also sensitive to the semipagan and erotic subtexts of the so-called “Celery Festival.”) Although Hofmann has often proved to be a master of understatement in his Italophile writings, here the narrator’s language sometimes falls curiously flat. The 27-page appendix, an “Umbrian Directory,” while perhaps indispensable for travelers, gives the book a brochure-like and inappropriate tone. And the subtitle is never really explained: Umbria may justly lay more claim to being Italy’s “timeless heart” than can cosmopolitan Piedmont, say—but not all readers will agree about this. More persuasive are those gently rolling hills, covered with grape vines and olive trees. Still, highly recommended.

Pub Date: March 1, 1999

ISBN: 0-8050-4687-X

Page Count: 224

Publisher: Henry Holt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1999

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE VATICAN’S WOMEN
by Paul Hofmann

- BOOK REVIEW
THE SEASONS OF ROME
by Paul Hofmann

- BOOK REVIEW
THE SUNNY SIDE OF THE ALPS
by Paul Hofmann

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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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

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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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.