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Andy K (10821 KP) created a video about Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994) in Movies
Nov 11, 2017 (Updated Nov 13, 2017)
Entertainment Editor (1988 KP) created a video about Pride and Prejudice - Season 1 in TV
Oct 13, 2017 (Updated Oct 14, 2017)
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Apr 2, 2024
ClareR (5577 KP) rated How to Stop Time in Books
Nov 15, 2017
My first Matt Haig book, and not my last! A fascinating idea for a book: a man who ages really slowly (he ages 10 years for every 100 years or so that he lives), and how he detaches himself from life in order to survive. It's a pretty good history book as well - from Elizabethan times to today. Loved it!
Erika (17788 KP) rated The Locksmith's Daughter in Books
Jan 21, 2019
An Elizabethan novel without royals as the main characters.
Recently, I haven't wanted to read any historical fiction novels. I feel like recently, a lot of them are either focused on royals, or on WWII. Harper Collins sent one of their promo emails at the beginning of this month, and after reading the description, I had to have it.
I really liked the main character, Mallory, made some dumb decisions, like everyone, but it was nice to see that she legitimately learned from her mistakes.
After Mallory ruined her reputation, her father seeks out the Spymaster of Elizabethan England, Sir Francis Walsingham, to give her a job. She becomes a spy, seeking out Catholics. Again, I was thankful that the Queen only appeared in person once.
Harper Collins totally got me on this one, and I was glad to read it.
I really liked the main character, Mallory, made some dumb decisions, like everyone, but it was nice to see that she legitimately learned from her mistakes.
After Mallory ruined her reputation, her father seeks out the Spymaster of Elizabethan England, Sir Francis Walsingham, to give her a job. She becomes a spy, seeking out Catholics. Again, I was thankful that the Queen only appeared in person once.
Harper Collins totally got me on this one, and I was glad to read it.
ClareR (5577 KP) rated The Beauty of the Wolf in Books
Feb 21, 2019
A refreshingly different retelling
I rather liked this retelling of Beauty and the Beast. It's set in Elizabethan England, and there are some twists to the original story, which were both surprising and refreshing.
I really liked the language used: it was poetic with a good smattering of the more 'earthy' Elizabethan English (it's what we English are good at I think, isn't it!). I also liked the mix of fairytale, folklore and history. It just felt as though the author had done a bit of historical research with regards to life in London and as part of a theatrical group.
It was a good story that illustrated that what's on the inside is what really counts far more than appearances and that, I suppose, there is someone out there for everyone. Someone who will love you for yourself, regardless of what you look like - in fact, probably precisely because of what you look like.*
*This book actually caused me to check in my cynicism at the first page. And that's no bad thing in literature!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.
I really liked the language used: it was poetic with a good smattering of the more 'earthy' Elizabethan English (it's what we English are good at I think, isn't it!). I also liked the mix of fairytale, folklore and history. It just felt as though the author had done a bit of historical research with regards to life in London and as part of a theatrical group.
It was a good story that illustrated that what's on the inside is what really counts far more than appearances and that, I suppose, there is someone out there for everyone. Someone who will love you for yourself, regardless of what you look like - in fact, probably precisely because of what you look like.*
*This book actually caused me to check in my cynicism at the first page. And that's no bad thing in literature!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Martyr in Books
Feb 27, 2022
37 of 230
Book
Martyr ( John Shakespeare book 1)
By Rory Clements
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This ingenious debut introduces John Shakespeare, Elizabethan England's most remarkable investigator, in a tale of conspiracy and murder that succeeds brilliantly as both historical fiction and crime thriller.
This is one of my favourite eras to read! I really enjoyed this book it was full of murder and intrigue in a very dark time especially if you were religious and on the wrong side. It’s definitely a book I recommend if you like historical fiction. It has some very interesting characters along the way.
Book
Martyr ( John Shakespeare book 1)
By Rory Clements
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This ingenious debut introduces John Shakespeare, Elizabethan England's most remarkable investigator, in a tale of conspiracy and murder that succeeds brilliantly as both historical fiction and crime thriller.
This is one of my favourite eras to read! I really enjoyed this book it was full of murder and intrigue in a very dark time especially if you were religious and on the wrong side. It’s definitely a book I recommend if you like historical fiction. It has some very interesting characters along the way.
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated In the Garden of Iden (The Company, #1) in Books
Feb 15, 2019
I cry mercy. Love the concept, and the first third or thereabouts was good, but everything after: the barely there plot, the romance, manor life in the English country, pretty much everything, was all dull, dull, dull. I was disappointed in the lack of sci-fi and the history that was only spoken about and never lived through, so it didn't deliver on either account. Sure, the author can string a sentence together, there were a couple of amusing lines, and the Elizabethan English seemed well-done (although I couldn't be further from an expert), but I have a feeling the other books in the series are better. However, if the next one doesn't spark my interest, I'm done.
Milleen (47 KP) rated How to Stop Time in Books
Nov 14, 2018
Matt Haig has written a variety of books for children and adults as well as a memoir that topped the bestseller list for almost a year. Now he has delved back into adult fiction and delivered a delightful novel that will leave you pondering. Tom Hazard may look like an ordinary 41-year-old, but owing to a rare condition, he's been aging slowly over centuries. From Elizabethan England to 1920s Paris and further afield, Tom is forced to change his identity to stay alive. He is forced to abide by one rule, to not fall in love. Tom finally gets the ‘ordinary’ life he craves and finds work as a history teacher in a modern London comprehensive but how much longer can he keep this secret? ‘How to Stop Time’ is a bittersweet story about life, loss and change.
Cyn Armistead (14 KP) rated Ink and Steel (Promethean Age, #3) in Books
Mar 1, 2018
If I had it to do over again, I'd read this and <i>Hell and Earth</i> first, then the "first" two Promethean Age novels. That would put them in chronological order, which is how I prefer to read.
Normally, I'd be terribly unhappy with the fact that this book leaves so many loose ends. Since it is clearly marked "The Straford Man, Volume I," and the author's note states that it is one of two closely-linked novels, I don't feel cheated. It helps that this and <i>Hell and Earth</i> were released very close together.
Bear's mastery of the language is always a pleasure. The book is well-plotted, and while I struggled a bit to keep up with all the similarly-named people in Elizabethan England, I can hardly blame the author for the fact that there really were three "Will's" in the same company of players, or several plotting Richards in association. I'm not well-educated enough with regards to that period in history to know how much of the intrigue is pure fiction, and how much may have historical basis. I look forward to the promised explicatory note at the end of H&E for that.
Normally, I'd be terribly unhappy with the fact that this book leaves so many loose ends. Since it is clearly marked "The Straford Man, Volume I," and the author's note states that it is one of two closely-linked novels, I don't feel cheated. It helps that this and <i>Hell and Earth</i> were released very close together.
Bear's mastery of the language is always a pleasure. The book is well-plotted, and while I struggled a bit to keep up with all the similarly-named people in Elizabethan England, I can hardly blame the author for the fact that there really were three "Will's" in the same company of players, or several plotting Richards in association. I'm not well-educated enough with regards to that period in history to know how much of the intrigue is pure fiction, and how much may have historical basis. I look forward to the promised explicatory note at the end of H&E for that.