Sarah Lebaigue (1 KP) rated Dunkirk (2017) in Movies
Jan 27, 2018
My heart was always in my throat. I cared about the characters and had a strong connection to the story. I am not a nationalist kind of person by any means, and this film made me ever so proud to be British. With stunning performances from this amazing cast, which made it a group performance without any star or lead actor.
Dunkirk handles the topics of war, death and desperation perfectly and with no nods to Germany or to anything related to the German socialist group. By making the film all about the British characters point of view and removing the name and enemy out of view was a beautiful decision. By this point in time we know about the world wars in depthly and there are many films that talk about it. But this is the first film that doesn’t harp on about the Germans being evil. It was a gorgeous film and one I wish I could see in cinema again, as it’s sound design and cinematography deserved a larger screen.
This book tells the story of Queenie from her life as a young girl during World War II right up to the early 60's and what a life she leads! She is one heck of a character; one minute you absolutely adore her, the next she disappoints you, then she'll surprise you and then shock ... I felt like I was on a rollercoaster of emotions from start to finish and I still don't know how I feel about her even now!
Queenie is not the only character however, this book is absolutely brimmed to the rim with fantastic personalities from the bit players to the main stars; some you'll love and some ... not so much. The setting in the east end of London felt perfect but it could equally have worked in any inner-city borough. For those of us who weren't around during the time span of this book, I felt it captured them well and it felt authentic and believable to me.
"Queenie" is a gritty, engrossing and thoroughly entertaining read and one I would definitely recommend even if you haven't read any of the other books in the "Butler" series; this can easily be read as a standalone as it is the prequel to the first book in the series "The Trap."
Thanks to HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest and unbiased review.
ClareR (6037 KP) rated This Lovely City in Books
May 1, 2020
In 1948 answering a call from the Homeland, Lawrie and hundreds of mainly young men like him, arrived in London, fresh off the Empire Windrush from Jamaica. They were there to help rebuild England after the Blitz and the end of the Second World War. We see this story mainly from Lawrie’s point of view, so we see the racism, the way he was turned away from jobs because the other men wouldn’t want to work with ‘his type’. It was a shock to see the use of the ‘n’ word so often, and the blatant hostility towards Lawrie and his friends.
This story isn’t just about that though. There’s a bit of a love story and a mystery to solve as well. Lawrie makes an upsetting discovery, and rather than being thanked for it, he is immediately under suspicion. Again, solely down to the colour of his skin.
I loved this book. It gave me an insight into the lives of the Windrush generation as they began their lives here. Lawrie and his girlfriend Evie were great characters to read about - I WANTED all to be well for them, as I did for the other Jamaican characters, if I’m honest.
If this is Louise Hare’s first book, I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us next.
Many thanks to NetGalley and HQ for my copy of this wonderful book.
Last Swill and Testament: The Hilarious, Unexpurgated Memoirs of Paul 'Sailor' Vernon, Blues Fanatic, Rare Record Dealer, Ligger, Erstwhile Bon Viveur and Friend to the Stars
Book
Born to shell-shocked parents in shell-shocked London shortly after the end of World War II, Paul...
Margaret of York: The Diabolical Duchess
6.0
Rate It
Book
The amazing life of Margaret of York, the woman who tried to overthrow the Tudors. Reared in a...
Managing the Economy, Managing the People: Narratives of Economic Life in Britain from Beveridge to Brexit
Book
This study offers a distinctive new account of British economic life since the Second World War,...
Destination London: German-speaking Emigres and British Cinema, 1925-1950
Tim Bergfelder and Christian Cargnelli
Book
The legacy of emigres in the British film industry, from the silent film era until after the Second...
Waiting for Contact: The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
Book
Imagine a network of extraterrestrials in radio contact with each other across the universe,...
Pathfinder Adventure Path: The Ironfang Invasion-Part 5 of 6: Prisoners of the Blight
Book
With the secrets of the Stone Road and its focus, the Onyx Citadel, finally revealed, the PCs only...
Warped Space: Art, Architecture and Anxiety in Modern Culture
Book
Beginning with agoraphobia and claustrophobia in the late nineteenth century, followed by shell...