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ClareR (5996 KP) rated The Promise in Books

Oct 12, 2021  
The Promise
The Promise
Damon Galgut | 2021 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Promise is on the Booker Prize 2021 shortlist, and I can see why. I enjoyed this book immensely - I love the idea of being a fly on the wall of a white South Africans house during and after Apartheid, and this pretty much sold the book to me before I even started reading it. The fact that we only drop in to the lives of this family during times of death and the subsequent funerals was a really interesting angle to take. These were people under a great deal of stress due to the fact that someone in their close family had died - even though they weren’t a close family at all. There are four funerals, each completely different in style, religion (or not) and ways in which they died.

As time moves on, Apartheid ends, Nelson Mandela becomes President. But does life change that much for the Swarts? Do they uphold the promise made at the beginning of the book, as overheard by the youngest daughter when her mother was dying? Laws may change, but do people’s attitudes?

This is a disjointed family: there doesn’t seem to be a single close relationship between any of them. They all seem to be selfish people who resent the new South Africa, as they lose social standing, money, and are directly affected by the rise in crime.

It was a thoroughly engrossing book, and I lost myself in it every time I sat down to read. It’s a really good, character-driven novel. Now to wait and see if it wins!!
  
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Merissa (13398 KP) rated Fall Into Darkness (Eternally Mated #1) in Books

May 8, 2023  
Fall Into Darkness (Eternally Mated #1)
Fall Into Darkness (Eternally Mated #1)
Valerie Twombly | 2015 | Paranormal, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Ashley has lived her life as a freak, seeing a person's death in their eyes, and decides to move to Alaska and live in solitude. Eli is a hunter angel and is very concerned about where the angels are going under the guidance of the Seven. Angels and mates are disappearing, falling into darkness, and no one seems to care. When he is judged by them to find his humanity to be sent to hell for eternity, he ends up in Alaska and helps to rescue Ashley from the hellhounds attacking her.

As this story moves along, we find out more about the darkness, what is causing it, what happens to the mates, and how deep it has sunk its claws into the angels. We also learn just how far Ashley will go to save Eli. This is the first book in a series that shows incredible promise. I loved the story of Ashley and Eli, even though it was full of insta-love, it was done in such a way as to be believable. Both Ashley and Eli admit to things moving fast between them, but once they make the decision to be together, they are all in.

Well written and smoothly paced, with no grammatical errors that I found, this was a delight to read and I look forward to reading further into the series.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Nov 29, 2015
  
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David McK (3623 KP) rated The Postman (1997) in Movies

Jun 21, 2022  
The Postman (1997)
The Postman (1997)
1997 | Action, Sci-Fi
5
6.3 (12 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
Kevin Costner released 'Waterworld' in 1995.

It sunk at the box office.

This was a few years later, based on the highly-respected David Brin novel of the same name.

I'm sure he wasn't expecting this one to flop either. Set in the far-off future of 2013, following a un-named catastrophe of some sort (no, not Trump)

The problem, I feel, is simply the length at nearly 3 hours long - there's some good ideas in here, and some good scenes, and a refreshing society-is-now-getting-better-again thread, after the unnamed events that led to the dystopian future shown at the start of the movie, but I do feel that the first act (in particular), playing up the threat of the fascist army led by General Bethlehem, could have been excised somewhat.

I understand why it's there - it needs to give Costner's character something to push against - but I think the book (and from what I remember) handled that aspect better than the movie does.

So, yeah, Costner plays a drifter who - after his escape from that army - discovers an old Postman uniform, initially putting it on only to become warm and then 'delivering the mail' simply as a scam to get food and shelter. However, over the course of that movie, that scam takes on a life of its own and more and more becomes the truth, finally ending with a code in the late 2040s after his death and where - going by dress, etc, - things seem to be back to 'normal'.