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Awix (3310 KP) rated The Black Hole (1979) in Movies
Feb 13, 2018
Big-budget attempt by Disney to cash in on the success of Star Wars; this sort of thing doesn't happen any more, obviously. Science vessel from Earth discovers fabled lost vessel from a generation before, mysteriously hanging over a black hole; they choose to investigate, eventually there are ray gun battles.
Distinctly odd movie which can't seem to decide whether it's a cheery George Lucas-style family-friendly adventure extravaganza with cute robots and zap guns aplenty, or a post-Stanley Kubrick tale of existential contemplation and all-pervading gloom. In the end the dark tone is mostly triumphant - bemusing final sequence reveals black hole is actually a gateway to hell, which may explain why this has been acclaimed as the most scientifically inaccurate movie in history. Decent cast try hard; very good score from John Barry helps keep things moving along.
Distinctly odd movie which can't seem to decide whether it's a cheery George Lucas-style family-friendly adventure extravaganza with cute robots and zap guns aplenty, or a post-Stanley Kubrick tale of existential contemplation and all-pervading gloom. In the end the dark tone is mostly triumphant - bemusing final sequence reveals black hole is actually a gateway to hell, which may explain why this has been acclaimed as the most scientifically inaccurate movie in history. Decent cast try hard; very good score from John Barry helps keep things moving along.
Watchman (19 KP) rated Beast (2017) in Movies
Jan 9, 2019 (Updated Feb 15, 2019)
Outstanding acting (1 more)
Unpredictable
A chilling fairytale
A girl with a dark past, the black sheep of the family with a perfect sister, a strict, overbearing mother and an ill father, starts a red-blooded affair with a local boy, an enigma with history of run ins with the law.... and now a suspect in the worst of crimes.
Set in the gorgeously filmed isle of Jersey, Michael Pearce has directed on his debut a real nail biter. This take on the search for a serial killer of young girls, intertwined with a forbidden love story is an uncomfortable, disturbing watch at times.... but hypnotic. And newcomer Jessie Buckley is mesmerising, its hard to take your eyes off her.
Brilliant script, plot, pacing and ominous soundtrack.
A must watch for any fan of dark psychological thrillers.
Set in the gorgeously filmed isle of Jersey, Michael Pearce has directed on his debut a real nail biter. This take on the search for a serial killer of young girls, intertwined with a forbidden love story is an uncomfortable, disturbing watch at times.... but hypnotic. And newcomer Jessie Buckley is mesmerising, its hard to take your eyes off her.
Brilliant script, plot, pacing and ominous soundtrack.
A must watch for any fan of dark psychological thrillers.
Dianne Robbins (1738 KP) rated Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles (2019) in Movies
Apr 22, 2021 (Updated Apr 22, 2021)
Fascinating
I haven't seen Fiddler in the Roof yet but watched this documentary about the creation and history of the play on PBS. I was enthralled from start to finish. I was always intrigued by the Jewish religion but didn't know anyone who practiced it while I was growing up so it remained a mystery to me. A very sacred mystery that is filled with tradition and ceremony and secrets. It always felt like Fiddler was not meant for my eyes as it would unveil those secrets so I did not seek out to view a production of it. Watching this documentary brought the story of Fiddler, religious and cultural tradition, and a Jewish family from a Russian settlement to life. As soon as this quarantine, I am determined to find the nearest production of Fiddler and view it immediately.
Hazel (1853 KP) rated The Ice-Cream Makers in Books
Dec 14, 2018
<i>I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.</i>
An intriguing blurb promises an incredible story about an Italian ice-cream making family, however the story is nothing like you expect. Ernest van der Kwast’s <i>The Ice-Cream Makers</i> is set between a small village in Italy and the busy summer streets of Rotterdam. The Talamini family has been creating innovative ice-cream flavours for over a century, running a successful and hard-working parlour in the Netherlands. The business is handed down from father to son throughout the years, but now eldest son Giovanni has broken the tradition.
Giovanni Talamini has no interest in making ice-cream and would much rather spend the day reading poetry. After pursuing a literary career, Giovanni is now the director of the World Poetry Festival. Younger brother Luca has been left to pick up the <i>spatula</i> of the family business, but he has a problem of his own. Giovanni faces a dilemma: cut himself of from his family entirely or help his brother out with his peculiar request.
The highly unusual request mentioned in the blurb of <i>The Ice-Cream Makers</i> does not actually surface until the latter stages of the book. For the majority of the narrative there is no clear storyline, however the detail and information van der Kwast provides about ice-cream making, poetry and European culture makes the novel entirely worth reading. The request itself is entirely unexpected and not at all possible to guess, but it is an oddly brilliant way of reuniting two estranged brothers.
It takes a while for the narrative to start flowing as it constantly changes time periods. Giovanni, the narrator, rarely speaks in the present tense and is constantly relating events from his childhood and adulthood interspersed with family history and historical knowledge. On occasion the book takes on the air of an autobiography as Giovanni gives an in depth insight to the life of his family and his break from tradition. There is also the odd chapter that becomes almost a work of non-fiction, providing the reader with highbrow literary references and factual information about the history of ice-cream.
Once the scenes caused by the male sexual mind have been glossed over, <i>The Ice-Cream Makers</i> becomes a beautifully written, almost poetical story that compels and engages the reader despite the lack of a clear-cut storyline. The literary references will appeal to the intellectual, scholar, philosopher or culture enthusiast, for this novel teaches and inspires as well as entertains.
The amount of research van der Kwast conducted is phenomenal. The accuracy (or so is presumed) of the historical factors implies the author had thoroughly investigated the subject matter prior to writing. It is almost as though van der Kwast lived the life of Giovanni; it is entirely believable – hence the sense of an autobiography. Although the nature of the novel’s theme suggests a serious tone, van der Kwast has included a great deal of humour in the form of Giovanni and Luca’s father and his questionable mental health.
The lack of a climax prevents <i>The Ice-Cream Makers</i> from being described as an exciting book, however its beautifully poetic prose makes up for this absence. The philosophical insight into poetry will make you think about life and admire Giovanni for insisting on making his own way in the world. Likewise, Luca’s quiet acceptance and perseverance in the family business is also an admirable feat. Readers with a dislike for descriptive sexual scenarios may feel uncomfortable in a few of the resulting scenes, however the general story compensates for these distasteful passages. All in all, a high-quality work of fiction.
An intriguing blurb promises an incredible story about an Italian ice-cream making family, however the story is nothing like you expect. Ernest van der Kwast’s <i>The Ice-Cream Makers</i> is set between a small village in Italy and the busy summer streets of Rotterdam. The Talamini family has been creating innovative ice-cream flavours for over a century, running a successful and hard-working parlour in the Netherlands. The business is handed down from father to son throughout the years, but now eldest son Giovanni has broken the tradition.
Giovanni Talamini has no interest in making ice-cream and would much rather spend the day reading poetry. After pursuing a literary career, Giovanni is now the director of the World Poetry Festival. Younger brother Luca has been left to pick up the <i>spatula</i> of the family business, but he has a problem of his own. Giovanni faces a dilemma: cut himself of from his family entirely or help his brother out with his peculiar request.
The highly unusual request mentioned in the blurb of <i>The Ice-Cream Makers</i> does not actually surface until the latter stages of the book. For the majority of the narrative there is no clear storyline, however the detail and information van der Kwast provides about ice-cream making, poetry and European culture makes the novel entirely worth reading. The request itself is entirely unexpected and not at all possible to guess, but it is an oddly brilliant way of reuniting two estranged brothers.
It takes a while for the narrative to start flowing as it constantly changes time periods. Giovanni, the narrator, rarely speaks in the present tense and is constantly relating events from his childhood and adulthood interspersed with family history and historical knowledge. On occasion the book takes on the air of an autobiography as Giovanni gives an in depth insight to the life of his family and his break from tradition. There is also the odd chapter that becomes almost a work of non-fiction, providing the reader with highbrow literary references and factual information about the history of ice-cream.
Once the scenes caused by the male sexual mind have been glossed over, <i>The Ice-Cream Makers</i> becomes a beautifully written, almost poetical story that compels and engages the reader despite the lack of a clear-cut storyline. The literary references will appeal to the intellectual, scholar, philosopher or culture enthusiast, for this novel teaches and inspires as well as entertains.
The amount of research van der Kwast conducted is phenomenal. The accuracy (or so is presumed) of the historical factors implies the author had thoroughly investigated the subject matter prior to writing. It is almost as though van der Kwast lived the life of Giovanni; it is entirely believable – hence the sense of an autobiography. Although the nature of the novel’s theme suggests a serious tone, van der Kwast has included a great deal of humour in the form of Giovanni and Luca’s father and his questionable mental health.
The lack of a climax prevents <i>The Ice-Cream Makers</i> from being described as an exciting book, however its beautifully poetic prose makes up for this absence. The philosophical insight into poetry will make you think about life and admire Giovanni for insisting on making his own way in the world. Likewise, Luca’s quiet acceptance and perseverance in the family business is also an admirable feat. Readers with a dislike for descriptive sexual scenarios may feel uncomfortable in a few of the resulting scenes, however the general story compensates for these distasteful passages. All in all, a high-quality work of fiction.
Darren (1599 KP) rated Alien Abduction (2014) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
Story: Alien Abduction starts by informing us this is based on actual footage found, *sigh*. This before going off to show us footage that looks like is being shot through a pair of fingers with screaming in the background. All this and the camera gets dropped out the spacecraft. The film then decides to inform us about The Brown Mountain Lights a location in North Carolina that has a high disappearance rate. Time for the experts and locals to give us their stories about what has been happening and a theory behind what is happening. More reading before we find out who the camera belonged too.
Oh great now the film starts with the Morris family and their camcorder holiday being filmed by autistic 11 year old boy Riley (Polanski). The family which includes Katie (Sigismund), Corey (Eid), Jillian (Clare) and Peter (Holden) are camping out around the The Brown Mountain. On the first night the children see UFOs in the sky and film it but don’t seem to rewind and watch it. The family continues their trip and gets lost while travelling to the next location and the family finds themselves stranded very low on gas. What the family finds next is a string of abandoned cars blocking the road and investigating the tunnel they find themselves under attack from aliens.
We now have to deal with an over panicked family running for their lives against an enemy they can’t imagine beating. The family makes out hiding with generic redneck Sean (Bowser) where they have to survive the night.
Alien Abduction started off by really annoying me for first 5 odd minutes because of the amount of reading on a found footage film is too much. One thing that always annoys me with found footage is bad decision and this is filled with them starting very early on. Let’s list them panicking too much, turning the light on in the dark so the aliens know where you are, not turning around after finding plenty of abandoned cars and finally after the first light sighting why didn’t you just pack up and go home. I know a lot of these found footage films criticise why they carry on filming but I think this one gets away with it by making the kid autistic and needs to film everything to keep him happy. In the end this does have good scares but not original ones and you never really end up feeling truly scared as everything unfolds because you know how it ends thanks to the beginning. (4/10)
Actor Review
Katherine Sigismund: Katie Morris is the mother of the family who is all out to protect her family from the aliens, she tries to stay strong after the early loss of the father. Katherine does a solid job by making us feel like she really is the mother of the house. (6/10)
Corey Eid: Corey Morris is the eldest son who has to become the man after his father sacrifices himself to save the rest of the family. Corey does solid job and like most of the cast we really do believe they are just a family. (6/10)
Riley Polanski: Riley Morris is our autistic cameraman and we see nearly the whole film from his point of view, this helps use try and get into the idea of the fear he would be going through watching his family being picked off one by one. It is hard to rate someone behind the camera. (5/10)
Jillian Clare: Jillian Morris is the only daughter of the family who has to try and help keep Riley safe once the aliens start turning up. Jillian gives a solid performance but never really shines. (6/10)
Jeff Bowser: Sean is the nice redneck who lives in and around the mountains that helps the family try and survive the horror that is out there waiting for them. Jeff does a solid job and his character constantly turning up makes us believe they could survive. (6/10)
Support Cast: Alien Abduction doesn’t really have much of a supporting cast with the only character we actual meet in the father of the family who doesn’t last too long.
Director Review: Matty Beckerman – Matty does a solid job with the scares, but gave away too much information about the location because there was no reason or chance for the characters to learn about the history. (5/10)
Horror: Alien Abduction enters the found footage horror genre nicely but will end up going down as a standard one. (7/10)
Sci-Fi: Alien Abduction uses the alien abduction well but never really makes us see more than we need to about the ship. (6/10)
Thriller: Alien Abduction never lets you care about the characters because you know what happens at the end, not all found footage films need everyone to die. (6/10)
Settings: Alien Abduction puts us in a location that could very well have unexplained experiences happening there but surely people would suggest not going there on a camping trip. (8/10)
Suggestion: Alien Abduction is one for the found footage fans out there to try it isn’t special but does have its good moments. (Found Footage Fans Try)
Best Part: Not holding back with the first alien encounter.
Worst Part: Too much given away early on with the reading.
Kill Of The Film: Katie
Believability: No (0/10)
Chances of Tears: No (0/10)
Chances of Sequel: No
Post Credits Scene: Yes there are two.
Similar Too: VHS 2 Alien Abduction part.
Oscar Chances: No
Runtime: 1 Hour 25 Minutes
Tagline: Fear The Lights
Overall: Found Footage falls from the sky here, literally.
https://moviesreview101.com/2016/01/22/movie-reviews-101-halloween-midnight-horror-alien-abduction-2014/
Oh great now the film starts with the Morris family and their camcorder holiday being filmed by autistic 11 year old boy Riley (Polanski). The family which includes Katie (Sigismund), Corey (Eid), Jillian (Clare) and Peter (Holden) are camping out around the The Brown Mountain. On the first night the children see UFOs in the sky and film it but don’t seem to rewind and watch it. The family continues their trip and gets lost while travelling to the next location and the family finds themselves stranded very low on gas. What the family finds next is a string of abandoned cars blocking the road and investigating the tunnel they find themselves under attack from aliens.
We now have to deal with an over panicked family running for their lives against an enemy they can’t imagine beating. The family makes out hiding with generic redneck Sean (Bowser) where they have to survive the night.
Alien Abduction started off by really annoying me for first 5 odd minutes because of the amount of reading on a found footage film is too much. One thing that always annoys me with found footage is bad decision and this is filled with them starting very early on. Let’s list them panicking too much, turning the light on in the dark so the aliens know where you are, not turning around after finding plenty of abandoned cars and finally after the first light sighting why didn’t you just pack up and go home. I know a lot of these found footage films criticise why they carry on filming but I think this one gets away with it by making the kid autistic and needs to film everything to keep him happy. In the end this does have good scares but not original ones and you never really end up feeling truly scared as everything unfolds because you know how it ends thanks to the beginning. (4/10)
Actor Review
Katherine Sigismund: Katie Morris is the mother of the family who is all out to protect her family from the aliens, she tries to stay strong after the early loss of the father. Katherine does a solid job by making us feel like she really is the mother of the house. (6/10)
Corey Eid: Corey Morris is the eldest son who has to become the man after his father sacrifices himself to save the rest of the family. Corey does solid job and like most of the cast we really do believe they are just a family. (6/10)
Riley Polanski: Riley Morris is our autistic cameraman and we see nearly the whole film from his point of view, this helps use try and get into the idea of the fear he would be going through watching his family being picked off one by one. It is hard to rate someone behind the camera. (5/10)
Jillian Clare: Jillian Morris is the only daughter of the family who has to try and help keep Riley safe once the aliens start turning up. Jillian gives a solid performance but never really shines. (6/10)
Jeff Bowser: Sean is the nice redneck who lives in and around the mountains that helps the family try and survive the horror that is out there waiting for them. Jeff does a solid job and his character constantly turning up makes us believe they could survive. (6/10)
Support Cast: Alien Abduction doesn’t really have much of a supporting cast with the only character we actual meet in the father of the family who doesn’t last too long.
Director Review: Matty Beckerman – Matty does a solid job with the scares, but gave away too much information about the location because there was no reason or chance for the characters to learn about the history. (5/10)
Horror: Alien Abduction enters the found footage horror genre nicely but will end up going down as a standard one. (7/10)
Sci-Fi: Alien Abduction uses the alien abduction well but never really makes us see more than we need to about the ship. (6/10)
Thriller: Alien Abduction never lets you care about the characters because you know what happens at the end, not all found footage films need everyone to die. (6/10)
Settings: Alien Abduction puts us in a location that could very well have unexplained experiences happening there but surely people would suggest not going there on a camping trip. (8/10)
Suggestion: Alien Abduction is one for the found footage fans out there to try it isn’t special but does have its good moments. (Found Footage Fans Try)
Best Part: Not holding back with the first alien encounter.
Worst Part: Too much given away early on with the reading.
Kill Of The Film: Katie
Believability: No (0/10)
Chances of Tears: No (0/10)
Chances of Sequel: No
Post Credits Scene: Yes there are two.
Similar Too: VHS 2 Alien Abduction part.
Oscar Chances: No
Runtime: 1 Hour 25 Minutes
Tagline: Fear The Lights
Overall: Found Footage falls from the sky here, literally.
https://moviesreview101.com/2016/01/22/movie-reviews-101-halloween-midnight-horror-alien-abduction-2014/
Janeeny (200 KP) rated A History of the World in 100 Objects in Books
Jun 10, 2019
When I first read this I didn’t realise that this was a book to accompany a very successful radio show on BBC Radio 4, which is thankfully still available to listen to.
I’ve had this for 6 years and have been reluctant to read this as I have to be in the right frame of mind for certain non-fiction books. Especially ones that seem like they are going to be a stream of facts with not a lot of context, so “A History of the world . . “ pleasantly surprised me. This book isn’t weighed down with facts and history, the author doesn’t go into too much uneccesary detail or waffle on too much. He provides just enough information to peak your interest.
Each object has its own chapter, and each chapter is reassuringly only a few pages long and nicely segmented. Its a bite-size history of the era in which the object was made, the story of the finding the object, and a couple of ‘expert’ opinions on the objects impact on the world.
When I read Non-fiction I like to come away from the experience with a ‘Party fact’ (you know, that bit of useless trivia you tell people at social gatherings to either fill a silence or sound interesting) and I certainly got my fair share with this book.
My party fact would be the flood tablet, the story on the tablet tells the tale of a man who was told by his god to build a boat and load it with his family and animals because a deluge is about to wipe humanity from earth. The thing that made this stick in my mind was that it pre-dated the Noah story by about 400 years.
Of course, since reading I’ve looked into this and found out that there are many flood stories that pre-date Noah, but at the time I was thinking “How does the world not know about this?” “Does Richard Dawkins know about this?” A little research has prevented me from a social faux pas, but still it’s all intriguing.
The History of the world in 100 objects, does exactly what it says on the tin!
I’ve had this for 6 years and have been reluctant to read this as I have to be in the right frame of mind for certain non-fiction books. Especially ones that seem like they are going to be a stream of facts with not a lot of context, so “A History of the world . . “ pleasantly surprised me. This book isn’t weighed down with facts and history, the author doesn’t go into too much uneccesary detail or waffle on too much. He provides just enough information to peak your interest.
Each object has its own chapter, and each chapter is reassuringly only a few pages long and nicely segmented. Its a bite-size history of the era in which the object was made, the story of the finding the object, and a couple of ‘expert’ opinions on the objects impact on the world.
When I read Non-fiction I like to come away from the experience with a ‘Party fact’ (you know, that bit of useless trivia you tell people at social gatherings to either fill a silence or sound interesting) and I certainly got my fair share with this book.
My party fact would be the flood tablet, the story on the tablet tells the tale of a man who was told by his god to build a boat and load it with his family and animals because a deluge is about to wipe humanity from earth. The thing that made this stick in my mind was that it pre-dated the Noah story by about 400 years.
Of course, since reading I’ve looked into this and found out that there are many flood stories that pre-date Noah, but at the time I was thinking “How does the world not know about this?” “Does Richard Dawkins know about this?” A little research has prevented me from a social faux pas, but still it’s all intriguing.
The History of the world in 100 objects, does exactly what it says on the tin!
MaryAnn (14 KP) rated Judah's Wife: A Novel of the Maccabees (The Silent Years #2) in Books
Mar 5, 2019
Leah, daughter of the cheesemaker has had a hard life living with a violent father. Leah marries Judah and finds protection and care. But the land is controlled by Antiochus IV, who is descended from one of Alexander the Great's generals. When he issues a decree that all Jews are to comply with Syrian laws, the devout Jews chance it all to follow the law of Moses.
Judah's father Mattathias decides to move his family from Jerusalem Modein to flee the punishment for defying the decree. By defying the decree, it begins a war that will cost many their lives. Before his death, Mattathias commands Judah to continue the war, otherwise, the Jewish lineage and their lands would be annihilated. Leah wants peace and wrestles with her husband's decision to be the commander of the army. Will there ever be peace?
This is the incredible chronicle of the Maccabees, told through the wife of Judah, who learns what courage and sacrifice are all about.
The author Angela Hunt has done an incredible amount of research and has produced a powerful history lesson entwined with her own creative writing. The author has a way of captivating the reader's attention while teaching us historical content. I like the way the author writes her novels through the eyes of people that were actually there, teaching us history through their eyes.
This is an excellent read, especially for those who love history.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Judah's father Mattathias decides to move his family from Jerusalem Modein to flee the punishment for defying the decree. By defying the decree, it begins a war that will cost many their lives. Before his death, Mattathias commands Judah to continue the war, otherwise, the Jewish lineage and their lands would be annihilated. Leah wants peace and wrestles with her husband's decision to be the commander of the army. Will there ever be peace?
This is the incredible chronicle of the Maccabees, told through the wife of Judah, who learns what courage and sacrifice are all about.
The author Angela Hunt has done an incredible amount of research and has produced a powerful history lesson entwined with her own creative writing. The author has a way of captivating the reader's attention while teaching us historical content. I like the way the author writes her novels through the eyes of people that were actually there, teaching us history through their eyes.
This is an excellent read, especially for those who love history.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Nicole Hadley (380 KP) rated Rose of Sarajevo in Books
Jun 18, 2018
<a href="https://awindowintobooks.wordpress.com">Full Review</a>
I received, Rose of Sarajevo by Ayse Kulin, for free in exchange for a review from goodreads. I knew very little about the Balkans crisis prior to reading this book but now I feel that I understand some of what the people experienced and how families were torn apart for a crisis that is deep within the roots of the people. For the first part of the book the story appeared to creep along the pages as the author explained the reason for the war and give the backstory. Once the necessary explanation was completed the story took off and captivated me as the reader. Violence occurs. A town is destroyed. Heartbreak. Death. And finally, family members leaving to fight a war that so many see as senseless.
At the beginning Nimeta (the main characters) appears to be a woman is strong, dedicated, journalist whose a mother, a daughter, and a wife. She has done everything correct just as is expected of her until she meets Stefan who she unexpectedly fall in love with. She has to make the decision of doing what is right and doing what her heart says.
As a person who loves historical novels, this book was perfect. I recommend this book to anyone who likes to read about history, especially a part of history that is not discussed much.
I received, Rose of Sarajevo by Ayse Kulin, for free in exchange for a review from goodreads. I knew very little about the Balkans crisis prior to reading this book but now I feel that I understand some of what the people experienced and how families were torn apart for a crisis that is deep within the roots of the people. For the first part of the book the story appeared to creep along the pages as the author explained the reason for the war and give the backstory. Once the necessary explanation was completed the story took off and captivated me as the reader. Violence occurs. A town is destroyed. Heartbreak. Death. And finally, family members leaving to fight a war that so many see as senseless.
At the beginning Nimeta (the main characters) appears to be a woman is strong, dedicated, journalist whose a mother, a daughter, and a wife. She has done everything correct just as is expected of her until she meets Stefan who she unexpectedly fall in love with. She has to make the decision of doing what is right and doing what her heart says.
As a person who loves historical novels, this book was perfect. I recommend this book to anyone who likes to read about history, especially a part of history that is not discussed much.
ClareR (5603 KP) rated The Animals at Lockwood Manor in Books
Apr 3, 2020
The Animals at Lockwood Manor is a creepy, gothic tale, set during World War Two. Hetty Cartwright is unusual, in that she has been put in charge of the Natural History Museums mammal collection, and the task of removing it from London to Lockwood Manor. She is expected to keep the collection safe, and to keep it in good condition. She is well aware that she only holds the post because the men who would have had the post have all gone to war. Hetty knows that the role will be challenging, but she hasn’t counted on Lord Lockwood, who is bullish, overbearing and opinionated. His daughter, Lucy, is another matter. She seems to be completely controlled by him, and is constantly reminded about her delicate mental health by her father. Hetty feels drawn to Lucy, and tries to help her with her anxiety and her grief at the loss of her mother and grandmother.
This is no fast-moving thriller, but it is creepy, haunting (in fact, is Lockwood Manor haunted?) with a malevolent undercurrent. It’s like the Manor itself is alive. It’s also a story of secrets: family secrets and secret love.
This was a pleasure to read; it’s richly descriptive language described the house, people and the time in history beautifully. If you enjoy a creepy, slow burner, you’ll love this book. I did.
This is no fast-moving thriller, but it is creepy, haunting (in fact, is Lockwood Manor haunted?) with a malevolent undercurrent. It’s like the Manor itself is alive. It’s also a story of secrets: family secrets and secret love.
This was a pleasure to read; it’s richly descriptive language described the house, people and the time in history beautifully. If you enjoy a creepy, slow burner, you’ll love this book. I did.
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated More Than Just a Pretty Face in Books
Jan 12, 2021
*I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
This is the first book I've read where the main characters are Muslims. It's a good insight into the religion and the various ways people follow it.
So this starts with Danyal. He's not the best in school, but, as quite a few people point out, he's got a pretty face. It's not that he's stupid or anything. He just has other interests in life such as cooking, which he is very good at and wants to become a chef. His father doesn't agree with his career choice and they have several tense conversations. His mother, on the other hand, cannot wait to marry him off to someone who would be good for the family.
I've just struggled to write the above description without giving too much away about this story.
I did enjoy this. Danyal, as I mentioned above, may not be the brightest guy but I really grew to like him. He was quick witted and passionate about what he cared about. His Renaissance Man speech showed that perfectly. History was far from his favourite subject but the Bengal famine became something he wanted to let people know about and he did it in a way that didn't judge so much as inform. Very well thought out.
I also quite liked the romance. It was a very slow burn. They spent quite a lot of time together but mostly as friends. The more time they spent together, laughing, studying and cooking, the more the feelings grew and I was willing them to get together properly, family be damned. It took a long time, though, with other factors getting in the way.
This book was a great insight for those of us who aren't Muslim into what the religion is like and the broad range of ways you can follow it. Sohrab was very invested in the religion, Intezar wasn't following it that much, if at all, and Danyal was like a happy medium.
This was enjoyable but, for me, it was a little too focused on the history and Churchill for the Renaissance Man challenge. I know it was a big part of the plot but History for me, like Danyal, bores me. I wanted more of the romance.
This is the first book I've read where the main characters are Muslims. It's a good insight into the religion and the various ways people follow it.
So this starts with Danyal. He's not the best in school, but, as quite a few people point out, he's got a pretty face. It's not that he's stupid or anything. He just has other interests in life such as cooking, which he is very good at and wants to become a chef. His father doesn't agree with his career choice and they have several tense conversations. His mother, on the other hand, cannot wait to marry him off to someone who would be good for the family.
I've just struggled to write the above description without giving too much away about this story.
I did enjoy this. Danyal, as I mentioned above, may not be the brightest guy but I really grew to like him. He was quick witted and passionate about what he cared about. His Renaissance Man speech showed that perfectly. History was far from his favourite subject but the Bengal famine became something he wanted to let people know about and he did it in a way that didn't judge so much as inform. Very well thought out.
I also quite liked the romance. It was a very slow burn. They spent quite a lot of time together but mostly as friends. The more time they spent together, laughing, studying and cooking, the more the feelings grew and I was willing them to get together properly, family be damned. It took a long time, though, with other factors getting in the way.
This book was a great insight for those of us who aren't Muslim into what the religion is like and the broad range of ways you can follow it. Sohrab was very invested in the religion, Intezar wasn't following it that much, if at all, and Danyal was like a happy medium.
This was enjoyable but, for me, it was a little too focused on the history and Churchill for the Renaissance Man challenge. I know it was a big part of the plot but History for me, like Danyal, bores me. I wanted more of the romance.