by Ric McGee ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 27, 2006
A touching portrait that masterfully depicts an unpleasant reality of life.
A mother and daughter’s journey to come to terms with the aging process, aided by a colorful cast of characters at a remarkable retirement home.
Faith Green is forced to move her 81-year-old mother, Mimi, from Miami to a new home in Kentucky to spend her twilight years. Faith heaves a sigh of relief when she realizes how convenient the situation is: Mimi lives in a duplex owned by Faith’s boyfriend, which is next door to the sprightly 70-year-old Joyce. Mimi and Joyce become fast friends, gallivanting about and staying active together. But their happy arrangement is shattered all too quickly when the pair is in a car accident, leaving Joyce dead and Mimi severely injured. In the tragedy’s wake, Faith barely recognizes the frail, depressed woman before her and fears that her mother will never regain her zest for life. When Mimi is ready for discharge from the rehabilitation facility, Faith must confront the reality of her predicament. Mimi isn’t capable of residing alone and living with her daughter isn’t feasible. Faith visits an assisted-living facility in the community, but finds it’s out of their price range. As worries about the future mount and Mimi’s demeanor worsens, Faith discovers Harmony Hall, a modestly priced nonprofit retirement home for relatively self-sufficient elderly women. A tour of the facility and an introduction to a few of its feisty residents inspires Mimi to give the place a go. McGee’s debut is based on the retirement community where she serves as executive director. She has done a remarkable job of bringing the institution and its residents to life in this touching, well-written story. Anyone who has cared for an aging parent will identify with Faith and Mimi’s experiences and recognize how rare it is to find a place like Harmony Hall to call home.
A touching portrait that masterfully depicts an unpleasant reality of life.Pub Date: March 27, 2006
ISBN: 978-0-5953-7104-4
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996
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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by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955
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.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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