A bit like stand-up comedy: entertaining, but hardly deep.
Another season with the Kerr clan in sunny Mallorca.
Readers of Snowball Oranges (2002) and Manana Manana (2001)—both established Kerr’s reputation as a humorous travel writer—will remember that Kerr, with his wife and kids, moved from their Scottish farm to the Mediterranean island of Mallorca. Charmed by the weather and the promise of a simple life, the Kerrs bought an orange grove and settled in. Now, we find the family in their third season there, trying to make a go of those oranges. The jokey tone is set by the opening discussion of the death of Mario Lanzarote, a pet canary. Equally representative is the section on mosquitoes, which Kerr fears will carry him off alive. He tries a vinegar dip, prompting his wife, Ellie, to remark that he smells like fish-and-chips. Amid this Mallorcan menagerie, Kerr also sketches vignettes about the sex life of his neighbors and complains about the uninvited guests from Blighty who frequently drop by. The predictable elements of the genre are all in place. There’s a supporting cast of local eccentrics, Maria and Pep always on hand to give friendly advice. There’s low-grade family drama: Teenage son Sandy, who has become a “handsome hunk,” must decide whether to stay in Mallorca or return to Scotland. There are the requisite descriptions of Mallorcan cuisine—though some of the gustatory musings seem farcical, as when the Kerrs partake of a delicious bean stew and make the discovery that beans cause flatulence. And, of course, there’s a lesson learned: If you’re going to undertake a risky endeavor, you should commit yourself fully and hold nothing back. Meanwhile, some of Kerr’s efforts are more cutesy than funny—as when Maria shows off “succulent cuts of meat from her own fig-fed pig (last year’s model, of course).”
A bit like stand-up comedy: entertaining, but hardly deep.Pub Date: May 1, 2005
ISBN: 1-59228-618-6
Page Count: 312
Publisher: Lyons Press
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2005
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
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
