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What You Said To Me (Tree of Life #4)
What You Said To Me (Tree of Life #4)
Olivia Newport | 2020 | Fiction & Poetry
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
What you Said to me is a little dry in finding out about the families. This one is good. Though I do not know if the story is more about the girl that looking for her family or just helping in find out about herself.

This story is mostly about the girl that might just need the help to find out what happens in the past to find out why the broken things happen. Where is all went wrong? Will Jillian be able to help her find herself and understand where her mother and her family when wrong in the first place.

This book may have you looking for your family history. We do get past the story point of view as well as the present. Will it be sliver help to find out whatever happened to the Bangt woman and why it ended or how Trisha Crower family got to Cayon Mines?

Why did some leave and only one stay in Cayon Mines? To find out that you will need to read this book. Olivia does a wonderful job of weaving history and family together. Another thing she does is bring the family stories to life. Whatever happens with St. Louis Projects that she working on. Will be that this might not be the last book in the series.
  
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Andrew Ahn recommended Tokyo Story (1953) in Movies (curated)

 
Tokyo Story (1953)
Tokyo Story (1953)
1953 | Drama
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"Tokyo Story is a beautiful document of a specific time, place, and culture. The drama is grounded and driven by what it meant to take care of a family in postwar Japan; the narrative is firmly rooted in history. At the same time, the story transcends this context so easily. We see ourselves in this family. We relate to their flaws, joys, and fears. Watching this film gives us the opportunity to reflect on our own lives; it is a gift."

Source
  
Those Who Are Loved
Those Who Are Loved
Victoria Hislop | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry, History & Politics
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
An emotional look at modern Greek history.
This book is about the lives of the Koralis family, and particularly Themis, from 1930 to 2016. We follow them through some of the most disruptive times in Greek history - I hadn’t actually realised how deeply traumatic recent Greek history was.

Themis is a partisan fighter during WW2, trying to get the Germans out of Greece, and then fighting the right-wing government who had supported the invading Germans. She ends up a prisoner and endures terrible living conditions and violence at the hands of her prison guards. She returns home, marries and has a family, but her past is always with her. Greece doesn’t allow her to forget, as it continues to be led by a military government under martial law.

I loved following Themis and her siblings lives in the earlier chapters of the book, the history I’d never known about before (that Victoria Hislop describes so well), and her children and their lives in the latter half of the book.
Themis is a quietly formidable woman, who always stands by her beliefs and her family, and there are some really very emotional parts to this book.

Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for serialising this wonderful book - I’ll definitely be buying some copies as birthday presents this year, that’s for sure.
  
The Golden House
The Golden House
Salman Rushdie | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
10
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
There's a new wealthy family at "The Gardens," a gated New York community - the Golden family. Not only do they all have strange names (straight out of ancient Roman and Greek history and mythology), but they themselves seem a bit odd. René is a fellow resident, with ambitions in filmmaking, including a project to document the Golden family, but René hasn't decided if he can tell their true story or make up something fictional based on the Goldens; either way, René can't stay away from the Golden House. You can read more about this new Salman Rushdie novel here.
https://tcl-bookreviews.com/2017/08/12/glitter-and-tarnish/
  
Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)
Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)
2017 | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
I thoufht it was a little confusing on who the last knight was. Mark Walhberg character was chosen with the tailsmen and saves Optimus Prime from the others. Seems like it was a confusing part on who exactly was the knight. I know the girl was in merlins family history, but it was silly.
  
The Eagle (2011)
The Eagle (2011)
2011 | Action, Classics, Drama
7
5.8 (4 Ratings)
Movie Rating
More arty than your typical roman storyline (1 more)
Interesting view of early Britain from the romans perspective
Story could have been more fulfilling (0 more)
Easy storyline, strong themes of family honour and loyalty.
Thought this would be quite a dull story but turned out to be quite interesting. Its quite a relaxed watch and toes the line between the romans and the early britons perspective of history.
Has strong themes of family honour and loyalty. A decent film but not one I would probably watch again.
  
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Amy Tan recommended The Woman Warrior in Books (curated)

 
The Woman Warrior
The Woman Warrior
7.0 (4 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"I was stunned when I read this book in the 1976, and not just because it was the first book I read by an Asian American woman. Hong Kingston wraps family history around myth and discovers the ghosts of woman who have traveled through time into her own life. I felt those ghosts and went looking for mine."

Source
  
The Lost History of Stars
The Lost History of Stars
Dave Boling | 2017 | History & Politics
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Lost History of Stars by Dave Boling is a powerful and shocking story about a family during The Second Anglo-Boer War during the early part of the 20th century in Africa. It's a historical fiction story that is inspired by true events. The Lost History of Stars is a story of desperation and hope.

The main character, Lettie, who is a thirteen year old Dutch-Africkaner girl comes from a poor farming family. She endures the loss of her home with her mother and two younger siblings when the scorched earth policy employed by the British during the Boer War burns their farm and forces them to leave in a wagon. Their African maid, Bina, tries to stay with the family, but is given no choice by the soldiers but to return to her people.

Lettie and her family are sent to a concentration camp where the conditions are awful. Her father, older brother, uncles, and grandfather are sent to fight the British with guerrilla tactics. Lettie worries and wonders about Bina and her family. Often Lettie remembers the songs and wisdom Bina shared during her childhood and the history of stars that Grandpa shared with her at night under the sparkling sky.

The story is told from Lettie's point of view. The reader learns of her experience in the concentration camp. Lettie attempt to find the good in small moments. Her more treasured possession is her English dictionary, which she reads for comfort to pass time.

The story switches between the present and past. This allows the reader to understand life before the war and during the war. It give the reader background information to understand the family dynamics.
  
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Mark Halpern (153 KP) rated The Godfather (1972) in Movies

Jan 11, 2018 (Updated Jan 11, 2018)  
The Godfather (1972)
The Godfather (1972)
1972 | Crime, Drama
EPIC
Best Mafia story ever written. The Godfather is not just a classic it is a must watch movie for every movie goer ever. 3 of the most iconic lines in movie history come from this movie. The cast is not just a whose who, it is a plethora of stars who make this film in my top five favorite movies ever.

The story of a young Italian who chooses to go into the army and not deal with the family businesses in any way comes home to his sisters wedding to be with family. Not two days later chain events happen that changes his point of view on the family and makes him join. He rises to power not only with in the family but, against other mafia familes and becomes most feared.


This movie shows one of the greatest transformations of a character ever in film history. A hero who becomes a villain for the right reasons you could say. This movie spawns two sequels. The second being better than the first and the third really just closes the story out but, this story will always be the best mafia story ever written.
  
The Hidden Treasure of Dutch Buffalo Creek
The Hidden Treasure of Dutch Buffalo Creek
Jackson Badgenoone | 2015 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
7
7.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Hidden Treasure of Buffalo Creek is a wonderful book to read. If you are a historical fiction or historical fan this book may be for you. You learn about history or some events as you go through the adventures with James. It a sweet it tells you about family history and about some of the history of the eras you may not have lived it or want to learn about.

It goes through some of the lives of a few people and how they got here. You learn to grow and follow faith along the way. James is the main one. You go along for an adventure. You may learn about some things that have been going on in the Germany or the USA.