Ludwig Bemelmans writes beautifully, almost as though he is sketching with words. He is best known as the author of the series of childrens books about Madeline. But he wrote for adults as well, including this delightful book of sketches and stories published a year before the first Madeline book appeared. In this he describes his early adult life and the people that he met, customers and fellow employees, when he first came to America in 1916 to work in the hotel industry. And he is so observant. The stories are generous and affectionate even when they are mocking, and they include little descriptions of incidental detail, so that he slowly builds a picture of the world he lives in, and we come to understand his conflicted feelings about America and Germany. Continued ( )