A torturous and sometimes comical attempt to trace Coronado's 450-year-old footsteps through the deserts and mountains of the American Southwest. Preston (Dinosaurs in the Attic, 1986) and an impoverished but free-spirited photographer-friend hire a wrangler (who actually knows less about horses than they do) and set off, even after they've been discouraged by those familiar with the country. Arguing over matters large and small as they go, the two men learn en route—about horses from cowboys they meet; about thirst from the death they court. Expecting to make 25 miles a day, they make four—or none, because they're searching for their horses, which ran off during the night. And all the time, they're aware that they're headed for the despoblado, the ``howling wilderness'' that almost killed Coronado and his men. Preston and his friend end up on precipices too narrow to dismount; they're almost washed away by torrential rains; they grow discouraged and consider giving up the journey. Preston dreams of walking into fine clothing stores and is despondent when he awakens in the arid wilderness. But the two persevere and discover the awesome grandeur of nature, as well as something about themselves. And when they come upon the first of what the Spanish thought were the Seven Cities of Gold, they understand that those early explorers had found something even better than gold—they found food. Throughout, Preston recounts the narratives of Coronado's expedition and other historical accounts, including those of the Indians of the Southwest. A Blue Highways on horseback, well worth the trip. (Maps.)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-671-73759-7
Page Count: 480
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1992
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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