by Stephen Minta ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 24, 1994
A mixture of modern travelogue and the bizarre history of a 16th-century pioneer in the Spanish Main. In a world where murderers claim to be the victims of abuse, it's almost refreshing to make the acquaintance of Lope de Aguirre, a self-professed villain in the manner of Shakespeare's Iago or Richard III. Minta (Comparative Literature/Univ. of York, England; Gabriel Garc°a M†rquez: Writer of Colombia, not reviewed) tells the story of an expedition mounted to discover El Dorado that degenerates into near starvation and endless treachery along the Amazon between 1560 and 1561. The leader, Pedro de Ursua, is bewitched by the charms of his mestiza lover, proclaimed king in defiance of Philip II, and eventually murdered by Aguirre, a member of de Ursua's group. The expedition begins with the murder of the viceroy of Peru, and a series of hangings and (especially) garottings follows as the group becomes more desperate and Aguirre tries to keep control of his men by means of cruelty and sentimentality. His private army, equipped with the latest antipersonnel device—the arquebus—finally melts away, and Aguirre's ultimate gesture before his own death is to stab his 12- year-old daughter. Minta's language is witty and vivid. He suggests that one element in Aguirre's apparently senseless cruelty was a pioneer's desire to break loose from all institutional and traditional restraints binding him to the motherland. Minta uses as a counterpoint to the story his own re-creation of Aguirre's journey. En route, we are treated to an expert's view of the social and political conditions in contemporary South America, as well as other historical excursions—for example, the stories of how 168 Spaniards toppled the Inca empire of Atahualpa. A must for students of South America and human nature. (Book- of-the-Month Club/Quality Paperback Book Club selection; History Book Club selection)
Pub Date: June 24, 1994
ISBN: 0-8050-3103-0
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1994
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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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