Farwell (Armies of the Raj, 1989, etc.) breaks little new ground in this nevertheless limpidly written biography of the Confederate hero. Thomas J. ``Stonewall'' Jackson, in a military career spanning less than two years, achieved one of the great military reputations of the American Civil War. Unlike many other leaders of the South, Jackson did not come from an aristocratic background. His West Point education and his superb military achievements in both the Mexican War and the Civil War were the product of personal tenacity, intelligence, and talent rather than of privilege. Jackson's personal eccentricities have become the stuff of legend, but Farwell debunks many of them (for instance, that Jackson continually sucked lemons during battle). The author succeeds in humanizing Jackson (his correspondence with his sister is particularly touching) away from the odd, machinelike military genius of Civil War myth, and he conveys vividly Jackson's singular, complex personality. But the most essential element of the Jackson legend remains intact here: that Jackson, as an intensely pious taskmaster who worshipped a stern Old Testament God, was a harsh disciplinarian who drove both himself and his men mercilessly in pursuit of his military objectives. Skillfully using letters and eyewitness accounts, Farwell relates Jackson's brilliant military victories: the classic Valley campaign that established his reputation; the Seven Days, in which Jackson performed erratically; Cedar Mountain; and Chancellorsville, in which Jackson proved the single most important contributor to Lee's greatest victory but in which he was mortally wounded by his own men. Farwell concludes that while Jackson had real genius as a battlefield commander, his strange, insular personality would have rendered him unfit for any higher command, and that he was most valuable to the Southern cause as Lee's subordinate. A down-to-earth biography that shows appreciation for Jackson's greatness without resorting to hero-worship. (Photographs, maps—not seen.)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1992
ISBN: 0-393-03389-9
Page Count: 512
Publisher: Norton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1992
BOOK REVIEW
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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