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University Daily Kansan Wednesday, January 12. 1955
Books: New Kimbrough Book 'Captivating'
FORTY PLUS AND FANCY FREE, by Emily Kimbrough, 236 pages, Harper and Brothers, New York.
Emily Kimbrough produces what is almost as young and completely captivating as "Our Hearts Were Young and Gay," in her newest novel, "Forty Plus and Fancy Free."
The book is a narrative record of the travels of four grand-mothers, besides Miss Kimbrough, who decided to touch the shores of Europe once again for a three-month holiday.
Preparations are made, and off go the "girls (as they speak of themselves when not in earshot of the public). First France and Paris, then Italy and Venice, with that wonderful Chianti wine and delicate food, play host to the women.
The descriptions of the countries and cities are excellent, proving that Miss Kimbrough is still excellently attuned to what beautiful surroundings can offer.
The people of the countries, everyone from taxi drivers to royalty. are put down in Miss Kimbrough's delightfully accurate manner in such a way that each chapter makes the reader feel as though he is spending 15 minutes in Paris or Venice.
Many things happen to the "girls," but the most typical Kimbrough incident was when after admiring a peculiar looking musical instrument in a Rome restaurant. Miss Kimbrough was told to return the next evening, when she would be presented with one of her own.
Miss Kimbrough did return—and was presented with a chamber pot. It was covered with hide, with a small hole punched in the middle. She was given a stick, which was to be dipped in water and thrust through the hole, thus producing musical medleys. Miss Kimbrough was delighted.
The finale of the book takes place in London at coronation time. Miss Kimbrough broadcasted the coronation to America via CBS.
Her last chapter, centered on the coronation, is very stirring, though very much in the Kimbroughnian vein. She tells of the rented coronets, and of the peers driving to the ceremony in their old station wagons. She tells of the cheering school boys, and of how the coronation decorations, which covered all London, were never torn or touched by the people.
A very useful feature at the end of the book is a long list of restaurants visited by the four grandmothers and presented to the public with their stamp of high approval.
The line illustrations by Mircea Vasiliu are amusing and very much in keeping with the text.
The book is small, easy to handle, and filled with fun. Nevertheless, it presents a picture of Europe today, at times serious, but mostly a pleasant relief from the many stuffy state-of-the-world novels.
REUNION, by Merle Miller, 345 pages, Viking Press, New York City.
Thirteen highly individualistic people are styled by Merle Miller's highly detailed pen in "Reunion," the novel which seemingly sings the song of America's unhappy sexual situation.
The action takes place during one detailed day. The characters, including everything from and between a psychotic killer to a Kansas editor, go busily about the day thinking mainly about and acting upon their unconsummated love affairs.
The thread that holds the story together is the reunion (thus the title) of the major male characters, eight of them, who had fought together in World War II. The reunion is held at the home of their former captain, Jason Merrick. The wives and girl friends, all very eccentric and not too normal, accompany the men.
By the time the characters are calling cabs to take them to their reunion, they have all reached some sort of a resolution about how to solve their real or imaginary crises. Their troubles are for the most part centered around marital problems.
Thirteen characters would cause most authors some difficulty and most readers some confusion. However, Miller handles the characters in a definite way, keeping each enough of an individual so as not to confuse the reader.
The book is a "New York" book, overflowing with cocktails and a very sophisticated New York atmosphere. Of course, the cast is quite cosmopolitan, even including an Iowa farmer—but such a sophisticated Iowa farmer!
Miller, a young author, has six books to his credit. The book preceding "Reunion" is a modern history entitled "We Droppe the A-Bomb." Now that he has fulfilled his "New Yorkish" novel seemingly required of all young authors today, he should go or to produce some improved and very interesting fiction.
Not too long ago there was no such cry of horror as—He's a Communist. Being a member of the Communist party was no crime or disgrace. Many United States citizens belonged to the party . . . respected citizens, persons in high offices in government, maybe your next door neighbor.
-Mary Bess Stephens
One Woman's Opinion
But today those persons must hide their faces or come up for trial under an accusation of being a "subversive." These people today are paying a big price for partaking in something which was just as natural then as belonging to the American Legion is today.
America shouts democracy. Its people strive to recognize all groups, see that no discrimination is practiced in the country, and point to the Constitution as the ideal of all documents by which a country is run.
It abhors censorship, puts out of practice those laws which hinder man's "fundamental and inherent rights," while officials m a k e speeches stressing the freedom of the individual. In short, Americans claim to be part of the true democracy where all men possess their freedoms unquestionably.
Yet, doesn't this seem a bit inconsistent? If America is really the true democracy that it boasts of, why should it condemn an individual for belonging to an organization a few years ago when national and international conditions were completely different?
The relationship between Russia and the United States was not always as strained as it is today. The Soviet Union was America's ally in a war just 10 years ago. "Thanks to Russia Teas" were being held in many cities. No one thought of investigating persons for being a member of the Communist party because he was a threat to the security of the United States.
Such accused persons cannot honestly be convicted of "subversiveness" if the United States is to follow its democratic foundation and principles. It is not right that they be made the victims of America's campaign to strengthen the national security.
-Nancy Neville
Letters
To the Editor:
Chi Omega Fountain Adds Beauty to Campus?
Sears and Roebuck's addition to the campus might make them proud, but is Chi Omega pleased with this disarranged "catalogue piece?" Why was a contest necessary to select a design for their fountain if the result was to be chaos in concrete?
The Greek figures are nice; the English mountain goats are nice; and the limestone was nice—in Indiana. But, put them all together and we hail a . . . tub of water!
Not only does this $5,000 ton of concrete block driver's vision, it consumes an area that could be used for something pretty.
This retail reservoir may become a campus tradition—but why?
2nd year architecture
Is it fair to slice the G.I. benefits?
Some seem to think it quite unfair,
mostly those who have service time
to do. You say its easy to say its
fair if you don't have to go in—well,
2nd year architecture John Cook
Roger Thom
LITTLE MAN ON CAMPUS by Dick Bibler
"I think the trouble with most of our Freshmen is that th' high schools just aren't teaching them to read."
Finals Soon-Begin Now
Begin now! That's about the best tip we can pass on to the many victims of that strange malady which attacks the campus each semester at this time, the understandably anguishing disease of Final Examitis.
Within the course of the last week, dinner table conversations have miraculously switched from Christmas vacation, the new fieldhouse, and the hopes of the basketball team to the more dreadful aspects of the final exam schedule and how-the-dickens-we'll-get-it-all-studied.
And the best way in the world is to start right now. We know very few students who haven't slipped a little behind in reading assignments, and we honestly wonder if some of them have even bought their textbooks yet. Ten days from now these would-be scholars will be wailing that it's just impossible to study for three finals in one day . . . and it obviously is!
But many of those term papers and projects can be finished before the last night, and surely the outside reading could be tackled this week. This schedule, though hard to enforce for many of us, would leave the student additional hours during final week to prepare for his exams.
We have learned from past experience that the age-old custom of "cramming," attempting to assimilate a semester's information within a few hours, just doesn't efficiently do the job. And a coffee-drinking all-night study session isn't the best way to insure an alert mind in the morning, sad as it seems.
The basic purpose of finals is to review, and if we treat them as just that instead of the occasion for catching up the last six weeks' assignments, maybe we can cut down a little on the "fatalities" of final examitis. Good luck anyway. —Amy DeYong
the boys had to go in between '46 and Korea and didn't receive anything. Was this not part of the cold war?
Do you want your cake and eat it too, served on a silver platter? Let's face it—the service is a sacrifice. I'll admit, but the dangers of a war far outweigh the hardships of a cold war.
Does the government pay the men who work on the atomic bomb the same as they pay ditch diggers or secretaries? Why not, that's what you want them to do for you. Must we continue pampering our spoiled children?
F. K. Johnson
engineering sophomore
Hey there, you with the tears in your eyes. Not everybody can pass the English proficiency test.
University of Kansas Student Newspaper News Room, KU 251 Ad Room, KU 378 Member of the Inland Daily Press association. Associated Collegiate Press association. Represented by the National vertifying representative 420 by N.Y.U. Mail subscription rates: $3 a semester or $4.50 a year (add $1 a semester if less than $4.50). Lawrence, Kan., every afternoon during the university verity year except Saturdays and Sundays University holidays and examination periods. Entered as second class student. Registered at 171 E. 12th Street post office under act of March 3, 1874.
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