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ClareR (5726 KP) rated Amy and Lan in Books

Dec 7, 2022  
Amy and Lan
Amy and Lan
Sadie Jones | 2022 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I was really looking forward to reading Amy and Lan after having read and really enjoyed Sadie Jones’ previous book The Snakes. I now realise that I have more books by the author to read (a 2023 challenge, perhaps?!), because if Amy and Lan and The Snakes are anything to go by, I’ll love them.

Amy and Lan have what appears to be the perfect childhood. They live on a small farm with their families and friends, and are striving for self-sufficiency. The children are left to run free, playing with axes, climbing on haystacks, and playing in woodland. There’s the odd bit of helping on the farm as well. It’s idyllic, and I loved reading about it.

The only “Spanners” in the works are their parents. The problem with living and working in such close proximity is that old saying “familiarity breeds contempt”. Well, in this case, it breeds contempt, dissatisfaction and marital strife. The children probably come off worse when their parents start to argue. And their lives begin to change.

This is such a touching, funny, emotional book - Amy and Lan’s relationship especially. But relationships change, especially when little girls and boys grow up, and Lan describes these changes so well.

This doesn’t read like a children’s book, even thought the main characters are children. They are in an adults world that impacts on them to a life-changing extent.

Highly recommended.
  
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Darren (1599 KP) rated Without a Paddle (2004) in Movies

Dec 21, 2019  
Without a Paddle (2004)
Without a Paddle (2004)
2004 | Comedy
7
6.2 (5 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Verdict: Enjoyable

Story: Without a Paddle starts as three best friends Tom (Shepard), Jerry (Lillard) and Dan (Green) return home after the sudden death of their fourth member Billy, spending time together they remember a promise they once made when they were children about searching for D.B. Cooper Bounty.
The three head off into the wilderness following a map that Billy left them, on an adventure they couldn’t imagine, search for a treasure and learning the importance of life.

Thoughts on Without a Paddle

Characters – Jerry has become a businessman, he isn’t enjoying this career choice, he likes to surf and isn’t the most committed in remember important dates in his relationship, he must bring the guys back together for the funeral, he is on the edge of a mid-life crisis, which will get the focus of his decision making process on this adventure. Tom is the lose cannon of the friends, he has always got a story from what he has been doing in his life, while most seem to be tall tales, which often get them in trouble. Dan has become a doctor that is nervous in life, he keeps everything safe and this adventure is completely against his lifestyle, where he spends most of his time worried about what happens.
Performances – Matthew Lillard, Seth Green and Dax Shepard are the three friends, they do have great chemistry, they play into their comedy strengths and make this movie more enjoyable with their performances.
Story – The story follows three friends that go on an adventure in the woods in search for D.B. Cooper’s treasure in memory of their friend who passed away. This is a story that is about finding themselves, learning to overcome their fears in life, learn their place in life and making the most of the life they are given. While some of what happens is silly and plays into parodies of many films, it is an enjoyable story that shows the strength of friendship through the good times and the bad.
Adventure/Comedy – The adventure shows us how friends will need that moment in life where the can be together even through the adult struggles in life. The comedy can be silly at times, which does take away from the serious time of the story.
Settings – The film is set in the wilderness, which sees how the different locations from the river rapids to the cannabis farm they stumble along, it plays into the fears of going into the wild.

Scene of the Movie – The treehouse of memories.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Some of the comedy.
Final Thoughts – This is a fun adventure about finding yourself in life, the cast has a great chemistry only for the comedy to come off slightly short at times.

Overall: Fun Adventure.