"Marie Antoinette: The Last Queen of France"
by Evelyne Lever This book on sale!
A sympathetic portrait of history's most reviled queen? Mais
c'est impossible! But in "Marie Antoinette," historian
Evelyne Lever makes the last French royal look less like a
princess of excess and more like a party girl with a heart
of gold. Factor in bad judgment, an even worse marriage, and
some seriously angry peasants, and you get a biography that
reads like the most gripping historical fiction. (Not to
mention a queen with a substantially reduced hairstyle.)
"The Girl in the Picture"
by Denise Chong This book on sale!
She became a symbol of her country's suffering in the blink
of a camera shutter; the 1972 photograph of her tiny body
aflame won a Pulitzer Prize and was even credited with
helping end the Vietnam War. "The Girl in the Picture" tells
the story of Kim Phuc's life after her moment of fame,
rendering the struggles and triumphs of a woman whose
courage and faith took her through hell and back.
"Can't You Hear Me Callin': The Life of Bill Monroe"
by Richard D. Smith This book on sale!
What does it take to invent an art form from scratch? If
that form is bluegrass music, the answer is heartache, and
lots of it. "Can't You Hear Me Callin'" follows the
legendary Bill Monroe's evolution from the lonely,
cross-eyed son of a Kentucky farmer to one of the most
towering figures in American music--more influential, writes
Richard Smith, than Elvis himself.
"Waiting: The True Confessions of a Waitress"
by Debra Ginsberg This book on sale!
Anyone who's ever smiled at a table of drunks through
gritted teeth needs to pick up a copy of "Waiting." More to
the point, so does everyone who's ever placed an order of
their own. This warm, honest, and wickedly funny memoir
could be the floor staff's version of "Kitchen Confidential"
--or maybe just a cautionary guide for what not to do when
you're eating out.
EDITOR'S CHOICE
It's a veritable folie de Proust! First came Edmund White's
slender, artful 1999 biography; then William Carter's
magisterial work; and now French critic Jean-Yves Tadie
weighs in with a witty and elegant examination of the
novelist's life, work, and the differentiation thereof. Can
a rage for madeleines dipped in linden tea be far behind?
Peruse our list of biographies (and related works) and have
a Proustian moment of your own. This book on sale!
NEW IN PAPERBACK
"A Rage to Live: A Biography of Richard and Isabel Burton"
by Mary S. Lovell This book on sale!
"I Could Tell You Stories: Sojourns in the Land of Memory"
by Patricia Hampl This book on sale!
HOLLYWOOD DISH
From the "If You Don't Have Anything Nice to Say, Come Sit
by Me" department: "Cybill Disobedience" gives us the dirt
on Elvis, Bruce Willis, and the, ah, Cybill sandwich, in a
memoir our customers are calling "good gossip in a breezy,
bright package." (But "I wouldn't trust this woman with my
husband," another reader is quick to add.) Hungry for more
celeb bios? We've got 'em--from Liz Taylor to Judy Garland,
Burt Lancaster to Ol' Blue Eyes himself. This book on sale!
"The Life and Writings of Abraham Lincoln"
edited by Philip Van Doren Stern REVIEW
Abraham Lincoln's papers--including his first stump speech
in 1832, personal letters, and a pass a congressman was to
use to visit him the day after he was assassinated--along
with historian Philip Van Doren Stern's biography of the
great president, are published together for the first time
since 1940 in the Modern Library's "The Life and Writings of
Abraham Lincoln."
"George Eliot: The Last Victorian"
by Kathryn Hughes REVIEW
When Mary Ann Evans was born in 1819, she seemed predestined
to lead the quietly obscure life of other lower-class
British women of her era. But, as "George Eliot: The Last
Victorian" reveals, she famously defied her origins,
maturing into a great writer and influential Victorian
thinker.
"Dark Wind: A Survivor's Tale of Love and Loss"
by Gordon Chaplin REVIEW
A shared love of adventure drew Gordon Chaplin and Susan
Atkinson together, and the lovers soon set sail through the
Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean. When a tropical storm
surprised them, their decision to challenge nature came at a
devastating price. In "Dark Wind," Chaplin explores the
forces that united him and his wife and ultimately tore them
apart.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HEMINGWAY
He shot gazelles in Kenya, skied the Alps, tracked U-boats
through the Caribbean, and traveled through marriages at a
clip. The details of Ernest Hemingway's adventure-filled
life are nearly as well known as his literature. A collection
of books, headed up by Lillian Ross's "Portrait of Hemingway"
and the final volume of Michael Reynolds's epic biography of
the writer, reveals the literary giant as a man of many passions.
http://www.amazon.com/hemingway
"Portrait of Hemingway"
by Lillian Ross REVIEW
"Hemingway: The Final Years"
by Michael Reynolds REVIEW
A WOMAN OF SUBSTANCE
Eleanor Roosevelt was a formidable force for social change,
championing, most notably, the rights of women, minorities,
and the poor during her White House years and long after.
In an exclusive essay, ER's biographer Blanche Wiesen Cook
writes about the former first lady's political legacy,
pointing out that 50 years after Roosevelt began her work,
there is still much progress to be made.
"Eleanor Roosevelt: Vol. 2: 1933-1938"
by Blanche Wiesen Cook REVIEW
AUGUSTINE UNDRESSED
Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and biographer Garry Wills
sketches the life of the former bishop of Hippo in "Saint
Augustine," the latest addition to the lauded Penguin Lives
series.
"Saint Augustine"
by Garry Wills REVIEW
BIOGRAPHY BESTSELLERS
"A Clearing in the Distance"
by Witold Rybczynski REVIEW
"Legacy: A Biography of Moses and Walter Annenberg"
by Christopher Ogden REVIEW
MEMOIR BESTSELLERS
"Cinderella Story: My Life in Golf"
by Bill Murray REVIEW
"Front Row at the White House"
by Helen Thomas REVIEW
"High Exposure: An Enduring Passion for Everest and
Unforgiving Places"
by David Breashears REVIEW
RECENT PAPERBACK RELEASES
"Raymond Chandler: A Biography"
by Tom Hiney REVIEW
"Speaking with Strangers: A Memoir"
by Mary Cantwell REVIEW
"Minor Characters: A Beat Memoir"
by Joyce Johnson REVIEW
"Legacy: A Biography of Moses and Walter Annenberg"
by Christopher Ogden REVIEW
Prussian-born Moses Annenberg lived the American dream. He
arrived in the United States with little more than the
clothes on his back then built a publishing empire that
included the Philadelphia Inquirer. His son, Walter, created
Seventeen magazine and TV Guide and became a major patron of
American art. "Legacy" is a dual biography that explores the
contrasts and affinities of this powerful father and son.
"A Clearing in the Distance"
by Witold Rybczynski REVIEW
The life and work of Frederick Law Olmsted, designer of New
York's Central Park and Boston's Back Bay Fens, among other
famous commissions, are explored in "A Clearing in the
Distance." This intimate biography reveals that Olmsted
tried his hand at farming and newspaper reporting before
settling into a career that many American city dwellers are
likely thankful he chose.
"Farewell"
by Horton Foote REVIEW
Horton Foote is a classic Southern storyteller. In
"Farewell," the playwright who penned the delightful "A Trip
to Bountiful" brings readers into the heart of his own 1920s
Texas childhood, filled with colorful characters and rich,
if somewhat strange, traditions.
LIFE WITH FATHER
Historian Stephen Ambrose, theater director Peter Sheridan,
and actor Peter Fonda are just some of the writers who've
recently mined their paternal relationships for rich subject
matter. In honor of Father's Day we've collected these three
books along with a number of notable others that celebrate
and examine life with father.
Having previously chronicled the life of Sigmund Freud,
Peter Gay now turns to a very different subject: the
precocious, trash-talking genius known as Wolfgang Amadeus
Mozart. In an exclusive article, the author discusses the
psychological tug-of-war between the composer and his
domineering dad--and names his Mozartian top 10! "Mozart"
by Peter Gay REVIEW
SUMMER LOVIN'
Vladimir Nabokov's most famous love story may have featured
a 12-year-old "nymphet," but in real life his wife, Vera,
was his lifelong muse. Suzanne Valadon's beauty inspired
many of the major impressionists. And Gerald and Sara
Murphy's passionate marriage is nearly legend. Their stories
are among those we've found in a set of books that guarantee
you'll enjoy a summer romance, if only vicariously.
"Vera (Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov)"
by Stacy Schiff REVIEW
"Suzanne Valadon: Mistress of Montmartre"
by June Rose REVIEW
"Everybody Was So Young: Gerald and Sara Murphy, a Lost
Generation Love Story"
by Amanda Vaill REVIEW
"Morgan: American Financier"
by Jean Strouse REVIEW
"The First Partner: Hillary Rodham Clinton"
by Joyce Milton REVIEW
"Joan of Arc: Her Story"
by Regine Pernoud and Marie-Veronique Clin REVIEW
"All Too Human: A Political Education"
by George Stephanopoulos REVIEW
"Another Life: A Memoir of Other People"
by Michael Korda REVIEW
"The Hungry Ocean: A Swordboat Captain's Journey"
by Linda Greenlaw REVIEW
In Paperback: "Angela's Ashes"
by Frank McCourt REVIEW
In Paperback: "Stephen Sondheim: A Life"
by Meryle Secrest REVIEW
In Paperback: "The Queen of Whale Cay: The Eccentric Story of 'Joe'
Carstairs, Fastest Woman on Water"
by Kate Summerscale REVIEW
"Another Life"
by Michael Korda REVIEW
The publishing world is abuzz with word of Michael Korda's
new memoir, "Another Life." Nobody is safe, it seems, from
the fiercely detailed memory of the editor in chief of Simon
& Schuster, who packs the book with delightfully dishy tales
about his colleagues, competitors, and other notables.
Detailed recollections of Swifty Lazar's "tiny shoes" and
Joan Crawford's "standard New York City landlord-issue white
walls" abound.
"The First Partner"
by Joyce Milton
REVIEW
Though Hillary Rodham Clinton is arguably the most
politically active first lady in history, she is still
eclipsed by her powerful husband. Joyce Milton's thorough
biography pulls its subject out of the shadows, examining
everything from her personal history, political
accomplishments, and aspirations to the complex manner in
which she supports both her husband's political agenda and
personal choices.
"Walker Evans"
by James Mellow
REVIEW
"You can't write anything but lies about the past," Walker
Evans once said to explain why he would never write a
memoir. Still, the photographer was fond of recounting
stories about his life and his photographs to friends and
acquaintances. Veteran biographer James Mellow started with
the stories then mined a wealth of letters, personal papers,
and photographs to create this definitive biography of the
photographer, whose iconic images of mid-century rural
America helped usher in the era of modern photography.
"Front Row at the White House"
by Helen Thomas
REVIEW
The inimitable Helen Thomas, dean of the White House Press
Corps, has covered the presidential beat for the Associated
Press since 1961. In that time she's watched eight different
presidents take the podium in the White House briefing room,
asked thousands of pointed questions, and had her share of
run-ins with peeved press secretaries, fellow reporters, and
even first ladies. Her vibrant anecdotes fill the pages of
her briskly paced memoir, "Front Row at the White House."
"44 Dublin Made Me"
by Peter Sheridan
REVIEW
The heart of the Dublin that made playwright Peter Sheridan
was found at 44--44 Seville Place, that is, a house filled
with seven children who were coming of age during the 1960s,
when both the Beatles and the Troubles in Belfast erupted.
Comparisons to Roddy Doyle and Frank McCourt may be
inevitable, but Sheridan tells the tale of his Irish
childhood in a voice that is distinctly his own.
"Jane Austen: A Life"
by Claire Tomalin
REVIEW
The author of "Pride and Prejudice," "Persuasion," and
other comedies of manners gets a biography similar in tone
to her own books: intelligent but not intellectual, witty
without being nasty. Claire Tomalin, author of four previous
biographies of notable British women, treats Jane Austen
(1775-1817) with the respect her genius deserves. Tomalin
eschews gossip and speculation in favor of a sober account
of the writer's life that nonetheless sparkles with sly
humor. Perceptive analyses of each of Austen's novels, with
autobiographical links suggested but never insisted upon,
add to the value of "Jane Austen: A Life."
"Havana Dreams"
by Wendy Gimbel
REVIEW
All the main players in Wendy Gimbel's first memoir are
steeped in reverie. Spurred on by memories of a roseate pre-
Revolutionary Cuba where she spent summers as a child,
playing in vast, shady courtyards surrounded by perfumed
women and sugar-cane sweets, Gimbel returns to Cuba in the
'90s in order to reclaim that vision. Instead of finding her
"grandmother's Cuba," she is met instead by a nightmare of
decrepitude, poverty, and disillusionment. She seeks to
reconcile the Cuba of her dreams with the Cuba of the
present, and finds a family of women whose own imaginations
straddle past and present. Gimbel then weaves the epic story
of Cuban history out of the fabric of their family drama and
dreams. "Havana Dreams" is at once the story of these
women's lives, a history of a country, and a multifaceted
dreamscape.
At the center is Dona Natica, a Batista-era socialite who,
despite Castro's Communist regime, cloisters herself in the
past, living in a decrepit mansion amid ancient crystal and
china and pointing out her resemblance to England's Queen
Elizabeth to anyone who visits. In direct opposition to
Natica is her daughter Naty. In the heat of a revolutionary
passion, she denounced her bourgeoisie existence (including
a wealthy doctor husband and a young daughter) and took up
with a hothead rabble-rouser named Fidel Castro. She
corresponded with him while he was jailed for his failed
insurrection against Batista--their letters are a
fascinating inclusion in the book--and, when he was freed,
bore his quasi-acknowledged daughter, Alina. Castro's
revolution soon replaced Naty as his object of affection,
and she dreams still of regaining his attention. These two
women's sense of longing is passed on to the next generation
as Nina, the elder of Naty's daughters, pursues an almost
unrealistically stereotypical suburban life in America while
Alina dreams of Miami and freedom and the father she never
really knew. These women's tales, lyrically conveyed by
Gimbel, hint at the complexity and richness of the modern
Cuban experience.
"Morgan: American Financier"
by Jean Strouse
REVIEW
