Something Has Gone Wrong: Dealing with the Brighton Bomb
Book
On 12 October 1984, an IRA bomb exploded inside Brighton's Grand Hotel, killing five people and...
ClareR (5577 KP) rated The Queen Of Bloody Everything in Books
Sep 9, 2018
I listened to this through Audible, and I think the narrator was exactly the right choice. Dido, the main character, starts off as a six year old in 1976. We follow her through a difficult childhood with her single, bohemian, hard and fast living mother, Edie, in a very conservative small town. There are times where I wondered who the adult actually was. There is no doubt that Dido loves her mother no matter how difficult she is, but it's also evident that she is largely responsible for the direction that Dido's life takes. Dido is mainly cared for by the Trevelyans, who she meets on the day she and her mother move in to the house left to Edie in her aunts will. Mrs Trevelyan is clearly disapproving of Edie (as are a lot of people in their small town). Dido attempts to become part of the Trevelyan family, and she does succeed in time.
I loved all of these characters and the way their lives played out, and I think the use of the first person narrative was really effective. A really lovely book.
Awix (3310 KP) rated La Flor (2018) in Movies
Nov 2, 2019
There's at least one horror movie in the mix, along with a musical melodrama, a sprawling existential spy thriller, and a metafictional self-parody. Characters include archaeologists, witches, Casanova and Margaret Thatcher. Just about the only thing holding it together is the presence of the same four actresses, who play significant roles in almost every episode. It begins very generic, but becomes increasingly strange and avant garde as it progresses. One would say it has become completely unravelled by the end, but it's not as if it was ever very ravelled. Parts of it are indisputably brilliant and highly accomplished, others are kind of indifferent; some of it is actively irritating. In the end it is a gargantuan, self-indulgent oddity. Some of it is definitely worth watching, but the whole thirteen hours...? I'm not sure. Maybe wait until it comes on TV.
Kind of Blue: A Political Memoir
Book
Ken Clarke needs no introduction. One of the genuine 'Big Beasts' of the political scene, during his...
This Was a Man
Book
This Was a Man is the captivating final instalment of the Clifton Chronicles, a series of seven...
I can’t honestly tell you which parts I liked best: the thoughts of the miners as they trudged to the mine and worked there; the sociologists researching the history and decline of the town; and Simon, who works in a call centre by day and has a drag act in local clubs and bars at night. Each part blended with and gave explanations for every other component of this book, and explained the impact on the next generation.
Simon’s sections and the preparation for his show, where he would dress as Margaret Thatcher were particularly engaging. Her impact on ex-mining towns are clearly still apparent, and Simons alter ego, Puttana Short Dress, appears dressed as the Iron Lady with the slogan “This turn is not a lady!” - it’s a genius act!
I was left wondering where Simon and Ryan’s relationship would go, as Ryan seemed unhappy about Simon wearing his makeup on the journey home after his act had finished. Could he accept Simon - ALL of Simon?
This was a short read, that I would happily have read if it was twice (or more!) the length - it was all over too soon!
Recommended.
S is for Samora: A Lexical Biography of Samora Machel and the Mozambican Dream
Book
Samora Machel led FRELIMO, the Mozambican Liberation Front, to victory against Portuguese...
The Crazy Gang
Book
"If we can sell Newcastle Brown to Japan, and if Wimbledon can make it to the First Division, there...
Emirates Diaries: Culture, Peace and War in the Gulf
Book
Emirates Diaries tells the story of how Peter Clark came to love the Emirates and its people. He got...
Bang in the Middle
Book
A book to put the Midlands back on the map. Everyone knows what they think of the North and South of...