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A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE

Name: A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE
Author: Philip Langdon
ISBN: 0-87023-914-7

RESHAPING THE AMERICAN SUBURB

by Philip Langdon ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 1994

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A would-be Jane Jacobs of the suburbs offers some savvy analysis and worthy advice. ``The suburbs we build are fostering an unhealthy way of life,'' declares Langdon (Urban Excellence, not reviewed), as he expands on his Atlantic Monthly articles on the topic, citing examples from around the country as well as his home community in New Haven, Conn. Thus he critiques the distortions our culture wreaks on houses and neighborhoods and observes that such fragmented communities can't teach kids street smarts. He suggests good streets make connections between people and local institutions. Noting that outdoor life has shifted from social front porches to private backyards, he suggests that zoning changes and limits on mortgage deductibility could hamper the spread of overlarge houses; and he recommends that building-trade publications acquire a more critical ethos. He closely describes the Florida Gulf Coast suburb of Seaside, showing how ``neotraditionalist'' architects Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater- Zyberk have created a more connected community. A success story in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area shows how city and suburb have reduced competition by tax sharing, and Kirkland, Wash., is an example of suburban renewal, having rebuilt its downtown with offices, housing, and discreet parking. Observing that robust neighborhood life in the past was the product of scarce resources, Langdon tempers his prescriptions with the caution that current surplus wealth fosters waste, but he suggests that a heightened environmental consciousness could presage reform in community design. Langdon's narrative voice sometimes could be smoother as he cobbles together previous writings with new material, but this is a vital contribution to a too-often neglected issue. (104 illustrations, not seen)

Pub Date: June 1, 1994

ISBN: 0-87023-914-7

Page Count: 296

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1994

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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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.