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The Time Of Our Lives
The Time Of Our Lives
Jane Costello | 2014 | Fiction & Poetry
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Weak main character (0 more)
I really enjoyed The Wish List by Jane Costello, so when I picked up this book I was quite keen to get stuck in.
The back of the book states 'even in the most glamorous of locations, things can go wrong.' Well let me just say there are things going wrong and then there are things going WRONG.
It is all well and good having a few unfortunate events happening to the main character but I didn't believe that it was then essential to make her awkward, accident prone and a complete sap.
I don't know if I was meant to love or hate Imogen. I grew to really dislike her. I wanted to shake her and tell her to be stronger. There is no need for women to be portrayed in such a pathetic way.
It wasn't a wholly predictable tale though. There were a couple swings that I hadn't expected that gave a bit more substance to the novel.
I read to escape life, find inspiration and motivation. In my opinion, this book reaffirmed the idea that women are weak. Please create a strong, intelligent, independent woman as a main character! It will give girls a better role model for life!
  
Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)
Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)
2018 | Adventure, Family, Fantasy, Mystery
This film was just a mess. There are so many characters thrown in that it's hard to care about any of them. They aren't given enough time to be fully fleshed out or even memorable. I don't remember the names of even half of them. And while we see Grindelwald commit a few crimes, in the end his motivation is to stop police brutality and prevent World War 2 from even happening. If he's painted as anything in this film I would maybe say he was more of an anti hero than a villain and that's not what he was supposed to be. Don't even get me started on his non relationship with Dumbledore. JK Rowling wants all of the credit for having a gay character without doing any of the work. I find it to be annoying. In the trailer, Dumbledore is shown in front of the Mirror of Erised, that shows him Grindelwald. So I had some hope that their relationship would at least be mentioned in the film. Nope. Not even a little. They had a gay character in the same way the live action of Beauty and the Beast did - in that they didn't. Unless you squint.
  
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ClareR (5726 KP) rated Stone Mothers in Books

Aug 6, 2019  
Stone Mothers
Stone Mothers
Erin Kelly | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry, Mystery, Thriller
10
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Stone Mothers was my first Erin Kelly book, and it really surprised me with its dark, melancholy story that evolved into a taut thriller.

It’s a story told in reverse. We meet the adults first before we begin to slip into their past, and we learn of their connection with the ‘Stone Mother’, or the mental hospital in their home town. Marianne and Jesse are unlikely sweethearts, very different personalities, yet they are both affected by the closure of the local psychiatric hospital, Nazareth, which employed most of their remote village. Including their own parents. With a random discovery comes their chance, in Jesse’s opinion, to improve their lives and some retribution.

I really enjoyed how this story unfolded: I liked how we found out more about the three main characters as we slipped into their pasts (I found Helens story particularly interesting, to be honest, and I would have happily read more). It’s a story where it’s really difficult to apportion blame to anyone - I ended up liking all of them, and could understand the motivation for their actions.

I will definitely be looking out for more books by Erin Kelly - this has without a doubt piqued my interest. Stone Mothers is well worth a read.
  
The New Husband
The New Husband
D.J. Palmer | 2020 | Thriller
6
7.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
I will give it to this novel--it's a page-turner. I might not have really liked any of the characters (Daisy the dog exempted), but I certainly flew through the book. The narrative style wasn't exactly my favorite; it just felt off to me.

"There was, however, one truth Nina took from the terrible ordeal, an abstract notion that with time and rumination calcified into a harsh new understanding: just because you love someone doesn't mean you know them."

There is no one in this book that I felt the desire to root for, beyond Daisy and poor Maggie, Nina's thirteen-year-old daughter, who is bullied and neglected thanks to all that's going on. I'm sorry, but her clueless mom makes some terrible decisions. I wanted to shake her multiple times.

This book is crazy and honestly, a little too far-fetched for me at times. I love a book filled with twists and turns, but this one might take the cake. Especially since some of them seemed to lack any motivation or backup.

Still, it's a page-turner and a fast read. If you can suspend your disbelief more than I did, you'll probably really enjoy it.