Preston, who followed in Coronado's footsteps in Cities of Gold (1992), feels the itch for another rigorous, horse-borne journey—this time through the sere lands of Navajo reservation— and returns with pungent descriptions and curious encounters. Preston embarks on this journey across the Utah Strip of the Navajo reservation, from Navajo Mountain to Shiprock, at the suggestion of his soon-to-be-wife. It's a chance to knit her daughter more closely to Preston. That seems like a good idea to him, and he is also interested in following the trail of Monster Slayer, the Navajo deity responsible for ridding the earth of the enemy gods. The three undertake the journey at the pace the landscape demands: not exactly a mooch—they have to reach sources of water at least every couple of days—but not much more than a slow poke. They snake their way through a land of rimrock and butte, sandstorm and ungodly hail, a trackless place that still has the feel of wildness about it. This is holy Navajo ground; Preston approaches it with respect, always aware that this is more than just a stupendous piece of scenery (``a landscape of Zen-like emptiness, a great yellow plain bounded by blue mountains''), careful to insert the Navajo creation story and the saga of Monster Slayer into the lay of the land. Gathering together strands of landscape description, regional history, indigenous tales, ruminations on the Anasazi, and his new family's gradual union, Preston braids them into a neatly knotted story. Also woven into the adventure, giving it some needed buoyancy, are a clutch of artful characters the entourage meets en route. Many are Navajo guides required for passing through these parts, but there are also sinister types, mystics, and plain kooks. One tough journey, luminously remembered, pulled off with a combination of flair, grit, and good humor. (16 pages b&w photos, 5 maps, 25 drawings, not seen) (Author tour)
Pub Date: July 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-684-80391-7
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1995
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
© Copyright 2024 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.
bookshelf
