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TEMPEST-TOST

..... in a teacup is the production of a "pastoral" by the Salterton Little Theatre group, and all the dramatic — and romantic rivalries it provokes in a quite considerable cast of characters. There's wealthy Mr. Webster, who reluctantly lends his beautiful gardens as the site, while Tom, his gardener, is obstructive; Mrs. Forrester, who presides socially, Miss Rich, an importation, who directs, and Hector Mackilwraith, the treasurer, who blackmails his way into a small part. And there's Freddy Webster, an inventive and instrusive 14, who contributes a sour younger sister's commentary on the fickle followers of Griselda, whose pretty head is not as empty as it seems. Through the ticklish problems of casting, to rehearsals and the first night, with some asides at an auction and a local ball, this gently taunts the petty snobberies, rivalries and vanities of a close Canadian community, manages some careful observation but only a mild diversion.

Pub Date: April 10, 1952

ISBN: 0143054910

Page Count: 265

Publisher: Rinehart

Review Posted Online: Oct. 7, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1952

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NUTCRACKER

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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THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE

50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

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

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