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    Deviant

    Deviant

    Sheri Krom

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    This was the reason he was here. This perfect creature he’d heard so much about. She had no clue...

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Kaz4ray (17 KP) rated The Wonder in Books

Feb 5, 2018 (Updated Feb 5, 2018)  
The Wonder
The Wonder
Emma Donoghue | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
9
8.3 (6 Ratings)
Book Rating
This book tells the story of a young girl who declares she no longer needs to be nourished by food. It is said that she hasn’t eaten for 4 months. The town committee employs two nurses, one a nun and the other a ‘professional’ trained by Florence Nightingale herself to mount a round the clock vigil for 14 days to ensure that no food is consumed by the girl and that she is telling the truth. This is set in a highly religious Ireland just after the potato famine. The towns people are very superstitious and are guided and influenced by the parish priest. No spoilers, but I didn’t expect the ending which for me is the sign of a good book. I empathised with the main characters and throughout the book changed my mind several times as to whether or not she was telling the truth. The book flowed really well and I enjoyed Emma Donaghue’s style of writing very much. I read it in one sitting.
  
With just two weeks to go until the town’s clock town starts ticking again, Ruth Clagan and her friends are busy getting everything ready to go. In order to help offset the expenses, they are hosting a fund raiser. However, Kim Gray, the town manager, is a no show until she is discovered crushed under the bell destined for the tower. Obviously, someone hated her. But who?

I was very surprised to see Kim was the victim, but pleasantly so since she’s been a pain in the previous books in the series. We learn even more what a nasty character she is along the way to the satisfying climax, even if one small part of the mystery isn’t quite resolved. The characters are charming as ever, and we get to know a few different supporting players this time, which I enjoyed.

NOTE: I received a copy of this book.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/08/book-review-chime-and-punishment-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
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Awix (3310 KP) rated Unsane (2018) in Movies

Mar 26, 2018 (Updated Mar 26, 2018)  
Unsane (2018)
Unsane (2018)
2018 | Drama, Horror, Thriller
I use my phone for making phone calls and as an alarm clock, but Steven Soderbergh has started using his to make feature films, which if you ask me is just showing off. Unsane is just such a movie, a typically polished piece of genre entertainment. Slightly damaged young woman seeks psychiatric support, finds herself incarcerated in a mental institution against her will. Is she hallucinating the presence of her former stalker, or are things even worse than they seem...?

Apart from Soderbergh's usual breezy skill as a film-maker, the best reason to see Unsane is Claire Foy's excellent performance, which really carries the whole movie (though she is well-supported by Amy Irving, Juno Temple and others, and there's a great cameo from Matt Damon too). The opening sequence of the film is also impressive in its finely-judged ambiguity. However, the film tips its hand much too soon and quickly becomes monumentally implausible (to the point of absolute absurdity). Worth watching, but you really, really have to cut the film some slack in the plotting department.
  
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David McK (3562 KP) rated 1917 (2020) in Movies

Feb 13, 2020 (Updated Oct 17, 2020)  
1917 (2020)
1917 (2020)
2020 | Drama, War
The cinematography (0 more)
Requires a serious amount of 'buy-in' (0 more)
Sam Mendes World War One epic, which follows - in virtually one long tracking shot - two British soldiers sent on a mission across No Mans Land and enemy territory to deliver a message to stop their comrades (including one of the soldiers older brother) from walking into a trap.

Undeniably beautifully shot, showing the true horrors of the war - this does, however, require a serious amount of buy-in from the viewer: just why would a British General send only tow soldiers to deliver such an important message (especially against the clock), when it could have been delivered far quicker, easier and safer by the Royal Flying Corp??

Putting that aside for the moment, the only other recent movie I can think of that even attempts to show the trenches during World War One is 2017's 'Wonder Woman'. Remember the stand-out scene where Diana charges heroically across No Mans Land, under fire from the Germans the entire way? This is nothing like that.