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ClareR (5589 KP) rated Lightseekers in Books
Feb 23, 2021
Lightseekers is a fantastic thriller set in Nigeria. I love books set in other countries (i.e. set outside the UK), in the hope that I’ll learn something about the people and the culture - and I think that was exactly the case for both me and the main character, Philip Taiwo in this book. He has lived in the US for long enough to forget how things are done in his home country of Nigeria, and for long enough to be considered an outsider. Luckily for Philip, he has a competent helper in Chika - a man employed as his driver who is clearly much more than just that. There’s a lot of mystery surrounding Chika’s capabilities, and he certainly has a way with people that Philip needs to talk to. Sometimes that’s a good thing, sometimes not so much.
This isn’t a straightforward, easy investigation. There’s corruption at every turn, and the mob mentality and fear of being caught on the wrong side of that, radiates off the page. It was pretty difficult at times to work out who was on the side of ‘good’ and who wasn’t - the lines were so blurred. It was pretty obvious that social media in this case contributed negatively to what had happened, and how easily its users were manipulated - I’ve been seeing this a lot in books recently, and as a user of Social Media, I can see where these authors are coming from!
I really enjoyed reading this on The Pigeonhole, and I think Femi Kayode is going to be an author to look out for if this book is anything to go by. Thanks Pigeonhole for serialising this, and Femi for joining in the chat in the margins!
This isn’t a straightforward, easy investigation. There’s corruption at every turn, and the mob mentality and fear of being caught on the wrong side of that, radiates off the page. It was pretty difficult at times to work out who was on the side of ‘good’ and who wasn’t - the lines were so blurred. It was pretty obvious that social media in this case contributed negatively to what had happened, and how easily its users were manipulated - I’ve been seeing this a lot in books recently, and as a user of Social Media, I can see where these authors are coming from!
I really enjoyed reading this on The Pigeonhole, and I think Femi Kayode is going to be an author to look out for if this book is anything to go by. Thanks Pigeonhole for serialising this, and Femi for joining in the chat in the margins!
Merissa (11731 KP) rated Meet Me at the Top in Books
Jul 27, 2022 (Updated Jul 27, 2023)
A short but oh-so-sweet story.
MEET ME AT THE TOP is a short but oh-so-sweet story about two people who meet by accident and yet make an impact on each others' lives.
Alice is having a dream trip to the city where her favourite film was made. She meets Sam when she goes to a bar to see if she can sit in the same seat. I would say the attraction is immediate, but neither of them acts upon it. After all, that would be a little weird! Instead, they chat and then bump into each other again later on. This leads to a dinner invitation that Alice has the choice to accept or not, completely on her terms.
I really enjoyed this story but I. NEED. MORE!!!! This is the reason novellas aren't my favourite. This only gave me a snippet and left me with so many questions I need answers to. I loved how Sam and Alice were together, how they admitted to their attraction whilst acknowledging the difficulties they faced. It was a bittersweet ending for me, only because I. NEED. MORE!!!! I need my HEA for both of them; they deserve it and so much more. Please, Ms Pratt, tell me they're happy and together! I'm begging you.
A wonderfully warm tip-of-the-hat to Nora Ephron, written in S.H. Pratt's heart-warming and succinct style. A great novella that I have no hesitation in recommending.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jul 22, 2022
Alice is having a dream trip to the city where her favourite film was made. She meets Sam when she goes to a bar to see if she can sit in the same seat. I would say the attraction is immediate, but neither of them acts upon it. After all, that would be a little weird! Instead, they chat and then bump into each other again later on. This leads to a dinner invitation that Alice has the choice to accept or not, completely on her terms.
I really enjoyed this story but I. NEED. MORE!!!! This is the reason novellas aren't my favourite. This only gave me a snippet and left me with so many questions I need answers to. I loved how Sam and Alice were together, how they admitted to their attraction whilst acknowledging the difficulties they faced. It was a bittersweet ending for me, only because I. NEED. MORE!!!! I need my HEA for both of them; they deserve it and so much more. Please, Ms Pratt, tell me they're happy and together! I'm begging you.
A wonderfully warm tip-of-the-hat to Nora Ephron, written in S.H. Pratt's heart-warming and succinct style. A great novella that I have no hesitation in recommending.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jul 22, 2022
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Jemima J in Books
Apr 9, 2019
Jemima Jones is overweight. She is aware of this fact and she's okay with it. She loves models and magazines and frequently cuts out their pictures and tapes them to her wall. Currently she writes the Top Tips for the Kilburn Herald in London. She would like to right features, like her friend Geraldine, but right now, she enjoys "proofing" the copy. She has a crush on another colleague, Ben Williams and occasionally, the three hang out. Ben is crushing on Geraldine, while Jemima is crushing on him. After an internet seminar given by the newspaper, the trio decides to check it out what all the internet hype is about for themselves. When they find a chat room called Cafe LA, Jemima becomes JJ and her world is flipped upside down.
JJ meets Brad in the chatroom and after talking for a while, they exchange photos. Brad is a hunk and JJ is smoking hot, but Jemima is not and before she agrees to meet Brad in person, she has to lose about 100 pounds. With this goal Jemima sets out to join a gym and get a personal trainer and the weight falls off. Armed with a new body and a new attitude, JJ is off to LA to meet Brad. Is he going to be the man in the pictures? Will they fall madly in love and will she finally get the man of her dreams?
Many women can relate to Jemima J. She is self conscious about herself and how the world perceives her. I could see myself in her shoes. I was afraid for her when she went to meet a man on the other side of the world that she had met on the internet. I wanted Ben to see her as more than a friend. I wanted her roommates to not be such idiots. Jemima is a character that you can understand and root for.
JJ meets Brad in the chatroom and after talking for a while, they exchange photos. Brad is a hunk and JJ is smoking hot, but Jemima is not and before she agrees to meet Brad in person, she has to lose about 100 pounds. With this goal Jemima sets out to join a gym and get a personal trainer and the weight falls off. Armed with a new body and a new attitude, JJ is off to LA to meet Brad. Is he going to be the man in the pictures? Will they fall madly in love and will she finally get the man of her dreams?
Many women can relate to Jemima J. She is self conscious about herself and how the world perceives her. I could see myself in her shoes. I was afraid for her when she went to meet a man on the other side of the world that she had met on the internet. I wanted Ben to see her as more than a friend. I wanted her roommates to not be such idiots. Jemima is a character that you can understand and root for.
yung pueblo tells it like it is
aloha, amigos!
I've been slaving away creating wedding crafts (countdown: t-minus 44 days, sos) so I haven't been able to get 3% of the reading done that I would have usually. Seriously tho. Last year, I read 59 books or some shit. This year, EIGHT. Call the police, lock me up, throw me in the loony bin. This is a goddamn SIN, I TELL YOU. However, I've been trying to squeeze in some time in between pulling my hair out over wedding garbage to try and read as much as humanly possible. If I could read while I was sleeping, this wouldn't be a motherhecking issue. Anyways, I scored a free copy of "inward" by yung pueblo, and I'm here to let ya'll know about how amazing it is. Fasten your seat belts, ladies!
"inward" is an anthology of poems written by yung pueblo, and I love the shit out of it/him. If you're a fan of rupi kaur, stop what you're doing and put this book on your amazon wish list. The official copy won't be released until September 25, 2018 (I'm special) but the second this baby hits the shelves, it's going to sell out. Mark my words. Here's my favorite poem penned by my boy pueblo:
the forces
of the universe
support those
who work at
healing themselves
Like, okay, pueblo, we get it. You're a genius and I love you and I want to crawl inside of your brain for a day and just chill in there for a bit. You know, cuddle with your cerebellum or some shit. I love you, did I say that already? Listen to pueblo: heal yourselves, people! At least give it a shot! The universe is watching.
Set an alarm on your phones right now. Do it, I'm waiting. Because the second the hand strikes midnight on September 25, hop onto ol' amazon and pick up "inward" before the rest of the world does. And once you're finished, come back here and let's chat!
I've been slaving away creating wedding crafts (countdown: t-minus 44 days, sos) so I haven't been able to get 3% of the reading done that I would have usually. Seriously tho. Last year, I read 59 books or some shit. This year, EIGHT. Call the police, lock me up, throw me in the loony bin. This is a goddamn SIN, I TELL YOU. However, I've been trying to squeeze in some time in between pulling my hair out over wedding garbage to try and read as much as humanly possible. If I could read while I was sleeping, this wouldn't be a motherhecking issue. Anyways, I scored a free copy of "inward" by yung pueblo, and I'm here to let ya'll know about how amazing it is. Fasten your seat belts, ladies!
"inward" is an anthology of poems written by yung pueblo, and I love the shit out of it/him. If you're a fan of rupi kaur, stop what you're doing and put this book on your amazon wish list. The official copy won't be released until September 25, 2018 (I'm special) but the second this baby hits the shelves, it's going to sell out. Mark my words. Here's my favorite poem penned by my boy pueblo:
the forces
of the universe
support those
who work at
healing themselves
Like, okay, pueblo, we get it. You're a genius and I love you and I want to crawl inside of your brain for a day and just chill in there for a bit. You know, cuddle with your cerebellum or some shit. I love you, did I say that already? Listen to pueblo: heal yourselves, people! At least give it a shot! The universe is watching.
Set an alarm on your phones right now. Do it, I'm waiting. Because the second the hand strikes midnight on September 25, hop onto ol' amazon and pick up "inward" before the rest of the world does. And once you're finished, come back here and let's chat!
BookwormMama14 (18 KP) rated The Silent Governess in Books
Jan 2, 2019
Olivia Keene has been forced into silence to protect the secrets of the past and the security of the future.
Being in the wrong place at the wrong time causes events to spin out of control for Olivia. Her life takes a completely different direction than she anticipated. So many secrets, so many mysteries of the past. Edward Bradley is fearful of what the truth will mean for his future. His father, Lord Brightwell, must answer for his past actions. We get to see this story through the eyes of Edward and Olivia. They both struggle with their identity when everything they thought they knew about themselves starts to crumble. Through their journey we discover what it means to find your identity in Christ and how being a child of The King, our future is always certain.
One of the things that I enjoy the most about Mrs. Klassen’s work is that she is so talented at bringing scripture and truth into her books. Our leading lady, Olivia Keene, does not have much, if any faith, in the beginning of our story. She suffers loss and heartache, but in the end discovers the truth about the Father, his love and tenderness, and that “All things work together for good”. I love witnessing the journey of faith and redemption in a very believable way. At first I was slightly taken aback by the fact that the lines between classes become blurred in her books. But the more I read the more I enjoy it. It allows for more imagination. The depth of character in Julie Klassen’s books is astounding. I feel like I know Olivia and Edward on a personal level. That it would not be odd if I were to receive a phone call from Olivia and chat for hours. Julie Klassen has won 3 Christy Awards to date and I sincerely hope that more awards are in the very near future for her.
bookwormmama14.blogspot.com
Being in the wrong place at the wrong time causes events to spin out of control for Olivia. Her life takes a completely different direction than she anticipated. So many secrets, so many mysteries of the past. Edward Bradley is fearful of what the truth will mean for his future. His father, Lord Brightwell, must answer for his past actions. We get to see this story through the eyes of Edward and Olivia. They both struggle with their identity when everything they thought they knew about themselves starts to crumble. Through their journey we discover what it means to find your identity in Christ and how being a child of The King, our future is always certain.
One of the things that I enjoy the most about Mrs. Klassen’s work is that she is so talented at bringing scripture and truth into her books. Our leading lady, Olivia Keene, does not have much, if any faith, in the beginning of our story. She suffers loss and heartache, but in the end discovers the truth about the Father, his love and tenderness, and that “All things work together for good”. I love witnessing the journey of faith and redemption in a very believable way. At first I was slightly taken aback by the fact that the lines between classes become blurred in her books. But the more I read the more I enjoy it. It allows for more imagination. The depth of character in Julie Klassen’s books is astounding. I feel like I know Olivia and Edward on a personal level. That it would not be odd if I were to receive a phone call from Olivia and chat for hours. Julie Klassen has won 3 Christy Awards to date and I sincerely hope that more awards are in the very near future for her.
bookwormmama14.blogspot.com
ClareR (5589 KP) rated The Fallout in Books
Dec 19, 2019
The Fallout is a thriller that looks at whether it is ever acceptable to keep secrets from, and lie to, your friends. I think you can probably guess the answer to that one before you even open the front page, but there are those who would do just that.
Sarah and Liza are best friends. Their eldest children are the same age, at the same London school, and they met at NCT classes before they had the babies. They both go to a local gym together, and their children go to classes and play there whilst their mothers chat and socialise. Liza has a small baby as well, and is very tired. So she asks Sarah if she’ll check on her older son, Jack, as he’s playing outside and out of sight. However, Sarah is distracted by the appearance of one of the NCT mums that they haven’t seen in a while. And she forgets. Jack has an accident. He falls from a high post and is seriously injured. Sarah then starts the lie that she can’t seem to get herself out of: that she saw Jack playing, and that he was nowhere near the post.
I have to admit that this was a supremely frustrating book. The other school mums and their WhatsApp group would have had me reaching for the ‘Leave Group’ button. Social media isn’t put in a very good light, and accurately portrays the ‘keyboard warriors’ that always come out of the woodwork when something bad happens.
I enjoyed this, whilst at the same time wanting to throw my iPad at the wall. I wanted to tell these women to find something better to do with their time! Gossip and rumour are rife. It’s a great look at human nature and it held my attention throughout - I was desperate to know what was going to happen each day in my Pigeonhole instalment.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole, HarperCollins and the author, Rebecca Thornton for reading along. It was a great experience!
Sarah and Liza are best friends. Their eldest children are the same age, at the same London school, and they met at NCT classes before they had the babies. They both go to a local gym together, and their children go to classes and play there whilst their mothers chat and socialise. Liza has a small baby as well, and is very tired. So she asks Sarah if she’ll check on her older son, Jack, as he’s playing outside and out of sight. However, Sarah is distracted by the appearance of one of the NCT mums that they haven’t seen in a while. And she forgets. Jack has an accident. He falls from a high post and is seriously injured. Sarah then starts the lie that she can’t seem to get herself out of: that she saw Jack playing, and that he was nowhere near the post.
I have to admit that this was a supremely frustrating book. The other school mums and their WhatsApp group would have had me reaching for the ‘Leave Group’ button. Social media isn’t put in a very good light, and accurately portrays the ‘keyboard warriors’ that always come out of the woodwork when something bad happens.
I enjoyed this, whilst at the same time wanting to throw my iPad at the wall. I wanted to tell these women to find something better to do with their time! Gossip and rumour are rife. It’s a great look at human nature and it held my attention throughout - I was desperate to know what was going to happen each day in my Pigeonhole instalment.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole, HarperCollins and the author, Rebecca Thornton for reading along. It was a great experience!
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966) in Movies
Nov 10, 2020
King Not Prince
Dracula: Prince of Darkness- is a slowburn film. It takes it time to build of Dracula and once Dracula shows than it really gets started. Christopher Lee isnt in this movie very much even though he is Dracula himself, but once he is one screen, he stills the show.
The plot: Four English travellers arrive at a tiny hamlet in the Carpathian Mountains and ignore warnings from the locals not to travel to Carlsbad, the domain of Count Dracula. A dark, driverless carriage arrives to take them to the sinister castle, but they discover too late that they have been lured there to provide the blood which will allow Dracula to rise from the grave once more.
Dracula does not speak in the film, save for a few hisses. According to Christopher Lee: "I didn't speak in that picture. The reason was very simple. I read the script and saw the dialogue! I said to Hammer, if you think I'm going to say any of these lines, you're very much mistaken.
Screenwriter Jimmy Sangster disputed that account in his memoir Inside Hammer, writing that "Vampires don't chat. So I didn't write him any dialogue. Christopher Lee has claimed that he refused to speak the lines he was given...So you can take your pick as to why Christopher Lee didn't have any dialogue in the picture. Or you can take my word for it. I didn't write any.
The film was made back to back with Rasputin, the Mad Monk, using many of the same sets and cast, including Lee, Shelley, Matthews and Farmer. Shelley later remembered accidentally swallowing one of her fangs in one scene, and having to drink salt water to bring it back up again because of the tight shooting schedule, as well as there being no spare set of fangs.
Its a decent Dracula film.
The plot: Four English travellers arrive at a tiny hamlet in the Carpathian Mountains and ignore warnings from the locals not to travel to Carlsbad, the domain of Count Dracula. A dark, driverless carriage arrives to take them to the sinister castle, but they discover too late that they have been lured there to provide the blood which will allow Dracula to rise from the grave once more.
Dracula does not speak in the film, save for a few hisses. According to Christopher Lee: "I didn't speak in that picture. The reason was very simple. I read the script and saw the dialogue! I said to Hammer, if you think I'm going to say any of these lines, you're very much mistaken.
Screenwriter Jimmy Sangster disputed that account in his memoir Inside Hammer, writing that "Vampires don't chat. So I didn't write him any dialogue. Christopher Lee has claimed that he refused to speak the lines he was given...So you can take your pick as to why Christopher Lee didn't have any dialogue in the picture. Or you can take my word for it. I didn't write any.
The film was made back to back with Rasputin, the Mad Monk, using many of the same sets and cast, including Lee, Shelley, Matthews and Farmer. Shelley later remembered accidentally swallowing one of her fangs in one scene, and having to drink salt water to bring it back up again because of the tight shooting schedule, as well as there being no spare set of fangs.
Its a decent Dracula film.
Lee (2222 KP) rated Bad Times at the El Royale (2018) in Movies
Oct 16, 2018 (Updated Oct 16, 2018)
Nice mystery thriller
The El Royale is a bi-state establishment. A painted red line runs straight through the centre of the car park and right through the centre of reception, leading to a jukebox. One half of this hotel lies in Nevada, the other half in California. The rooms on the California side are a little more expensive because.... well, because it's California!
A number of guests arrive in reception - Jon Hamm is a vacuum cleaner salesmen, keen to stay in the honeymoon suite, Jeff Bridges is a priest and Cynthia Erivo a singer. They chat a while as they wait for somebody to return to the reception desk so that they can check in. And then another woman arrives, played by Dakota Fanning. She's not so chatty.
They all head off to their rooms and begin behaving in very different and mysterious ways. One is taking the room apart, removing microphones and phone taps, another is lifting up floorboards, another is singing into the mirror while another is bringing in a body from the boot of a car.
There's not a lot else that can be said without giving things away but much of the movie is spent exploring each of these characters and what they're all up to. We go back in time days, even years, exploring their past a little and discovering what brought them all to the El Royale. Stories within the hotel overlap and affect each other, with twists and turns revealing different motives for various people. It's all very mysterious, very well executed and very enjoyable.
Where I felt the movie falters is in the latter third, with the introduction of Chris Hemsworth. I didn't really buy into his character at all and that's when the pacing, the mystery and the enjoyment fell apart somewhat for me. It picks up with a couple more twists and surprises towards the but at 141 minutes, I feel the movie could have easily benefited from losing 20-30 minutes from its run time. Overall though, this was an enjoyable bit of fun.
A number of guests arrive in reception - Jon Hamm is a vacuum cleaner salesmen, keen to stay in the honeymoon suite, Jeff Bridges is a priest and Cynthia Erivo a singer. They chat a while as they wait for somebody to return to the reception desk so that they can check in. And then another woman arrives, played by Dakota Fanning. She's not so chatty.
They all head off to their rooms and begin behaving in very different and mysterious ways. One is taking the room apart, removing microphones and phone taps, another is lifting up floorboards, another is singing into the mirror while another is bringing in a body from the boot of a car.
There's not a lot else that can be said without giving things away but much of the movie is spent exploring each of these characters and what they're all up to. We go back in time days, even years, exploring their past a little and discovering what brought them all to the El Royale. Stories within the hotel overlap and affect each other, with twists and turns revealing different motives for various people. It's all very mysterious, very well executed and very enjoyable.
Where I felt the movie falters is in the latter third, with the introduction of Chris Hemsworth. I didn't really buy into his character at all and that's when the pacing, the mystery and the enjoyment fell apart somewhat for me. It picks up with a couple more twists and surprises towards the but at 141 minutes, I feel the movie could have easily benefited from losing 20-30 minutes from its run time. Overall though, this was an enjoyable bit of fun.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Windswept & Interesting in Books
Aug 12, 2022
143 of 230
Book
Windswept and Interesting
By Billy Connolly
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
In his first full-length autobiography, comedy legend and national treasure Billy Connolly reveals the truth behind his windswept and interesting life.
Born in a tenement flat in Glasgow in 1942, orphaned by the age of 4, and a survivor of appalling abuse at the hands of his own family, Billy's life is a remarkable story of success against all the odds.
Billy found his escape first as an apprentice welder in the shipyards of the River Clyde. Later he became a folk musician - a 'rambling man' - with a genuine talent for playing the banjo. But it was his ability to spin stories, tell jokes and hold an audience in the palm of his hand that truly set him apart.
As a young comedian Billy broke all the rules. He was fearless and outspoken - willing to call out hypocrisy wherever he saw it. But his stand-up was full of warmth, humility and silliness too. His startling, hairy 'glam-rock' stage appearance - wearing leotards, scissor suits and banana boots - only added to his appeal.
It was an appearance on Michael Parkinson's chat show in 1975 - and one outrageous story in particular - that catapulted Billy from cult hero to national star. TV shows, documentaries, international fame and award-winning Hollywood movies followed. Billy's pitch-perfect stand-up comedy kept coming too - for over 50 years, in fact - until a double diagnosis of cancer and Parkinson's Disease brought his remarkable live performances to an end. Since then he has continued making TV shows, creating extraordinary drawings... and writing.
I grew up watching Billy my dad absolutely loved him. The only swearing we were allowed to watch. I have always loved him the one comedian that I took from my childhood and kept watching. I discovered so much in this book that I never knew and you have to admire him. He went through so much but never seems bitter, he never really flaunts his fame in this book and plays a lot down. Such an amazing insight into his life and a really good read.
Book
Windswept and Interesting
By Billy Connolly
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
In his first full-length autobiography, comedy legend and national treasure Billy Connolly reveals the truth behind his windswept and interesting life.
Born in a tenement flat in Glasgow in 1942, orphaned by the age of 4, and a survivor of appalling abuse at the hands of his own family, Billy's life is a remarkable story of success against all the odds.
Billy found his escape first as an apprentice welder in the shipyards of the River Clyde. Later he became a folk musician - a 'rambling man' - with a genuine talent for playing the banjo. But it was his ability to spin stories, tell jokes and hold an audience in the palm of his hand that truly set him apart.
As a young comedian Billy broke all the rules. He was fearless and outspoken - willing to call out hypocrisy wherever he saw it. But his stand-up was full of warmth, humility and silliness too. His startling, hairy 'glam-rock' stage appearance - wearing leotards, scissor suits and banana boots - only added to his appeal.
It was an appearance on Michael Parkinson's chat show in 1975 - and one outrageous story in particular - that catapulted Billy from cult hero to national star. TV shows, documentaries, international fame and award-winning Hollywood movies followed. Billy's pitch-perfect stand-up comedy kept coming too - for over 50 years, in fact - until a double diagnosis of cancer and Parkinson's Disease brought his remarkable live performances to an end. Since then he has continued making TV shows, creating extraordinary drawings... and writing.
I grew up watching Billy my dad absolutely loved him. The only swearing we were allowed to watch. I have always loved him the one comedian that I took from my childhood and kept watching. I discovered so much in this book that I never knew and you have to admire him. He went through so much but never seems bitter, he never really flaunts his fame in this book and plays a lot down. Such an amazing insight into his life and a really good read.
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated That Inevitable Victorian Thing in Books
Jan 11, 2018
A fun alternate history romp
Representation, people! This book features a bisexual, intersex young woman. (I say woman, because she is female-presenting and uses female pronouns.) It also features a not-quite-love-triangle that turns into something more like polyamory. (Sorry, that's a bit of a spoiler, but you can see it coming from a mile away, and the cover description heavily implies the same.)
It's not realistic in the least - everything falls together nicely and it's a bit of a "princess saves the day by virtue of being a princess" kind of plot. But the twist on the history is a very pleasant one - and making the British Empire an Empire that values diversity and the melding of cultures and not looking down on anyone because they're different is a really nice change of pace. It's a WONDERFUL bit of escapist fantasy given today's world, I have to say.
I'd actually really like to see the darker side of this same world explored. One of the main plot points in the book is that there is a computer database of genetics. Everyone in the British Empire, when they turn 18, is encouraged to have their DNA sequenced and entered into the computer to find good genetic matches. They then have the opportunity to chat with those matches and eventually meet them. It's accepted custom, and you're definitely viewed as odd if you choose NOT to do it, though Helena's parents were a love match and never had their DNA matched through the computer. Helena's love interest is a boy she grew up with, she really only ran her DNA through the computer for kicks. So it's not mandatory - except for royals. But that this computer and database exists leaves room for a darker side. What about genetic modification? Forced marriages for certain genetic outcomes? That has to be happening somewhere. That Inevitable Victorian Thing really only looked at the fun, light-hearted, good uses of this technology. I'd love to see the other side.
Oh - while the book definitely has a Victorian flavor, it's definitely set in modern day, or perhaps a little past. It's not Victorian era.
Fun little book. A good escape from a racist, homophobic world to a more diverse, accepting one. But a little TOO fluffy bunny for my personal tastes.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
It's not realistic in the least - everything falls together nicely and it's a bit of a "princess saves the day by virtue of being a princess" kind of plot. But the twist on the history is a very pleasant one - and making the British Empire an Empire that values diversity and the melding of cultures and not looking down on anyone because they're different is a really nice change of pace. It's a WONDERFUL bit of escapist fantasy given today's world, I have to say.
I'd actually really like to see the darker side of this same world explored. One of the main plot points in the book is that there is a computer database of genetics. Everyone in the British Empire, when they turn 18, is encouraged to have their DNA sequenced and entered into the computer to find good genetic matches. They then have the opportunity to chat with those matches and eventually meet them. It's accepted custom, and you're definitely viewed as odd if you choose NOT to do it, though Helena's parents were a love match and never had their DNA matched through the computer. Helena's love interest is a boy she grew up with, she really only ran her DNA through the computer for kicks. So it's not mandatory - except for royals. But that this computer and database exists leaves room for a darker side. What about genetic modification? Forced marriages for certain genetic outcomes? That has to be happening somewhere. That Inevitable Victorian Thing really only looked at the fun, light-hearted, good uses of this technology. I'd love to see the other side.
Oh - while the book definitely has a Victorian flavor, it's definitely set in modern day, or perhaps a little past. It's not Victorian era.
Fun little book. A good escape from a racist, homophobic world to a more diverse, accepting one. But a little TOO fluffy bunny for my personal tastes.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com