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Louise (64 KP) rated The Girl in the Red Coat in Books
Jul 2, 2018
This book is every parent/guardians worst nightmare! This book made me feel anxious and sick at how realistic this is. For my daughter to be the same age as Carmel is just terrifying to me. This story line will definitely bring out your emotions even if you are not a parent. The premise was what drew me towards reading this book, child abduction is something that we will see on the news occasionally and something that could happen to anyone.
Carmel Wakeford is 8 years old and intelligent for her age, recently Carmel has been “Away with the Fairies” and occasionally wanders off. Beth (Carmel’s mother) is on constant edge when they visit a children’s festival, so much so they Carmel becomes agitated by her mothers clingyness that she decides to remove herself from her mothers grasp just for a while. When Carmel returns to the spot her mother is no where to be seen, a grey haired man appears and introduces himself as Carmel’s grandfather. With never actually meeting her grandfather before and him knowing her parents, she believes him when he tells her that her mother has been in an accident and he is there to look after her. Beth is frantically searching for her daughter realising her worst fear is becoming a reality.
The book is told from two alternating point of views, Beth and Carmel’s. Though this is a crime book, it is not told from the investigation perspective as we are used to, it’s more of the mother/father/family/child’s suffering. Hamer has captured the emotions of the mother really well with feeling guilty and the grieving process and I could feel her despair and knew if I was in the same position I would be feeling exactly the same way. I enjoyed reading from Carmel’s perspective, it’s interesting when the author writes as a child it needs to come across realistically which Hamer managed to pull off.
I found this story to be quite slow even with the alternating POV’s and some parts I was bored but I continued reading as I needed to know what happened to Carmel. The ending all seemed to be a bit rushed and left things unexplained. The writing was really good and packed full of emotion.
This is a great debut novel from Kate Hamer and would be interested in reading her future work.
Overall I rated this 3.5 out of stars
Carmel Wakeford is 8 years old and intelligent for her age, recently Carmel has been “Away with the Fairies” and occasionally wanders off. Beth (Carmel’s mother) is on constant edge when they visit a children’s festival, so much so they Carmel becomes agitated by her mothers clingyness that she decides to remove herself from her mothers grasp just for a while. When Carmel returns to the spot her mother is no where to be seen, a grey haired man appears and introduces himself as Carmel’s grandfather. With never actually meeting her grandfather before and him knowing her parents, she believes him when he tells her that her mother has been in an accident and he is there to look after her. Beth is frantically searching for her daughter realising her worst fear is becoming a reality.
The book is told from two alternating point of views, Beth and Carmel’s. Though this is a crime book, it is not told from the investigation perspective as we are used to, it’s more of the mother/father/family/child’s suffering. Hamer has captured the emotions of the mother really well with feeling guilty and the grieving process and I could feel her despair and knew if I was in the same position I would be feeling exactly the same way. I enjoyed reading from Carmel’s perspective, it’s interesting when the author writes as a child it needs to come across realistically which Hamer managed to pull off.
I found this story to be quite slow even with the alternating POV’s and some parts I was bored but I continued reading as I needed to know what happened to Carmel. The ending all seemed to be a bit rushed and left things unexplained. The writing was really good and packed full of emotion.
This is a great debut novel from Kate Hamer and would be interested in reading her future work.
Overall I rated this 3.5 out of stars
BookInspector (124 KP) rated The Girlfriend in Books
Sep 24, 2020
This whole story was told from three different perspectives, and I think Laura and Cherry shared the spotlight as the main characters, and Daniel was kind of supporting actor. I really enjoyed reading these different perspectives, I like to see what different characters think and how they analyze the situations. One thing was very obvious to me, that no one would be excepted into the “rich circle” with the name like Cherry. It just sounds trashy to me. I really enjoyed the unique personalities, which characters brought to this novel, as well as the complex relationships between each other. If I would have to pick my favourite in this book, I think it would be Daniel, I liked his personality and was feeling pity, that he was stuck in this crossfire.
Even though the narrative was sometimes quite repetitive to me, I enjoyed it. I liked the twists and turns which author incorporated in this novel, they made me more curious about what else the author has up her sleeve. I can easily see authors personal experience in this book. This book felt like some of the movies I saw, I think that’s where author’s knowledge of scripts and film industry comes in, as well as details of the TV serials which Laura was creating. I think that the daughter-in-law – mother-in-law relationship was quite realistic and relatable to some of the readers, I heard plenty of stories about evil mother-in-laws/ daughter-in-law.
I really enjoyed the easy flowing writing style of this novel, as well as great knowledge of London and rich people’s lifestyle. I loved the short chapters of this book, which kept me interested of what will happen next, till the last page. Even though the ending was quite predictable, I think it rounded up the story nicely and left me very satisfied with it. So, to conclude, it is a chilling thriller filled with unique characters and interesting story, which really hooked me, as I really wanted to see how this mother-in-law – daughter-in-law relationship will evolve. I really enjoyed it and I do recommend to give this book a try.
Even though the narrative was sometimes quite repetitive to me, I enjoyed it. I liked the twists and turns which author incorporated in this novel, they made me more curious about what else the author has up her sleeve. I can easily see authors personal experience in this book. This book felt like some of the movies I saw, I think that’s where author’s knowledge of scripts and film industry comes in, as well as details of the TV serials which Laura was creating. I think that the daughter-in-law – mother-in-law relationship was quite realistic and relatable to some of the readers, I heard plenty of stories about evil mother-in-laws/ daughter-in-law.
I really enjoyed the easy flowing writing style of this novel, as well as great knowledge of London and rich people’s lifestyle. I loved the short chapters of this book, which kept me interested of what will happen next, till the last page. Even though the ending was quite predictable, I think it rounded up the story nicely and left me very satisfied with it. So, to conclude, it is a chilling thriller filled with unique characters and interesting story, which really hooked me, as I really wanted to see how this mother-in-law – daughter-in-law relationship will evolve. I really enjoyed it and I do recommend to give this book a try.
Carma (21 KP) rated Condemned & Admired - The Earl's Cunning Wife (#9 Love's Second Chance Series) in Books
Jun 17, 2019
Condemned and Admired (The Earls Cunning Wife) is the first book Ive read by Bree Wolf. It is an historical story involving both England and France. It is quite a long book if you are a slow reader, just as a reference. 4 stars from this reader.
Our heroine starts as Violet Winters, daughter of Viscount Silox on a night when her mother makes the ultimate sacrifice to save both her and her daughter from a life of hell.
Fast forward the story to Violette Duret and the mission she is on to save her family.
Oliver Cornell is the Earl of Cullingwood and he is tired of the rules and regulations he must follow to keep the titles in his family. He is young and just wants to have fun and enjoy himself, much to the chagrin of his father. When he wakes up on a ship headed to see he thinks he has found his ticket to freedom.
When Violette and her family pull their ship over to commandeer the vessel they dont realize the precious commodity they now have on board. When the Earl reveals his identity she realizes he could help with her plan.
Violette and Oliver set off on an adventure that brings her right back into the family life her mother fought to remove her from. Will she make it out a second time?
A well written historical story with plenty of description of times in 1800s England. I enjoyed the storyline of Violette and Oliver and look forward to reading her mothers story in Trapped and Liberated. I received a copy without expectation for review, any and all opinions expressed are my own. I have a couple other books by Ms. Wolf on my TBR, cant wait to dive in.
Our heroine starts as Violet Winters, daughter of Viscount Silox on a night when her mother makes the ultimate sacrifice to save both her and her daughter from a life of hell.
Fast forward the story to Violette Duret and the mission she is on to save her family.
Oliver Cornell is the Earl of Cullingwood and he is tired of the rules and regulations he must follow to keep the titles in his family. He is young and just wants to have fun and enjoy himself, much to the chagrin of his father. When he wakes up on a ship headed to see he thinks he has found his ticket to freedom.
When Violette and her family pull their ship over to commandeer the vessel they dont realize the precious commodity they now have on board. When the Earl reveals his identity she realizes he could help with her plan.
Violette and Oliver set off on an adventure that brings her right back into the family life her mother fought to remove her from. Will she make it out a second time?
A well written historical story with plenty of description of times in 1800s England. I enjoyed the storyline of Violette and Oliver and look forward to reading her mothers story in Trapped and Liberated. I received a copy without expectation for review, any and all opinions expressed are my own. I have a couple other books by Ms. Wolf on my TBR, cant wait to dive in.
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Portrait of a Family with a Fat Daughter
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The Fourth Generation: A Personal Story of Humour and Heartache 1885-1985
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There are no exceptions and therefore there are no choices. This book is about the choices people...
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated American Pastoral (2016) in Movies
Aug 24, 2017
Ewan McGregor is brilliant (2 more)
Incredibly sad
Not bad adaptation of Philip Roth's book
Harrowing, tragic and moving
Philip Roth's tragic drama about the perfect high school couple and the disintegration of a family has finally made it on to the big screen. Set in the 1960's during massive political upheaval in America, it follows the story of a daughter who disappears after allegedly bombing a store, killing a clerk as part of a 'revolutionary' movement. Her father, played by Ewan McGregor, believes that she has been manipulated and that she is truly innocent throughout, even in the face of all opposing evidence. It's horrific seeing the mother and father's complete breakdown and it seems apparent the daughter Merry is suffering from a mental illness. There's hints of sexual abuse thought to have triggered her stutter, but it is extremely subtle.
It's really quite a sombre watch, especially given that the film begins with the father's funeral. Beautiful acting, but the daughter's character was extremely irritating.
It's really quite a sombre watch, especially given that the film begins with the father's funeral. Beautiful acting, but the daughter's character was extremely irritating.
The Mysteries
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'It will make the hairs stand up on the back of your head. It will make you imagine things you've...
Eleanor
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1962, Anchor Bend, Oregon. The sea calls to Eleanor. Like the turn of the waves it beckons her from...