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Speed Reader
By Blake de pastino, Sue Schuurman, Stephen Ausherman, Michael Henningsen
DECEMBER 8, 1997:
Martini Diaries
by Leslie Ann Nash (Chronicle, cloth, $22.95)
Because of the recent return to the Age of Swank, young wags everywhere
are now sipping on martinis. Could the literature of the lounge
lizard be far behind? Martini Diaries is a work of fiction,
written up to look like a collection of behind-the-rail notes
compiled by the bartender of a Parisian jazz club. Accented with
anecdotes and quotes relating to the club's famous clientele,
the body of the Diaries is a list of highly unlikely martini
recipes, many of which were (we are to believe) created at the
customer's request. Josephine Baker's take on the drink called
for a floating rose petal. Noel Coward required pickled sweetbreads.
Et cetera. Martini Diaries is so cool it's hokey, but nonetheless
it's handsome to look at and comes with a brushed metal slipcase
to protect these recipes from a sloppily-issued jigger of vermouth.
(BdeP)
Memoirs of a Geisha
by Arthur Golden (Knopf, cloth, $25)
The world of a geisha should be foreign enough to most modern-day
Western readers. Although it's obvious this tale of a young Japanese
girl being sold by her father into a brutal life as a slave, perhaps
with a future as a geisha, has been meticulously researched and
is rich with detail, this work is none other than an adolescent
romance novel. There are occasional gems, such as poetic descriptions
of the geisha Sayuri's inner turmoil likened to the forces of
wind or water. But a good two-thirds of the novel centers on the
unrequited pining of Sayuri for a wealthy older man and the endless
manipulations among the other geishas in Kyoto, who compete for
the attentions of businessmen drunk on sake. Arthur Golden,
a scholar of Japanese history, should consider sticking to nonfiction.
(SS)
Plays Well With Others
by Allan Gurganus (Knopf, cloth, $25)
When Allan Gurganus set out to write his first book, Oldest
Living Confederate Widow Tells All, he said it wouldn't be
done until the manuscript was as thick as a cinderblock. In
Plays Well with Others, his second full-length novel, Gurganus
once again strives for the grand scale by likening New York City
in the '80s to the Titanic. Hartley, the narrator, reflects on
his circle of artist friends and their life of vocational partying.
They're young, successful, completely self-absorbed and unaware
of the doom lurking in the waters ahead: AIDS. While not a fiercely
original idea for a story, and perhaps my least favorite from
the North Carolina author, it's still an insightful study of what
it means to be the caretaker of dying friends. Besides, you gotta
love a book that starts out with a chapter titled "Thirty
Dildoes." (SA)
Post Punk Diary: 1980-1982
by George Gimarc (Griffin, paper, $24.95)
Talk about being all-consumed. George Gimarc doesn't simply reflect
on two years in the wonderful world of punk rock--the transitional
period between American and U.K. punk of the '70s and the birth
of new wave--he gives a day-by-day account. Post Punk Diary
contains more detailed information on the bands, the records,
live shows and media events than most people are willing or able
to digest. And without a bibliography or list of sources, the
reader is left to believe that Gimarc was there--everywhere--every
day. The book is an overwhelming document of history. The period
he covers is brief, but Gimarc's knowledge of what happened and
to whom is daunting. Behold, the ultimate in anal. Post Punk
Diary is an astounding achievement, but one that only the
rabid few are likely to fully appreciate. (MH)
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