Charming and graceful but with rich undertones—like the courtesans themselves.
A joyful celebration of the lives of famous courtesans from early Rome to early Hollywood, with the emphasis on their strengths (and not what some might consider their moral lapses).
Like most of Griffin’s work (What Her Body Thought, 1999, etc.), even this reasonably light-hearted subject is dense with ideas about relationships, women’s independence, beauty, power, body, and soul. It is organized by the seven virtues attributed to the most successful courtesans—timing, beauty, cheek, brilliance, joie de vivre, grace, and charm—in that order. Dancing in and out of each chapter, sometimes literally, are tales of courtesans chosen to represent the virtue on the table. In the chapter on “Brilliance,” for instance, we meet 15th-century Venice’s Veronica Franco (an honored poet as well as an honored cortigiano), the 17th-century Ninon de Lenclos (renowned for her wit), and the 19th-century performer Emilienne d’Alencon (who “played the role of a bimbo brilliantly”). As in the other chapters, Griffin uses her theme to launch a riff on, in this case, brilliance. For instance, she reflects on the light in the paintings of Tintoretto, on spiritual illumination, on sensuality, and on the sparks of intellectual give-and-take that fire the imagination. Many of her subjects are the courtesans—Les Grandes Horizontales—who decorated 19th-century France. Among them were Marie Duplessis (the model for Alexander Dumas’s La Dame aux Camelias); La Belle Otero (who gambled away the considerable fortune she earned as a courtesan); and Liane de Pougy (who later entered a convent). Curiously, Griffin also includes Marion Davies and Marlene Dietrich, who, if not exactly courtesans, embodied the virtues of the femme gallante. An epilogue offers the end-of-life stories of the historic courtesans and a glossary lists terms familiar to the demimonde. Who knew there were so many synonyms for “courtesan”?
Charming and graceful but with rich undertones—like the courtesans themselves.Pub Date: Sept. 11, 2001
ISBN: 0-7679-0450-8
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Broadway
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2001
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Highly detailed and as exciting as the best Patrick O—Brian novel, this is one of the best accounts of the great British admiral’s dazzling achievements, from the deputy director of England’s Royal Naval Museum. Published to commemorate a pivotal year in the “Nelson decade” (the period from 1795 to 1805, of which the bicentennial is currently being marked), this brief account looks at the period that solidified Nelson’s position as Britain’s chief hope in maintaining her position as the world’s leading maritime power. The author combines outstanding scholarship with narrative skill to capture the excitement of such events as the evacuation of Elba, the Battle of Cape St. Vincent, the blockade of Cadiz, and the attack on Tenerife (in which Nelson lost his arm). White also debunks many of the myths that have surrounded Nelson over the years, such as his supposed disobedience at the Battle of Cape St. Vincent—a “disobedience” that saved the battle and won an earldom for Sir John Jervis, the commanding admiral of the British fleet at St. Vincent. Illustrated throughout by period paintings (unfortunately not in color), the book utilizes boxed sidebars to present new information on Nelson and his battles. This varies in importance, from done-to-death topics like who really cut off Nelson’s arm to such really juicy bits as the revelation that a former Nelson mistress, Adelaide Correglia, spied for him during his blockade of the Italian port of Leghorne (Livorno). Written with sweep and excitement, capturing the spirit of Nelson by looking at one memorable year, this will be a treat for any naval history fan.
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-7509-1999-X
Page Count: 176
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1999
Fantastic, authentic military fiction.
Taut, well-crafted thriller about a nuclear stand-off in the waning days of the Nixon administration.
McCurdy’s book offers a microscopic view of the officers stationed at the Minuteman Missile System located at Missouri’s Whiteman Air Force Base during the 1970s. Based on actual events, McCurdy examines an aborted missile launch through the perspective of Lieutenant Gray Crawford, a crack Air Force officer stationed at the base. Crawford is a hero’s hero, a military wunderkind best suited to performing under duress. Readers will likely become captivated by Crawford–both as a man and a soldier–as he carefully ponders the fateful decision that, in the tensest days of the Cold War, will head off World War III. McCurdy was once stationed as a commander at Whiteman during the early ’70s and channels his experiences into the book, lending the story a level of detail and authenticity missing from other, more dilettantish military fictions. Access to recently declassified information flavors the narrative with a certain cache; the author’s claim that some of the stories have been, until recently, top secret only ratchets up the level of excitement. But McCurdy keeps the novel’s pace exhilarating with energetic prose and imaginative renderings. He turns the Launch Control Capsule (the underground command center where the Missile System team works) into a pressure cooker where anything can happen–a sort of militaristic soap-opera set. But Whiteman is not jingoist military fiction. McCurdy may pack his book with thrills, but he is also sure to communicate the heavy ethical burdens carried by the men who, day in and day out, have their fingers on the proverbial red button. This depth of characterization provides the book with a nuanced weight and texture that assures McCurdy’s novel serious consideration.
Fantastic, authentic military fiction.Pub Date: Jan. 3, 2008
ISBN: 978-0976117919
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
