An elegantly written study of an increasingly popular genre.
Johnson (The Hidden Writer, 1997) has compiled dozens of intriguing anecdotes related to journal-writing. We discover, for example, that Truman Capote preferred writing in other people’s homes, while John Updike delegated four rooms in his house to a different genre of writing. The author also reveals here the great lengths to which diarists have gone to ensure their privacy: women dwelling in China’s Hunan province write in a secret diary language known only to them, while da Vinci wrote his journals in mirror-writing and Samuel Pepys kept his in code. Johnson’s enthusiasm for diaries is infectious, and she urges the reader to view the journal as “the one friend you’d never betray.” She sees journals as a means of preserving family history—even traditional recipes—for the next generation, and as a cathartic way to cope with critical illness, divorce, and the passing of loved ones. In addition, keeping a journal can help us find hidden patterns in life’s seemingly random events and prod us to make suitable decisions. And, yes, the author sees the journal as raw material for publishable memoirs, and offers advice on how to cull such material.
An elegantly written study of an increasingly popular genre.Pub Date: Jan. 4, 2001
ISBN: 0-316-12020-0
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2000
BOOK REVIEW
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
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
© 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.
