Smashbomb

"This record was the precursor to my operatic downfall when I was 13. Before opera there was Annie Lennox - she inhabited that realm of drama and beauty and the ephemeral. So I was obsessed with that record and I think also, even though at the time I wasn't necessarily aware of my sexuality, it definitely spoke to this self-discovery that was bound to happen, regarding the tenuous nature of gender. That album cover with her looking like a man was just so life-changing – I imagine a bit like when people saw Bowie's record covers. For me, Annie Lennox in that macho pose made so much sense without me knowing what the hell it meant."

Source

Kudos

Rufus Wainwright recommended The Platinum Collection by Mina in Music (curated)

The Platinum Collection by Mina

2004 | Compilation

(0 Ratings)

Album Favorite

"She's a later discovery. She's still alive – an amazing, iconic Italian pop singer from the late 1960s through the 70s and 80s, whom I discovered when I was dating a very handsome Italian man in Rome, driving around on the back of a scooter and listening to her recordings. I always identify her as the Bette Midler of Italy, she had a very similar fashion and look, this crazy curly red hair and amazing make-up. She also had this wild voice, and there's this glamorous European quality to her that she brings me right to when I need to get there, especially living in the United States. Mina, take me away!"

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Kudos

Alison Maclean recommended Le Doulos (1962) in Movies (curated)

Le Doulos (1962)

1962 | International, Drama

(0 Ratings)

Movie Favorite

"I had reservations about choosing this film because the women in it are somewhat victimized, but I hugely admire Melville’s work, and this is a new discovery. Le doulos is particularly terse and gloomy in black and white, stripped of any fat whatsoever. There’s a complicated plot that’s almost impossible (for me) to follow, but it all boils down to the question of who can be trusted. The men all pretty much dress alike and come to seem interchangeable. The violence is abrupt and shocking, and the story is full of reversals. Most of all, I love the ending, where Belmondo’s character forces us to reinterpret everything we’ve just seen in a new light."

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Kudos

The Chocolate Lady (94 KP) rated The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry in Books

Oct 5, 2020

Despite the slightly Christian undertones, this is a truly touching story about an ordinary man who compounds his long suffering life by suddenly deciding to walk almost the length of Britain to see an old friend and colleague who is in the final stages of cancer.

Beautifully written and carefully filled with just the right amounts of flashbacks and foreshadowing, we follow Harold Fry and discover him as he discovers his own self. While "coming of age" isn't typically used for a story about a man his age (he's retired), it does seem to fit in this instance.

You can read my full review here. https://tcl-bookreviews.com/2013/08/02/a-trek-of-self-discovery/

Kudos

The Chocolate Lady (94 KP) rated Brother and Sister in Books

Oct 7, 2020

When Nathalie is interviewed about how being adopted effected her life, although initially she denies that it made any difference to her, she suddenly discovers a need to find her birth parents, and insists that her brother David (also adopted) do the same. This takes them down a road that neither of them were ever prepared to travel, and yet, are both, inexplicably drawn towards.

With "Brother and Sister" Joanna Trollope gives us a parallel study in human nature, but she does so with such simple artistry that you'll find yourself compelled to read this straight through. You can read my full review here. https://tcl-bookreviews.com/2013/11/09/adopted-siblings-road-to-discovery/