I’ve read or listened to all 23 of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher series. So I guess you could mark me down as a died-in-the-wool fan. But Night School, the latest Reacher outing — even when superbly read by Dick Hill — is a disappointment.
For most of the series, Reacher was a very big guy — well over 6 ft and 250 lb — and preternaturally endowed with a remarkable memory, physical prowess, and rumble-in-the-jungle skills enough to take on 3-6 bad guys at once.
Reacher in this outing isn’t so amazing. Actually, he’s a lot like a character Tom Cruise could play.
But that’s not all. Reacher in earlier incarnations was a renegade, an outcast, a loner with a quirky and complex backstory. And each Reacher outing moved him forward in time while referencing some of the others. This Reacher is clever and capable, but definitely an establishment figure whose medals figure more prominently than his meddlesomeness. And the time frame is skewed 20 years back.
This Reacher retains some of the earlier characterizations, particularly the amazing intuition. But that’s overplayed in Night School. And he’s lost some of Reacher’s trademark habits. The old Reacher never changed clothes. He bought a total outfit as cheaply as possible, then discarded it in the store when he bought another. The old Reacher almost always worked alone. This outing is packed with CIA, State Dept, Army and other high level personnel.
Hey, Night School ain’t bad. But it ain’t Reacher either.
Kilmeade and Yaeger make history come alive with their vivid portraits of the six spies. But their portrait of Washington looks a lot like the Great General painted by Charles Willson Peale. How true to life could their Secret Six be when they get George Washington wrong?
Like Picasso, Strand was a chameleon whose “style” shifted over time. He began as a pictorialist, explored abstraction, and settled on realism. Like his mentor, Lewis Hines, he pursued social and political themes. Unlike most of his contemporaries, he made a good living doing what he liked. And unlike most still photographers, he also made films. In fact, for a time, he was best known for his films.
The food was fresh, most from local sources, well-prepared and appetizing. The menu features salads, including a tasty salad bar, steak and fish. Portions are generous and prices moderate. The missus says her filet mignon was the best ever. Maybe because they age their beef for at least 28 days.
While it’s always nice to visit with old friends, i.e. Norman Rockwell, the impetus for this visit was the new exhibit — Edward Hopper as Illustrator. The exhibit runs through October 26, 2014. This is a must-see, eye-opener for Hopper fans and students of early 20th century illustration.
Winogrand ‘s photos appeared in Life, Look, Sports Illustrated and Collier’s, but none of those are in the exhibit. The exhibit shows his personal photography in three groups — Down from the Bronx, A Student of America, and Boom and Bust. It includes some of the work from his three Guggenheim Fellowships.
