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Jessica - Where the Book Ends (15 KP) rated Harp's Song (Harp's Song, #1) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
***I received this book in exchange for an honest review ***
Harp's Song is a beautifully written breathtaking account of a young girl named Harp and her story of coming to terms with the abuse she suffered at the hands of her mother as well as first love.
When we first meet Harp she is a bit of a band geek who just so happens to be best friends with the high school jock Connor. Connor and Harp have been friends through thick and thin, and really Connor and his mom Catherine are the only people that know about the truth surrounding Harp's home life. Harp isn't part of any social group at school really, and her main focus is to play her Cello and to get out of Iowa, away from her mom, and to music school.
Harp's mother has always been lacking in the motherly department. She is constantly verbally abusing Harp and a couple of times even physically abusing her. Harp just knows she doesn't deserve the life that's been dealt to her and she has to get out. The way this book is written is that instead of having your typical chapters, the author uses them as a countdown to graduation. It's a very different approach to take and I love the way the author uses her "chapters" as a timeline for the reader. It helps you immerse yourself in the story even more. Not only that but your senior year I bet you counted down the days too, I know I did.
Connonr lets it slip that he wants to be more than friends with Harp, and how he's cared about her for so long. He doesn't want to see anything bad happen to her, and what he really wants is to do nothing but protect her. For the most part their relationship is comfortable and easy for them until Vincent shows up, and he becomes a snag in an otherwise smooth relationship. Connor perseveres and swears his love to Harp.
These characters are so beautifully written and so vibrant that I feel as though I know them outside of their pages. Harp's story is one that rips your heart out, and then replenishes your faith in humanity, and along the way raises awareness about abuse (both verbal and physical).
If you haven't read Harp's Song yet, or if you're debating about possibly reading it, let me do you a solid... Read it... I'm begging you. You won't be sorry. This story is both beautiful and poignant. This book will definitely make my top list of the year, maybe even ever. Bravo Cassie Shine, bravo!
Harp's Song is a beautifully written breathtaking account of a young girl named Harp and her story of coming to terms with the abuse she suffered at the hands of her mother as well as first love.
When we first meet Harp she is a bit of a band geek who just so happens to be best friends with the high school jock Connor. Connor and Harp have been friends through thick and thin, and really Connor and his mom Catherine are the only people that know about the truth surrounding Harp's home life. Harp isn't part of any social group at school really, and her main focus is to play her Cello and to get out of Iowa, away from her mom, and to music school.
Harp's mother has always been lacking in the motherly department. She is constantly verbally abusing Harp and a couple of times even physically abusing her. Harp just knows she doesn't deserve the life that's been dealt to her and she has to get out. The way this book is written is that instead of having your typical chapters, the author uses them as a countdown to graduation. It's a very different approach to take and I love the way the author uses her "chapters" as a timeline for the reader. It helps you immerse yourself in the story even more. Not only that but your senior year I bet you counted down the days too, I know I did.
Connonr lets it slip that he wants to be more than friends with Harp, and how he's cared about her for so long. He doesn't want to see anything bad happen to her, and what he really wants is to do nothing but protect her. For the most part their relationship is comfortable and easy for them until Vincent shows up, and he becomes a snag in an otherwise smooth relationship. Connor perseveres and swears his love to Harp.
These characters are so beautifully written and so vibrant that I feel as though I know them outside of their pages. Harp's story is one that rips your heart out, and then replenishes your faith in humanity, and along the way raises awareness about abuse (both verbal and physical).
If you haven't read Harp's Song yet, or if you're debating about possibly reading it, let me do you a solid... Read it... I'm begging you. You won't be sorry. This story is both beautiful and poignant. This book will definitely make my top list of the year, maybe even ever. Bravo Cassie Shine, bravo!
Nick doonan (0 KP) rated Dunkirk (2017) in Movies
Apr 4, 2018
A movie you only watch once.
Contains spoilers, click to show
Okay so i was sceptical about watching this movie and have put off watching it for quite some time but, as it is Christopher Nolan and the IMDb ratings seem to show above average on it, i thought i'd give it a chance seen as i loved all his previous movies.
Boy was i disappointed. .
I don't quite know where Nolan was planning to go with this movie or what it was even for but it is completely out of sync with all his other creations. I wanted to actually turn off the movie half way through it but my liking for Nolan kept me watching until it's pitiful and yet quite anticipated ending.
So the movie starts off with soldiers walking through the streets. Looking at the mess left behind from the still engaging warfare of the french. Then we cut to a young lad, separated from his group, avoiding gunfire, running away to stay alive. It's fast paced and it looks like a great start. THEN...
The young lad ends up at the beach where all the soldiers are waiting to be picked up and taken back home to England. A lot of long staring goes on and a very dramatic run by two soldiers taking an injured soldier to one of the boats prevails, but what was the dramatic music for? We then cut to our only 2 fighter pilots, protecting the skies. They seem to have a good friendship but we don't see any of it materialise until the end where one goes ''come on Farrier''. It is hard at this point to actually get on board with any of the characters, whether to like them or dislike them. The majority of the movie is spent watching a young lad trying to get on a board to get back home but keeps meeting obstacles on his way. Eventually, in particular fashion at the end, boats arrive and everyone safely returns home after what felt like eternity.
Conclusion?
I watched this movie purely because it was by Christopher Nolan. If it hadn't been, i wouldn't recommend this to anyone or even watched it myself. It's a movie you would only watch once and this suprises me. I expected so much better from such a great director. It was sloppy, messy and rushed and more importantly... it was just absolutely dull all the way through.
Cillian Murphy had a great part but felt watered down. I really struggled to get on board with anything that was going on.
I wanted to really enjoy this movie, i really did. but i struggled to actually get into anything that was going on. There was no character depth or explanation behind anything that was going on.
*SPOILER HERE....but it's not major so don't worry.* What was the deal with the young lad that died? Why did he mean so much to the old man and his son? Why was the dramatic music used so much for when ziltch was happening? I mean, literally, dramatic music getting faster and faster and then cuts to silence and nothing?
This movie started off quite promising. Walking the streets in the aftermath of battle, avoiding gunfire and then 3 minutes later, nothing. I feel like it was going to go back and explain why certain things was happening but it never did. I honestly don't understand this movie at all. The majority of the movie felt like a filler. The spitfire scenes were tedious and boring, despite the fact they were probably the only best scenes from the movie. This movie is a ''watch once, never again'' type movie. It had absolutely nothing make you want to come back. You can't like any of the characters because of the character depth being missing and it just felt messy.
I'm genuinely dissapointed that this movie wasn't as good or enjoyable.
Boy was i disappointed. .
I don't quite know where Nolan was planning to go with this movie or what it was even for but it is completely out of sync with all his other creations. I wanted to actually turn off the movie half way through it but my liking for Nolan kept me watching until it's pitiful and yet quite anticipated ending.
So the movie starts off with soldiers walking through the streets. Looking at the mess left behind from the still engaging warfare of the french. Then we cut to a young lad, separated from his group, avoiding gunfire, running away to stay alive. It's fast paced and it looks like a great start. THEN...
The young lad ends up at the beach where all the soldiers are waiting to be picked up and taken back home to England. A lot of long staring goes on and a very dramatic run by two soldiers taking an injured soldier to one of the boats prevails, but what was the dramatic music for? We then cut to our only 2 fighter pilots, protecting the skies. They seem to have a good friendship but we don't see any of it materialise until the end where one goes ''come on Farrier''. It is hard at this point to actually get on board with any of the characters, whether to like them or dislike them. The majority of the movie is spent watching a young lad trying to get on a board to get back home but keeps meeting obstacles on his way. Eventually, in particular fashion at the end, boats arrive and everyone safely returns home after what felt like eternity.
Conclusion?
I watched this movie purely because it was by Christopher Nolan. If it hadn't been, i wouldn't recommend this to anyone or even watched it myself. It's a movie you would only watch once and this suprises me. I expected so much better from such a great director. It was sloppy, messy and rushed and more importantly... it was just absolutely dull all the way through.
Cillian Murphy had a great part but felt watered down. I really struggled to get on board with anything that was going on.
I wanted to really enjoy this movie, i really did. but i struggled to actually get into anything that was going on. There was no character depth or explanation behind anything that was going on.
*SPOILER HERE....but it's not major so don't worry.* What was the deal with the young lad that died? Why did he mean so much to the old man and his son? Why was the dramatic music used so much for when ziltch was happening? I mean, literally, dramatic music getting faster and faster and then cuts to silence and nothing?
This movie started off quite promising. Walking the streets in the aftermath of battle, avoiding gunfire and then 3 minutes later, nothing. I feel like it was going to go back and explain why certain things was happening but it never did. I honestly don't understand this movie at all. The majority of the movie felt like a filler. The spitfire scenes were tedious and boring, despite the fact they were probably the only best scenes from the movie. This movie is a ''watch once, never again'' type movie. It had absolutely nothing make you want to come back. You can't like any of the characters because of the character depth being missing and it just felt messy.
I'm genuinely dissapointed that this movie wasn't as good or enjoyable.
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Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Puzzle (2018) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
Goldilocks... It's the only way I can think to describe this film. It's not too short or too long, it's just right. It's a simple tale and yet thought provoking. Everything about it is just right.
A movie review isn't really the right place to go into those thought provoking moments, but everything is done so well that you really do identify with Agnes and what is happening in her life.
The one thing I didn't like about this film was the ending... it's not even really that I didn't like it, it's just not where I wanted the film to go. It was still a perfect conclusion to the film.
Both Kelly Macdonald and Irrfan Khan are excellent in Puzzle. Seeing them develop throughout the film was a pleasure to watch.
I very much enjoyed this film, even though I'm fully aware that my limited comments don't exactly suggest that, but this one stayed with me for quite a while after I left the cinema and I'm not really sure how to properly express that in words.
What should you do?
This one is a double edged sword. It is great and I really feel like you should see it. But at the same time, if you're prone to thinking about your own personal situation and possibly not in the best frame of mind then it might not be for you at this time. Maybe wait until it's streaming and then you can just walk away if you need to.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
The shop full of jigsaw puzzles.
A movie review isn't really the right place to go into those thought provoking moments, but everything is done so well that you really do identify with Agnes and what is happening in her life.
The one thing I didn't like about this film was the ending... it's not even really that I didn't like it, it's just not where I wanted the film to go. It was still a perfect conclusion to the film.
Both Kelly Macdonald and Irrfan Khan are excellent in Puzzle. Seeing them develop throughout the film was a pleasure to watch.
I very much enjoyed this film, even though I'm fully aware that my limited comments don't exactly suggest that, but this one stayed with me for quite a while after I left the cinema and I'm not really sure how to properly express that in words.
What should you do?
This one is a double edged sword. It is great and I really feel like you should see it. But at the same time, if you're prone to thinking about your own personal situation and possibly not in the best frame of mind then it might not be for you at this time. Maybe wait until it's streaming and then you can just walk away if you need to.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
The shop full of jigsaw puzzles.
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Debbiereadsbook (1783 KP) rated The Unquiet Spirit (Spirited Encounters #1) in Books
Jan 27, 2026
couldn't see where this was going!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
Once in a while, a review request comes through that is a little out of my normal reads, and the blurb piqued my interest. This is one of those times!
Kate is left a house, and she runs to it, after her love life is left in tatters. As a historian, she can work from home, so moving to Cornwall is no real hardship. That the house has a ghost, however, is another matter. And just what is up with her new neighbour, Tom?
For a long time, I couldn't see where this was going, with the ghost, the diary, the connection between them and Tom's extended family, I really couldn't and I do LOVE being kept on my toes! I really did not see how it was going to come together, and when it did?? So not what I was expecting.
It's well written, the spooky bits come across wonderfully and the blossoming romance is very much faded to black. Not totally clean, but it's all behind closed doors.
BUT
Only Kate has a say and I would love to have heard from Tom at key points along the way. I always want to hear from everyone but I think here, it's needed.
I've not read anything by this author before, I might look at her back list! This is what I love MOST about reviewing: finding new-to-me authors with back lists.
4 very VERY good stars.
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Once in a while, a review request comes through that is a little out of my normal reads, and the blurb piqued my interest. This is one of those times!
Kate is left a house, and she runs to it, after her love life is left in tatters. As a historian, she can work from home, so moving to Cornwall is no real hardship. That the house has a ghost, however, is another matter. And just what is up with her new neighbour, Tom?
For a long time, I couldn't see where this was going, with the ghost, the diary, the connection between them and Tom's extended family, I really couldn't and I do LOVE being kept on my toes! I really did not see how it was going to come together, and when it did?? So not what I was expecting.
It's well written, the spooky bits come across wonderfully and the blossoming romance is very much faded to black. Not totally clean, but it's all behind closed doors.
BUT
Only Kate has a say and I would love to have heard from Tom at key points along the way. I always want to hear from everyone but I think here, it's needed.
I've not read anything by this author before, I might look at her back list! This is what I love MOST about reviewing: finding new-to-me authors with back lists.
4 very VERY good stars.
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
