A well-researched call for healthy eroticism within heterosexual marriage.
A husband and wife dispel myths about the role of marital sex in this book of personal growth.
The Song of Solomon, according to the authors, is a love story that serves as a model for modern Christian marriage. Ron and Patti Marinari argue that Abishag, David’s consort in the Book of Kings, is the unnamed female protagonist in this Old Testament poem. (Ron Marinari [The Calling, 2008, etc.] is the author of other religious books and is a pastor of The Church of the Hills in Bedminster, New Jersey.) Although she’s poor and works in the fields, Abishag nevertheless ensnares King Solomon in the authors’ depiction, and their love affair reveals a surprising eroticism, including such acts as oral sex and manual stimulation. Asserting that any consensual act not expressly forbidden by Scripture belongs in Christian traditional marriage, the book gives frank, practical advice, such as 20 different types of kisses that can be exchanged between husbands and wives, five thoughts on establishing rules for the bedchamber (such as not allowing resentment in) and 12 ways to prevent erosion of a relationship. In addition, the Marinaris confront modern issues such as perfectionist parenting, temptations to cheat, and the misconception that dancing with one’s spouse is forbidden. Although this is a book for couples, some chapters are targeted specifically toward wives, although women are invited to share their chapters with their husbands, if they wish. Each chapter also includes a list of questions for discussion. This book’s wide-ranging advice may benefit married people of any faith tradition (“This is not the story of a right-wing, conservative, middle-aged man and his stay-at-home wife,” they note). It’s clearly aimed solely at heterosexual married couples, however; at one point, for example, lesbianism is characterized as an “alternative lifestyle.” That said, the authors effectively argue that sex is profoundly spiritual, and denounce rule-based strictures that prevent erotic joy in marriage. In the introduction, for example, they note statistics that show that self-described fundamentalists are likely to view pornography, and they cite this as “an example of how imposing laws on people truly fails to change their hearts.”
A well-researched call for healthy eroticism within heterosexual marriage.Pub Date: July 31, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4575-4015-8
Page Count: 180
Publisher: Dog Ear
Review Posted Online: Sept. 17, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
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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