Appealing book design can't rescue a leaden look at the life and work of the eminent architect. Rubin (Emily Good as Gold, 1993) offers a coherent but drab account of Wright's life and the development of his art. She mentions his several women, but disposes of them quickly (after his lover Mamah Cheney was murdered, he ``missed [her] dreadfully and lost weight at first''), and, since she doesn't cite sources, her analytical comments are sometimes moot (``Wright's own broken home may have driven him to create beautiful homes for other American families''). They are also seemingly contradictory: Wright, an avid collector of Japanese art ``denied any direct influence from Japanese architecture,'' and, though he espoused the revolutionary idea that houses should be designed around the people who lived in them, many of his chairs are described as favoring ``art over comfort.'' The photos, though frequent and mostly in color, have a cramped, cropped look and, worse, will not help viewers understand Wright's vision. There are no exterior views or floor plans for his ``usonian'' houses; the Storer house and Fallingwater are seen from unrevealing, low angles; and Taliesin is barely glimpsed through surrounding trees. As books about Wright abound, this, though handsome, is at best supplemental. (No bibliography; cursory index) (Biography. 12- 15)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1994
ISBN: 0-8109-3974-6
Page Count: 92
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 1994
In a sequel to the well-received I Have Lived a Thousand Years (1997, not reviewed), Bitton-Jackson writes of her life as Elli Friedmann in 1945, when she, her brother, and mother were liberated from Auschwitz and sent back to their former home in Czechoslovakia. Finding only a shell of the place they had known, they struggled to rebuild some semblance of life and waited for the return of Elli’s father. When they realized he was gone for good, their only hope through all their efforts was the prospect of obtaining papers that would allow them to emigrate to America. Through the long years that they waited, Elli found work teaching, and helping other Jews escape to Palestine, a dangerous and illegal undertaking. When they finally arrived in New York City, relatives welcomed them; an epilogue collapses most of the author’s adult life into a few paragraphs so readers will know the directions her life took. Interesting and inspiring, this story makes painfully clear how the fight to survive extended well beyond the war years; the discomforts and obstacles the author faced and articulates in such riveting detail will make readers squirm at the security and ease of their own lives. (Memoir. 12-14)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-689-82026-7
Page Count: 258
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
Marguerite Henry died barely two years ago, after living the life of which most writers dream: She wrote from the time she was young, her parents encouraged her, she published early and often, and her books were honored and loved in her lifetime. Her hobby, she said, was words, but it was also her life and livelihood. Her research skills were honed by working in her local library, doing book repair. Her husband Sidney supported and encouraged her work, and they traveled widely as she carefully researched the horses on Chincoteague and the burros in the Grand Canyon. She worked in great harmony with her usual illustrator, Wesley Dennis, and was writing up until she died. Collins is a bit overwrought in his prose, but Henry comes across as strong and engaging as she must have been in person. Researchers will be delighted to find her Newbery acceptance speech included in its entirety. (b&w photos, bibliography, index) (Biography. 9-12)
Pub Date: March 10, 1999
ISBN: 1-883846-39-0
Page Count: 112
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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