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Rachel King (13 KP) rated The Penelopiad in Books
Feb 11, 2019
This book was a very easy read and quite interesting, too. I have never read The Odyssey, (though that would be an ideal goal to keep in mind) but I am familiar enough with the plot to keep up with the many subtle references throughout The Penelopiad. This book was told from the point-of-view of Penelope, Odysseus's eternally-loyal wife, with the Chorus of maids chiming in with their opinions every other chapter.
Margaret Atwood does an excellent job of portraying the character of Penelope in a unique way without disrupting what we know of her from the original text. In this book, Penelope tells her story from beyond the grave, interspersed with her interactions with other known characters of that time, such as her self-involved cousin, Helen of Troy. Penelope balances many opposing traits into one body - from the bitter housewife, to the scheming seductress, to the self-sacrificing devotee - and still comes out as an admirable woman and wife that few could emulate so convincingly.
The chorus of maids served as both a comedic interlude in a rather tragic story and as further commentary of Penelope's story and their shared fate. Irony played a large part in the maids' story and final demise. Margaret Atwood's explanation for their cumulative death following the deaths of the numerous suitors made perfect sense according to the arrogance and bravado attributed to Odysseus from Penelope's account.
In many ways, this book bears strong themes of feminism, despite Penelope's loyalty to Odysseus. Though I imagine that The Odyssey portrays Odysseus as a grand hero worthy of respect, Penelope's narrative of him both in life and in death makes him out to be at times a philandering womanizer with immeasurable luck and other times a melodramatic little boy with an overactive imagination and an insatiable appetite for adventure. The ones who seemed to endure the most suffering in this plot were the ones that were shown the least respect and recognition - the women.
Margaret Atwood does an excellent job of portraying the character of Penelope in a unique way without disrupting what we know of her from the original text. In this book, Penelope tells her story from beyond the grave, interspersed with her interactions with other known characters of that time, such as her self-involved cousin, Helen of Troy. Penelope balances many opposing traits into one body - from the bitter housewife, to the scheming seductress, to the self-sacrificing devotee - and still comes out as an admirable woman and wife that few could emulate so convincingly.
The chorus of maids served as both a comedic interlude in a rather tragic story and as further commentary of Penelope's story and their shared fate. Irony played a large part in the maids' story and final demise. Margaret Atwood's explanation for their cumulative death following the deaths of the numerous suitors made perfect sense according to the arrogance and bravado attributed to Odysseus from Penelope's account.
In many ways, this book bears strong themes of feminism, despite Penelope's loyalty to Odysseus. Though I imagine that The Odyssey portrays Odysseus as a grand hero worthy of respect, Penelope's narrative of him both in life and in death makes him out to be at times a philandering womanizer with immeasurable luck and other times a melodramatic little boy with an overactive imagination and an insatiable appetite for adventure. The ones who seemed to endure the most suffering in this plot were the ones that were shown the least respect and recognition - the women.
The Lynching: The Epic Courtroom Battle That Brought Down the Klan
Book
The New York Times bestselling author of The Kennedy Women chronicles the powerful and spellbinding...
Railroad of Death
John Coast, Laura Noszlopy and Justin Nash
Book
A bestseller in 1946, Railroad of Death is the first and best account of forced labour on the Burma...
The Golden Egg
Book
Twenty-one years ago, when a conductor was poisoned and the Questura sent a man to investigate,...
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Gypsy Blood (All The Pretty Monsters #1) in Books
Nov 19, 2020
193 of 200
Kindle
Gypsy Blood ( All the pretty monsters book 1)
By Kristy Cunning
I'm not all that special, really. Or uncommon. I'm sure there are a lot of girls with old gypsy blood who see the dead, have killer cults hunting their family, and turn into something that gets scary when they panic. Yep. Completely unoriginal, if I do say so myself.
Move along. Nothing to see here. Nope. I'm just an ordinary girl.
I wish people would believe that.
I've been labeled as one thing or another for most of my life:
Death Girl.
Crazy Gypsy Girl.
Gothic Chick.
Monster...
It took my mother's death for me to finally start getting answers about what's really been going on. Unfortunately, most of the answers come from men...who aren't just men. Somehow, I've gone and landed myself in a world truly filled with monsters, and I'm starting to think this is where I should have been all along.
Only...I don't understand what's going on. I'm walking into the middle of a story that's thousands of years old, and I'm the new girl on the block who doesn't have a clue how this world even works. My only guides happen to be the most lethal of the bunch.
They decide who lives or dies. They decide who gets stabbed or tortured.
Yeah...
I've gone and drawn attention to myself, and the ones paying attention are the ones everyone else seems to fear.
How do these things always happen to me?
I didn’t know what to except but found myself totally involved! I love the idea of these alphas and I love her Gypsy powers and how she still has so much to learn! We get to learn with her because this is written so you want to keep going! Anna her ghost is so bloody funny I laughed quite a bit woke my husband several times from sleep! I do think Ace was a bit obvious and she was a bit stupid there but now things get a bit more interesting
Kindle
Gypsy Blood ( All the pretty monsters book 1)
By Kristy Cunning
I'm not all that special, really. Or uncommon. I'm sure there are a lot of girls with old gypsy blood who see the dead, have killer cults hunting their family, and turn into something that gets scary when they panic. Yep. Completely unoriginal, if I do say so myself.
Move along. Nothing to see here. Nope. I'm just an ordinary girl.
I wish people would believe that.
I've been labeled as one thing or another for most of my life:
Death Girl.
Crazy Gypsy Girl.
Gothic Chick.
Monster...
It took my mother's death for me to finally start getting answers about what's really been going on. Unfortunately, most of the answers come from men...who aren't just men. Somehow, I've gone and landed myself in a world truly filled with monsters, and I'm starting to think this is where I should have been all along.
Only...I don't understand what's going on. I'm walking into the middle of a story that's thousands of years old, and I'm the new girl on the block who doesn't have a clue how this world even works. My only guides happen to be the most lethal of the bunch.
They decide who lives or dies. They decide who gets stabbed or tortured.
Yeah...
I've gone and drawn attention to myself, and the ones paying attention are the ones everyone else seems to fear.
How do these things always happen to me?
I didn’t know what to except but found myself totally involved! I love the idea of these alphas and I love her Gypsy powers and how she still has so much to learn! We get to learn with her because this is written so you want to keep going! Anna her ghost is so bloody funny I laughed quite a bit woke my husband several times from sleep! I do think Ace was a bit obvious and she was a bit stupid there but now things get a bit more interesting
ClareR (5879 KP) rated Case Histories (Jackson Brodie, #1) in Books
Jul 21, 2021
I quite honestly don’t know why it took me so long to get round to reading/ listening to these books. I listened to Case Histories on my library’s audiobook app, and loved how the narrator, Susan Jameson, brought the story to life. The cases at first sight seem unrelated, but coincidences occur as the story goes on. They’re all quite quirky characters, which I enjoyed, particularly the sisters from case one. They ask Jackson to find out what happened to their little sister 40 years ago. Whilst sleeping in a tent in the back garden, three year old Olivia went missing. When find her beloved Blue Mouse in their deceased fathers desk drawer, they start to think that there is more to her disappearance - and it’s close to home.
Case two is about the death of a young woman at her fathers solicitors offices. After many years, the man who murdered her in broad daylight in the busy office, has still never been found.
The third case is a famous one. Tanya, a nurse, had been given the task of bringing up her niece after her sister murders her husband with an axe. However, Tanya has lost contact with the child (now a woman), and wants to find her again.
The fourth case is that of Jacksons own sister. After their mothers death, Jacksons sister is murdered on her way home from work. The murderer is never found.
It was really interesting to see how the cases wove together as the story went on, but what I really found interesting were the flashbacks to around the times of the murders.
Many of the characters are pretty unpleasant - except for the very moral Jackson Brodie - and I found that an interesting contrast.
I think that this is a series that I’m going to have to read more of. I like the Brodie character, and I’m intrigued to see if the next book is set up in a similar way.
Case two is about the death of a young woman at her fathers solicitors offices. After many years, the man who murdered her in broad daylight in the busy office, has still never been found.
The third case is a famous one. Tanya, a nurse, had been given the task of bringing up her niece after her sister murders her husband with an axe. However, Tanya has lost contact with the child (now a woman), and wants to find her again.
The fourth case is that of Jacksons own sister. After their mothers death, Jacksons sister is murdered on her way home from work. The murderer is never found.
It was really interesting to see how the cases wove together as the story went on, but what I really found interesting were the flashbacks to around the times of the murders.
Many of the characters are pretty unpleasant - except for the very moral Jackson Brodie - and I found that an interesting contrast.
I think that this is a series that I’m going to have to read more of. I like the Brodie character, and I’m intrigued to see if the next book is set up in a similar way.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Wife Who Knew Too Much in Books
Sep 17, 2020
Wild thriller that keeps you on your toes!
Tabby Girard hasn't seen Connor Ford for thirteen years, since he broke her heart as a teen. Back then he was the handsome rich kid whom she fell in love with while working at his country club. But she wasn't good enough for the Ford family, especially Connor's grandmother. Tabby quickly learns Connor is richer than ever now. He's married to Nina Levitt, a wealthy and famous woman twenty years his senior. He married for money, not love, he tells Tabby, and he's miserable. He portrays Nina as a controlling and jealous wife. But if he cheats on Nina and leaves her, their prenup dictates that Connor receives nothing. Then Nina is found dead in the pool at Windswept, her Southampton mansion, where she had just thrown her annual fourth of July party. It seems like Tabby and Connor can finally be together. But Tabby quickly grows suspicious. Was Nina's death really a suicide? And if not, does that mean she's in love with a murderer?
"I'm writing this to raise an alarm in the event of my untimely death. This is hard to admit, even to myself, let alone to the world. My husband is planning to kill me. For obvious reasons. He's in love with someone else. And he wants my money."
It's funny, the writing in this book felt simple and stilted at times. However, I cannot deny that this is a thrilling read. It's fast-paced, and I flew through the pages. Campbell kept me guessing--something that isn't always easy to do--and offered some excellent twists. Kudos to her there. Alternating perspectives between Connor and Tabby works well, as does throwing in some flashbacks from Nina. It all adds up to a very suspenseful, slightly crazy, and quite enjoyable thriller.
Best written book? No. Wild and crazy ride with lots of surprises? Yes. (And also, make better life choices, Tabby.) 3.75 stars.
"I'm writing this to raise an alarm in the event of my untimely death. This is hard to admit, even to myself, let alone to the world. My husband is planning to kill me. For obvious reasons. He's in love with someone else. And he wants my money."
It's funny, the writing in this book felt simple and stilted at times. However, I cannot deny that this is a thrilling read. It's fast-paced, and I flew through the pages. Campbell kept me guessing--something that isn't always easy to do--and offered some excellent twists. Kudos to her there. Alternating perspectives between Connor and Tabby works well, as does throwing in some flashbacks from Nina. It all adds up to a very suspenseful, slightly crazy, and quite enjoyable thriller.
Best written book? No. Wild and crazy ride with lots of surprises? Yes. (And also, make better life choices, Tabby.) 3.75 stars.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Digging Up the Dead (The Gravedigger #3) in Books
Dec 1, 2020
200 of 200
Kindle
Digging up the Dead ( The Gravedigger book 2)
By Willie E. Dalton
Reapers, vampires, and… zombies?”
I wasn’t sure just how much more emotional upheaval I was capable of handling. I never knew this would still be an issue after death. I was still coping with the latest trauma, when my best friend, Grace came to me with startling news. Boude, her boyfriend, was missing.
Vampire affairs is something I try to avoid, after all, the vampire Rasputin had tried to kill me more than once, and had been the one to take Grace’s eye and disfigure the side of her lovely face. I had a sneaking suspicion he was also the one behind our missing friend.
Not one to sit idly by while my friend suffered, I started investigating the inner workings of the Vampire Quarter; a breathtaking and sinister area of the underworld.
In the fields of the dead, bodies were disappearing as fast as the other reapers and I could dig them up, and things at the Assignment Hall were profoundly more strange as all of the employees suddenly had fangs.
The deeper we kept digging into the bizarre events, a terrifying plot unfolded that could bring down the underworld as we knew it. And when the bodies in the field started clawing their way out of the graves, I realized we were up against something more powerful than we could ever have imagined.
Been a while since I read book 2 but was able to pick it up and remember exactly where it left off! I enjoy this series it’s a totally different take on how life in the afterlife is. I kinda wished they made more of the big bars death though. Also separating Hell and Soren hoping they find a way back to each other! I like the idea of Hell covering for Persephone as queen too!
Kindle
Digging up the Dead ( The Gravedigger book 2)
By Willie E. Dalton
Reapers, vampires, and… zombies?”
I wasn’t sure just how much more emotional upheaval I was capable of handling. I never knew this would still be an issue after death. I was still coping with the latest trauma, when my best friend, Grace came to me with startling news. Boude, her boyfriend, was missing.
Vampire affairs is something I try to avoid, after all, the vampire Rasputin had tried to kill me more than once, and had been the one to take Grace’s eye and disfigure the side of her lovely face. I had a sneaking suspicion he was also the one behind our missing friend.
Not one to sit idly by while my friend suffered, I started investigating the inner workings of the Vampire Quarter; a breathtaking and sinister area of the underworld.
In the fields of the dead, bodies were disappearing as fast as the other reapers and I could dig them up, and things at the Assignment Hall were profoundly more strange as all of the employees suddenly had fangs.
The deeper we kept digging into the bizarre events, a terrifying plot unfolded that could bring down the underworld as we knew it. And when the bodies in the field started clawing their way out of the graves, I realized we were up against something more powerful than we could ever have imagined.
Been a while since I read book 2 but was able to pick it up and remember exactly where it left off! I enjoy this series it’s a totally different take on how life in the afterlife is. I kinda wished they made more of the big bars death though. Also separating Hell and Soren hoping they find a way back to each other! I like the idea of Hell covering for Persephone as queen too!
Diablo (The Gifted Ones #2)
10.0
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Book
Trace Black hasn’t forgotten the tragic death of his parents and birth pack. His only focus since...
MM Mpreg Paranormal Romance
Love’s Last Kiss by Sharon Wray
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Is love worth risking everything for? Rose Guthrie, a reluctant erotic dancer, hasn’t trusted...
Adult Romance Suspense