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ClareR (5996 KP) rated The Gloaming in Books

May 2, 2018 (Updated May 2, 2018)

The Gloaming

Kirsty Logan | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry, LGBTQ+, Science Fiction/Fantasy

10.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

A grown up fairy tale

This is a story which weaves the fantastical and the real together so well. It's set on a small, remote Scottish island, where the people there believe in selkies and turn to stone on a cliff top looking out to the ocean, when they die.
Mara Ross and her family live in a run down castle, that they never quite manage to repair. After her little brothers death, Mara leaves the island with Pearl, who she often refers to as a mermaid or a selkie (it's her job, actually).
This is a story of love, loss, hope, return and growing up. Fairy tales are used as a way of illustrating gender roles and how they have changed. This all sounds far too 'dry' though. This story is written in such lyrical, wistful language. It's beautiful. I could carry on reading it for another 200 pages. You're never quite sure what's real and what's fairy tale - and that's O.K.
And for the record, I like that there's no definite ending. I think that works really well with the rest of the novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher.

Kudos

Andy K (10823 KP) rated The Princess Bride (1987) in Movies

Mar 28, 2019

The Princess Bride (1987)

1987 | Adventure, Fantasy, Romance

8.8

(135 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

Director Rob Reiner really had a fantastic career as a director going in the 80s and early 90s with the likes of When Harry Met Sally..., Stand By Me, Misery, A Few Good Men, This is Spinal Tap and this film of course.

Based on the masterful screenplay by Hollywood mega-scribe William Goldman, it quite frankly gives us the perfect showcase for "True Love".

Every character has their place in bringing the story forward, and the laughs keep coming in every scene. I used to have long passages of the screenplay memorized and could quote at will.

My kids and I will often text each other back and forth with a quote-a-thon of the film (I always win!)

Whenever someone leaves our house to go somewhere someone will always say "Have fun storming the castle!".

If I am ever needing to lighten my mood, I will sometimes even just watch a few scenes or catch some clips on YouTube. Quite honestly I can just close my eyes and recite it from memory.

What a classic!

Kudos

Kevin Phillipson (10072 KP) Mar 28, 2019

One of those films I've never seen

Kudos

Hazel (1853 KP) rated Clockwork Dollhouse in Books

Oct 19, 2018 (Updated Oct 19, 2018)

Clockwork Dollhouse

Jordan Elizabeth Mierek | 2018 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Thriller, Young Adult (YA)

7.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

Short but gripping

A very short novella, Clockwork Dollhouse by Jordan Elizabeth is a haunting steampunk tale of revenge. Set in a previous century, Governor Robert Pendleton is shocked to discover an intruder in a set of rooms that have not been entered for years. He is even more shocked to discover the intruder is his niece, Ainsley, the daughter of his sister, Jane.

When Jane was young, unable to walk due to a disfigured foot, she took delight in creating mechanical dolls, representing her family. Ever since Ainsley, now an orphan, appeared at the castle, the dolls have taken on a life of their own, acting out events to suggest Robert had murdered his parents and sister. Unnerved, Robert wonders who is moving the dolls; is it Ainsley or have the mechanical figures come to life. Could it even be Jane's ghost?

In under thirty pages, Jordan Elizabeth engages readers with a gripping tale of secrets and deceit. The steampunk genre adds an extra element of thrill, making Clockwork Dollhouse an apt short story to be published at this time of year. Although short, it proves the author's skill and wide imagination.