Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 17, 1991 TAG: 9102210427
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Retired Brethren minister and Salem resident Merlin Garber has written a short book about some of the persons he has encountered during the 30 years he has managed a motel.
"Vacancy" is a compilation of stories about 31 memorable guests. Their descriptions range from "The Ex-Virgin" to "The Kidnapper" to "The Mystery Man." Each narrative is well-written and honest.
In many instances, Garber served more as counselor and listener than an innkeeper, particularly for those guests whose stay was more than a night. In the introduction, the author writes, "My relationship with them became an adventure in friendship, understanding and acceptance." These little adventures are worth reading.
- Nelson Harris.
Good Queen Bess: The Story of Elizabeth I of England.
By Diane Stanley and Peter Vennema. MacMillan. $14.95.
"Good Queen Bess" presents historical fact in a narrative that will appeal to readers from ages 10 to 80. Elizabeth I is portrayed as an intelligent, intuitive and tolerant queen whose accomplishments were so great that her 45-year reign became known as the Elizabethan Age.
Crowned at 25, Elizabeth knew four foreign languages, survived smallpox, endured imprisonment and sometimes threw temper tantrums to get her way. Most importantly, Elizabeth excercised religious tolerance during a time when persecution and death were the consequences for choosing an unpopular religion.
Authors Stanley and Vennema combine personal, social, religious and political details to create a well-rounded, concise biography. The intelligent text, which may be challenging for younger readers, goes beyond the standard textbook focus on a queen who is known for her role in establishing the Virginia colony. For that reason, teachers may find this a solid and easily understood addition to their history classes.
Stanley's illustrations, done in deep tones and intentionally two-dimensional, reflect her knowledge of 16th-century art. For an audience that still enjoys pictures, but doesn't want to read picture books, "Good Queen Bess" should be a good middle ground.
Robert Bateman: An Artist in Nature./ By Robert Bateman and Rick Archbold. Random House/Madison Press. $60.
Robert Bateman is one of the world's most sucessful wildlife artists. "An Artist in Nature" relates Bateman the artist to Bateman the naturalist and environmentalist.
The books is divided into a text by Rick Archbold and a "gallery" consisting of more than 120 color plates and accompanying commentary by Bateman. His comments are welcome and his pictures are interesting. Bateman captures the texture of an elephant's face, a peaceful moment in an Alpine meadow, the delicate pink and peach plumage of sandhill cranes.
Archbold's text, presumably commissioned by the artists, comes across as self-serving. Bateman, through Archbold, insists that he should be regarded as an artist, not just as an illustrator.
Bateman should have let the pictures do the talking.
- Randy Walker.
Widows/ By Ed McBain. Morrow. $19.
"Widows" isn't quite the masterpiece that last year's "Vespers" was. Instead, it's just a first-rate police procedural with an emotional depth and honesty that are rarely found in any knid of fiction, mainstream or mystery. This is McBain's 42rd visit to the 87th Precinct. Amazingly, the novels have retained a freshness and originality that no other series, to my knowledge, has ever matched.
This one begins with two murders. A beautiful young woman is stabbed and her older lover is shot outside his apartment building. Detective Steve Carella has just begun his investigation when his own father is killed during a robbery attempt. Before it's over, several of the other regulars take part, too, but the secondary focus is on Eileen Burke, who is training to become a hostage negotiator.
The working out of the initial crimes is the weakest part of the novel. There's nothing really wrong with it, but some readers will figure it out before they should. That doesn't matter, though. When McBain turns to the grief, fear and doubt that plague his protagonists, the mechanics of the plot are insignificant.
- Mike Mayo/Book Page Editor
Nelson Harris is pastor of the Ridgewood Baptist Church./ Sara Zeek lives in Clifton Forge and is a senior at Hollins College/ Randy Walker is a free-lance writer in Roanoke.
by CNB