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That Mighty Heart: Visions of London
John Elinger and Katherine Shock
Book
In 1802 William Wordsworth, the great Romantic poet, gazed over London and claimed "Earth has not...
The Iron Giant (1999)
8.2
Rate It
Movie Watch
The film takes place in October of 1957, when America had plenty to be worried about. Rock ’n’...
Alex Kapranos recommended Greek Music From The Underground by Various in Music (curated)
ClareR (5879 KP) rated The Burning Chambers (The Burning Chambers #1) in Books
Jan 26, 2021
This book is an immersive experience! I found myself drawn in to the world of 16th Century France - and to be fair, it was all pretty exciting stuff! Historical fiction is one of my favourite genres, one of my ‘go-to’s’, and this did not disappoint one bit. It’s a story of religion, conflict, ambition, with a bit of a love story thrown in for good measure.
It’s all history that I know little about - my history education being that of the carefully selected English type. I’ve always tried to find out more about European history (ahem, German degree) and further afield if I can, and historical fiction makes it a bit more interesting than a dry history book. This book taught me a lot about the tensions between the catholic majority, and the Huguenot minority.
Minou is the 19 year old daughter of a bookseller, and lives in Carcassonne with her family. She meets Piet, a Huguenot convert, and helps him to escape from the town. Later, in Toulouse, they meet again in far more dangerous circumstances. They become trapped in a city at war - Catholic against Huguenot - and someone that Piet believes is a friend is very far from that. In Puivert, the chatelaine of the castle has a secret that she wants to keep hidden, and the only way to do that is for her to find Minou.
First, the most obvious thing: this is one big book. It’s the kind of book that I would buy on my kindle, because at 600+ pages, it definitely won’t fit in my handbag! The Pigeonhole is great for these circumstances!
Secondly, although this book is a serious whopper, it didn’t feel that way when I was reading it. It’s an exciting, fast-paced, delight of a read. It has it all: action, history, romance. Everything that makes for a compulsive read! The heroes and heroines are good, and the villains are thoroughly bad, and I loved them all!
It’s all history that I know little about - my history education being that of the carefully selected English type. I’ve always tried to find out more about European history (ahem, German degree) and further afield if I can, and historical fiction makes it a bit more interesting than a dry history book. This book taught me a lot about the tensions between the catholic majority, and the Huguenot minority.
Minou is the 19 year old daughter of a bookseller, and lives in Carcassonne with her family. She meets Piet, a Huguenot convert, and helps him to escape from the town. Later, in Toulouse, they meet again in far more dangerous circumstances. They become trapped in a city at war - Catholic against Huguenot - and someone that Piet believes is a friend is very far from that. In Puivert, the chatelaine of the castle has a secret that she wants to keep hidden, and the only way to do that is for her to find Minou.
First, the most obvious thing: this is one big book. It’s the kind of book that I would buy on my kindle, because at 600+ pages, it definitely won’t fit in my handbag! The Pigeonhole is great for these circumstances!
Secondly, although this book is a serious whopper, it didn’t feel that way when I was reading it. It’s an exciting, fast-paced, delight of a read. It has it all: action, history, romance. Everything that makes for a compulsive read! The heroes and heroines are good, and the villains are thoroughly bad, and I loved them all!
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated The Dig (2021) in Movies
Jan 31, 2021
Acting from Fiennes and Mulligan - top notch (1 more)
Cinematography is gorgeous
Why make it so "man heavy" when history was otherwise? (1 more)
Found the asynchronous editing irritating
Archaeology with no fedora required
It’s 1939, and as World War 2 approaches, widower Edith Pretty (Carey Mulligan) hires rough and ready excavator Basil Brown (Ralph Fiennes) to dig into one of the ancient earth mounds on her property at the site that will become famous as Sutton Hoo in Suffolk. Requesting the help of her cousin Rory Lomax (Johnny Flynn) to photograph the effort, the site slowly gives up its Anglo-Saxon treasures attracting the attention of first the Ipswich museum and then the pompous Charles Phillips (Ken Stott) of the British Museum. A battle is on for both the control of the site and the resting place for the treasures found.
Against this backdrop there is a critical illness emerging, a son (Archie Barnes) and his attachment to the father figure of Brown and a potential romance between Rory and archaeologist Peggy Piggott, trapped in a loveless marriage.
Talent:
Starring: Carey Mulligan, Ralph Fiennes, Johnny Flynn, Lily James, Archie Barnes, Ken Stott, Monica Donlan.
Directed by: Simon Stone.
Written by: Moira Buffini (from the novel by John Preston).
Bullet points of my thoughts:
+ Superb acting by Mulligan and Fiennes – Oscar noms for both?
+ Young Archie Barnes impresses as the son Robert
+ Cinematography by Mike Eley shows the open Suffolk skies at their best
+ Based on fact, a fascinating historical record of the real excitement of uncovering the past
o The script deftly melds the archeology with the love story subplot: but was the latter really necessary?
– Curious “man heavy” script, replacing some of the historical female characters with men and making Peggy Piggott (Lily James) a bit of a klutz
– Asynchronous editing decision I found to be distracting and unnecessary.
For my full review, please see the video at https://youtu.be/m8Ad8B8dkSY .
Against this backdrop there is a critical illness emerging, a son (Archie Barnes) and his attachment to the father figure of Brown and a potential romance between Rory and archaeologist Peggy Piggott, trapped in a loveless marriage.
Talent:
Starring: Carey Mulligan, Ralph Fiennes, Johnny Flynn, Lily James, Archie Barnes, Ken Stott, Monica Donlan.
Directed by: Simon Stone.
Written by: Moira Buffini (from the novel by John Preston).
Bullet points of my thoughts:
+ Superb acting by Mulligan and Fiennes – Oscar noms for both?
+ Young Archie Barnes impresses as the son Robert
+ Cinematography by Mike Eley shows the open Suffolk skies at their best
+ Based on fact, a fascinating historical record of the real excitement of uncovering the past
o The script deftly melds the archeology with the love story subplot: but was the latter really necessary?
– Curious “man heavy” script, replacing some of the historical female characters with men and making Peggy Piggott (Lily James) a bit of a klutz
– Asynchronous editing decision I found to be distracting and unnecessary.
For my full review, please see the video at https://youtu.be/m8Ad8B8dkSY .
Environmental Transformations: A Geography of the Anthropocene
Book
From the depths of the oceans to the highest reaches of the atmosphere, the human impact on the...
Lottie disney bookworm (1056 KP) rated Adele: The Forgotten Sister of Fred Astaire in Books
May 16, 2020
Thank you to Booksirens for sending me an advance review copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I was intrigued by Adele when I first applied for an ARC: it isn't my usual kind of read but although I have heard of Fred Astaire (mainly from my grandma) I didn't know anything about his sister Adele, so I decided to give the book a go. Wow I am glad I did!
Nicola Cassidy brings the Astaires to life through her amazing writing. The majority of the novel is told from Adele's perspective: starting from when she is just a child. Cassidy, in turn, writes in a childish, conversationalist prose with this becoming steadily more mature along with our protagonist . By presenting Adele's life through her own eyes the reader feels her pain intensely: particularly towards the end of the novel. I'm not ashamed to say I was openly weeping at certain points.
Some critics may say that anyone can take a universally emotive topic and make you cry during a story. Well Cassidy goes one step further: through the character of Adele's father and the contrasting relationship she has with her mother and brother, the reader also witnesses the overwhelming feeling of absence- almost numbness towards the patriarchal figure. Similarly we also feel apprehension when we can recognise history repeating itself before Adele does: we can predict that this ending will not be an altogether happy one and it is this foresight and empathy that Nicola Cassidy creates which is unparalleled with any other book I have read recently.
Adele (the novel and the character) has glitz, glamour, heartache and inspiration. However, the novel has a steadying undertone with the changing effect of World War Two and the presence of several working class, dedicated women at the heart of the story.
Nowadays, it may be Fred Astaire who springs to mind but it was Adele who paved the way: it's about time she was given the chance to step out from her brother's shadow and regain the spotlight once again.
I was intrigued by Adele when I first applied for an ARC: it isn't my usual kind of read but although I have heard of Fred Astaire (mainly from my grandma) I didn't know anything about his sister Adele, so I decided to give the book a go. Wow I am glad I did!
Nicola Cassidy brings the Astaires to life through her amazing writing. The majority of the novel is told from Adele's perspective: starting from when she is just a child. Cassidy, in turn, writes in a childish, conversationalist prose with this becoming steadily more mature along with our protagonist . By presenting Adele's life through her own eyes the reader feels her pain intensely: particularly towards the end of the novel. I'm not ashamed to say I was openly weeping at certain points.
Some critics may say that anyone can take a universally emotive topic and make you cry during a story. Well Cassidy goes one step further: through the character of Adele's father and the contrasting relationship she has with her mother and brother, the reader also witnesses the overwhelming feeling of absence- almost numbness towards the patriarchal figure. Similarly we also feel apprehension when we can recognise history repeating itself before Adele does: we can predict that this ending will not be an altogether happy one and it is this foresight and empathy that Nicola Cassidy creates which is unparalleled with any other book I have read recently.
Adele (the novel and the character) has glitz, glamour, heartache and inspiration. However, the novel has a steadying undertone with the changing effect of World War Two and the presence of several working class, dedicated women at the heart of the story.
Nowadays, it may be Fred Astaire who springs to mind but it was Adele who paved the way: it's about time she was given the chance to step out from her brother's shadow and regain the spotlight once again.
Austerity
Book
Governments today in both Europe and the United States have succeeded in casting government spending...
Accidental Presidents
Book
This New York Times bestselling "deep dive into the terms of eight former presidents is chock-full...
Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour
Games and Entertainment
App
The #1 FPS is back on smartphone with a new chapter to push the boundaries of mobile gaming even...