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Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated The House Girl in Books

May 10, 2018

The House Girl

Tara Conklin | 2013 | Fiction & Poetry

8.0

(2 Ratings)

Book Rating

Carolina Sparrow is a first year lawyer working in New York City. She is great at her job and her boss, Dan has told her that she is on track to become an excellent lawyer. Josephine Bell is a slave at the Bell Plantation in southern Virginia. It is the mid-1800's and she is ready to leave the slave life for something better. When a company contacts Lina's law firm to collect reparations for the slaves, Lina is given the task of finding a plaintiff who is a direct descendant of a slave. When Luann Bell's artwork comes into question at a local art exhibit, claiming the work could have been done by her house girl, Josephine, Lina uses this opening to find the plaintiff she may need. The book takes us back and forth between Lina and Josephine. Lina, trying to find a direct descendant of Josephine Bell and Josephine, trying to escape the Bell Plantation.

I'm torn between giving this book 3-4 stars. I was thoroughly intrigued by the subject matter, but didn't find myself running to read/listen to this book. I think part of this was due to the fact that for a few weeks, reading wasn't appealing to me and everything I picked up, I didn't find interesting enough to keep reading.

One really interesting aspect to this book was the racial divide. Lina, is a white girl from New York looking for descendants for a slave who escaped in 1852, shortly after the lady of the house passed away. This discovery takes Lina on a journey through Virginia that she never anticipated. She will uncover things that will turn history on end. This book has been on my TBR list for a while. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was thoroughly surprised. I recommend this book for anyone who is interested in this subject matter or for a good book, with a deep historical message. I look forward to reading more books by Tara Conklin.

Kudos

Mobo Hide and Seek

Games, Education and Stickers

(0 Ratings) Rate It

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It’s always a good time to nurture your child's curiosity. The perfect game for young explorers....

Acanthea Grimscythe (300 KP) rated The Eyes of My Mother (2016) in Movies

May 12, 2018

The Eyes of My Mother (2016)

2016 | Drama, Horror

9.5

(2 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Though The Eyes of My Mother is listed as a slasher movie, the term “psychological thriller” feels far more appropriate. If a film bears the “slasher” label, I expect lots of gore. This film fails to meet that expectation. It may be the fact that this movie is in black and white that lessens the impact of its more gruesome moments. Nonetheless, The Eyes of My Mother is a haunting and terrifying journey that explores the depths of human depravity.

Starring Kika Magalhaes, The Eyes of My Mother follows Francisca as she matures. Her fear of loneliness reminds us that she is still human while her “hobbies” simultaneously tell us differently. Francisca is an extremely complicated character, but Magalhaes’s performance is genuine and lends credence to the role. It also helps that Magalhaes shares the same cultural background.

This movie is an art house film. If you aren’t a fan of this style, you may not enjoy it. If you are, you can find it on Netflix. I don’t have any large gripes about the film, nor do I have any complaints about its plot. It’s fairly simple and direct. If I must find an issue, it is the fact that no one takes notice of the fact that people disappear.

Overall, I can say that this is a film that I will watch again in the future.

Kudos

BookwormMama14 (18 KP) rated The Time Chamber: A Magical Story and Colouring Book in Books

Jan 2, 2019

Take a break from the chaos of life and spend hours immersed in the intricacies and the magic of The Time Chamber, a coloring book for adults.

The red haired fairy leaves her time garden to visit our world. She brings with her, a few magical items, which you must find hidden in the pages. Everything she touches is a magical new adventure for her. She explores our world as the little girl sleeps. When the girl awakens, the fairy retreats back to her own world.

I have always enjoyed art. Whether it's painting an original piece, coloring a fuzzy poster, doing a paint-by-number or doodling in my son's coloring book, I find relaxation in expressing myself through my artwork. So when I discovered coloring books for adults, I did a happy dance. I have spent hours coloring in The Time Chamber. The detail is incredible and the artwork intricate. I also found the story line enchanting. Although, I did find a few inconsistencies with the patterns that my O.C.D. did not like, I was able to overlook them and enjoy my time. Overall, this is a very charming book and I absolutely love taking time out of the day to relax and color.

I received a free copy of The Time Chamber from Penguin Random House Publishing through Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.