The Charms Of Maira Kalman
Novelist Cathleen Schine confesses: ‘Last Christmas, I gave my mother a copy of “The Pursuit of Happiness” by Maira Kalman. Like many other adult Maira Kalmanites, I had discovered the book when it ran as an illustrated blog on The New York Times web site. My mother and I have similar taste in books so I thought she would love it. But a few days later, she called me, quite agitated, irate even, saying “What is this bizarre book you gave me? The letters go all over the page. It’s like a children’s book. What on earth gave you the idea I would want to read this?†An hour later, she called back. “Just forget what I said. I just had to get used to it. What a wonderful book!‒ And Maude agreed.
