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LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated Secretary (2002) in Movies

Sep 21, 2020  
Secretary (2002)
Secretary (2002)
2002 | Comedy, Drama, International
9
7.5 (4 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
Flubs the ending, but otherwise faultless. I think this is less about portraying kink as a symptom like every damn movie about kinks/fetishes seems to think they mean; and more about two people who probably weren't very healthy to begin with - and finding outlets for their other unconventional desires outside of their traumas/predispositions. In layman's terms, they can be atypical *and* kinky while the film is able to mostly divorce the two - and intersect them only as needed. Unlike the (rightfully) unfavorably compared š˜š˜Ŗš˜§š˜µš˜ŗ š˜šš˜©š˜¢š˜„š˜¦š˜“ films, this has the awareness to recognize that there can be a link between abuse and kink - but it isn't always the case, and when it is it doesn't always have to sum up the whole. And even then I'm not sure this movie is all that interested in fully glamorizing these people or its relationship anyhow. Spader and Gyllenhaal are otherworldy, I'd be willing to say this might be each of their finest performances respectively. Strings you along scene by scene through an unrelenting mix of sexual tension and scandalous agitation that escalates from the first nanosecond until its perfection sadly unravels in the final fifteen minutes - which aren't exactly awful, just inferior and pretty much kill the momentum/direction this was leaning towards beforehand. Apart from that, downright electric.
  
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ClareR (6225 KP) rated Against the Loveless World in Books

Aug 15, 2021  
Against the Loveless World
Against the Loveless World
Susan Abulhawa | 2020 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Against the Loveless World is an emotional and stark view into the world of Nahr, a Palestinian refugee. She is narrating her own story from The Cube, an inhumane prison cell designed by the Israelis, where she is a political prisoner. Nahr tells her story from her beginnings in Kuwait, and how her family were once again forced to become refugees. She tries to help her family however she can, even prostituting herself with violent men at one point. But her family never go without.

When she returns to Palestine to her husbandā€™s family in order to divorce him, she meets his brother and falls in love. However, this is the start of more problems for her, as she becomes radicalised.

It did seem hard to believe that she had quite so many problems and terrible things happen to her, but Iā€™ve since read that Nahrā€™s character is an amalgamation of several real-life stories. So, in a way, it reassured me that one person couldnā€™t experience ALL of these things, whilst at the same time I felt so sad that anyone could experience ANY of these things.

I couldnā€™t put this book down, though. Itā€™s a fascinating, yet horrifying novel, and not something that Iā€™ve read about in fiction before - and Iā€™m so glad that I have.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2568 KP) rated My Nightmare is Yours in Books

May 28, 2026  
My Nightmare is Yours
My Nightmare is Yours
Diane Vallere | 2026 | Mystery
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I Found This Book a Dream Not a Nightmare
Several years (and many books) ago, Madison worked for Ned and his then wife, Connie, redesigning their house. While Connie and Madison have stayed friends after the divorce, Madison hasnā€™t had much to do with Ned. But now he is back, wanting to hire her to turn a 1950ā€™s ranch house into a period recording studio as he hopes to transition from music promoter to music producer. Unfortunately, the morning he hires Madison, Madison and Connie find the dead body of young singing sensation Vanessa Wright, one of Nedā€™s two clients. With the evidence pointing at him, Madison finds herself in a unique position to find the truth. What will she uncover?

While Connie has popped up in multiple books, itā€™s been a while since we saw Ned. It was nice to see him again. You can jump in here and follow this book without having all the backstory. The mystery was strong with plenty to keep me engaged on the way to the logical climax. And I enjoyed seeing the growth in Madison and her relationships again here. Those familiar with Doris Dayā€™s movies, especially her second one, will spot an Easter egg or two. When you pick up this book, youā€™ll find it anything but a nightmare.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2568 KP) rated The House Guest in Books

Jul 29, 2023  
The House Guest
The House Guest
Hank Phillippi Ryan | 2023 | Mystery
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Will Helping a House Guest Hurt Alyssa?
Alyssa Macallanā€™s life is turned upside down when her husband walks out of their house one day. Facing a divorce she never expected, she finds herself drinking at a bar one Friday night, where she meets Bree Lorrance, who is also down on her luck. The two hit it off, and Alyssa invites Bree to move into her guest house. Helping Bree lets Alyssa forget her own problems, until her own problems heat back up. Will the two be able to help each other? Or do they have secret agendas?

I was hooked early on, although the book does take a little while to build up to the full plot. Once it does, I couldnā€™t wait to see how things would resolve for the characters. I appreciated the fact that no one seemed overly whiney here, although they could have repeated things less, giving the book more time to flesh out some of the late breaking twists. While knowing I couldnā€™t fully trust Alyssa and Bree, I really did like them both and hoped things would work out well for them. We get the book completely from Alyssaā€™s third person point of view which makes us question just what anyone else was thinking. Even with the pacing issues with the plot, I enjoyed this book overall.