Balancing Acts [Paperback]

Hoagland (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1999

Part memoir, part travel guide, these twenty-five essays have breathtaking range, taking us from the Yukon to Yemen to Belize and beyond.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The gems of this collection are the travel pieces (Hoagland describes himself as a chronicler of other peoples' vacations). He takes us on a train ride across the U.S., to the rain forests of Belize, the mountains of North Yemen, to Alaska and into the Okefenokee Swamp. He attends a cowboy-poet's convention in Elko, Nev., and accompanies his daughter on a trail trip in Wyoming. Author of Seven Rivers West and Heart's Desire , Hoagland pays tribute to naturalist writer and novelist Edward Abbey, discusses his literary heroes at various periods in his life and reminisces about his family and events in his childhood. Other essays reflect on the current literary scene and how political revolutions affect writers. This diverse and diverting collection surely will be read with pleasure.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Hoagland, author of Heart's Desire: The Best of Edward Hoagland ( LJ 9/15/88) and The Final Fate of the Alligators ( LJ 2/1/92), offers a wonderful assortment of essays with a broad range of themes. The most common threads here are travel, nature, and literature. The first essay, "West on the Zephyr," is about a train trip to California, and like a train trip, it slows things down and gives the reader a chance to study the landscape and its people. "Learning To Eat Soup" is a departure from the regular essay form; it gathers together short snapshots of thoughts, observations, and facts that surprise and at times delight. Hoagland has the unique power of drawing the reader into his world. In his foreword, he describes an essayist as someone who has a broad range of talents and opinions, "a man for all seasons," who can write the things that we almost thought to say ourselves. He does that very well and obviously has fun doing it. Highly recommended for public libraries.
- Lisa J. Cochenet, Rhinelander Dist. Lib., Wis.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: The Lyons Press; 1st edition (November 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558217436
• ISBN-13: 978-1558217430
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,704,002 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A ride, February 7, 2011

By 

trudy - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Balancing Acts (Paperback)

Join Hoagland on his journey through life's contortions....He is truly a challenging, but beautiful writer. His sentences worth the effort to be with a fascinating mind....

1 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THIS IS DEFINITELY THE GOOD PART, May 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Balancing Acts (Hardcover)

Words cannot describe the book. It was so good. I could not put it down. You have really out done yourself this time Lolita. I am waiting for the next book.