Students Taking Charge Implementation Guide for Leaders: Inside the Learner-Active, Technology-Infused Classroom
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Learn how to create innovative, student-centered learning environments in your school. In this new...
Engagements with Graphic Literature
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Engagements with Graphic Literature introduces readers to the long and multicultural history of the...
The Elements of Information Gathering: A Guide for Technical Communicators, Scientists, and Engineers
Donald E. Zimmerman and Michel Muraski
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There are many how-to books on scientific and technical writing, and most of them devote a chapter...
This Much is True: 14 Directors on Documentary Filmmaking
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This Much Is True is a landmark volume about the art of directing documentaries, with contributions...
Digging Numbers: Elementary Statistics for Archaeologists
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This fully revised second edition retains the hands-on simple approach of the first edition but with...
Chloe (778 KP) rated The Glass House in Books
Feb 24, 2021
The characters are good and I really enjoyed the different viewpoints interlinking. I thought the transitions between each person were good like a movie almost.
The story was really good although perhaps slightly predictable once you have all the characters. I couldn't put it down for the last 100 pages.
Sometimes the cliffhangers were frustrating with nearly every chapter ending in one.
The Berenstain Bears' Nature Rescue
Mike Berenstain, Stan Berenstain and Jan Berenstain
10.0
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An engaging book from the bestselling Berenstain Bears Living Lights brand, with over 8 million...
Mae and June and the Wonder Wheel
9.0
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In this chapter book for young readers, June is thrilled to get a new neighbor: Mae! Soon the two of...
children children's fiction fiction humor funny middle grade
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Oh Dear Silvia in Books
Jun 7, 2018
(This review can also be found on my blog <a href="http://themisadventuresofatwentysomething.blogspot.co.uk">The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl</a>).
I love Dawn French! I think she is such a funny woman!! I was so happy to have won a copy of her fiction book entitled Oh Dear Silvia from Goodreads. However, once I started reading the book, it became apparent that I wasn't going to enjoy it.
Silvia is in a coma after falling from a balcony and hitting her head. Throughout her time in hospital, she is visited by family, her best friend, her ex-husband, her nurse, and her cleaner. Each has their own story to tell however odd it may be. Throughout this book, we will find out about who Silvia is.
The title of this book really works. After reading the book, I would say it definitely fits well with the story.
The cover of this book is quite bland. The tree on the cover of the book does have significance, but it's just rather boring. It wouldn't entice me to pick up this book to see what it's about. Surely, the cover could've been a bit more decorative.
The setting takes place mostly in suite 5 which is Silvia's room in hospital. The world building is alright. The memories of each visitor help set the story.
I found the pacing of Oh Dear Silvia to be extremely and painfully slow. At some points, I found myself skim reading the especially boring parts. I couldn't wait for this book to be over. There's not even one bit in this book where the pacing picks up. There's no real plot in this book, so there's definitely no plot twists. The pacing definitely lets this book down.
The dialogue is comedic at times which I found to be a small reprieve from the slowness of this book. Ed's dialogue really bored me.
The characters are well-developed which I found to be a relief. Each chapter of the book is told by someone who knows Silvia. The main characters that have their own chapters being Ed, Cat, Jo, Cassie, Winnie, and Tia. Ed is by far the most boring character that could ever be in a book. All he mostly talks about is his boring trees. Whilst I did find him to be a well-developed character, I found him extremely dull and found myself wishing that he'd just stop talking. Winnie and Tia were my favourite characters. Winnie has a big heart, and it really comes across in this book. Tia is from Indonesia so has a hard time pronouncing Silvia's surname which always made me laugh!! I found Tia and Jo to be the characters that brought the humour, and they delivered! Cat is the high strung character, and Cassie is the angry daughter. Each character has a unique personality. Well done to Dawn French for making each character unique! Through each of the characters' stories, we learn more and more about Silvia.
Even with the strong character personalities and comedic timing, this book still fell flat. I felt that this book was missing a plot. Oh Dear Silvia comes across more as a memoir about Silvia then anything else.
I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone except those who need help falling asleep. Dawn French is great, but this book just didn't do it for me.
Mastering Backbone.js
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Design and build scalable web applications using Backbone.js About This Book * Level up your...