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Frecklesxoxo (6 KP) rated Tales of My Large, Loud, Spiritual Family in Books

Feb 27, 2019

This book was tough to give the 3 stars too, I was torn between 3 or 4 it's more 3 1/2 stars.

I did enjoy the book, it was readable and it started off really well.
During the flash back story with the grandma in nazi Germany made me cry and only one other book has done that (the green mile) however after that point things started to get a bit samey, lots of finding inner peace, visions, darkness, sins it was just a little much and also there was one bit that made no sense, I won't say to much as don't want to ruin it but it was a guest that visited cynthia and I really didn't see the reason why it happened, it was never mentioned again, it was very out there but not in a good way.
I think the story was to make you think about karma, kindness, doing what's right for yourself and others but it did get a little in your face.
As I said it was readable but not something I would recommend as it's just too much religion for me I think.

Kudos

Awix (3310 KP) rated A Hidden Life (2019) in Movies

Jan 22, 2020

A Hidden Life (2019)

2019 | Biography, Drama

7.3

(3 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

Based-on-a-true-story drama set during the Second World War. An Austrian farmer decides he does not agree with the actions of the Nazi government and refuses to swear an oath of loyalty to Hitler, regardless of the risks to himself or the effects this will have on his family's status in their village. Obviously a serious film dealing with an important topic, presented in a measured and very skillful way: this is a Terrence Malick movie, so obviously it's going to look tremendous.

On the other hand, it's a Terrence Malick film, and no-one's ever come out of one of those saying 'Yeah, I liked it, but it could have done with being a bit longer and slower' - this film is knocking on three hours in length, and I'm not really sure it needs it. There are probably several too many scenes of villagers scything the corn or digging up turnips as the wind whistles down the valley. Still, it handles a weighty topic with the proper respect, and stories like these deserve to be remembered. Worth watching, but probably best to take sandwiches.

Kudos

Lorna Cant (51 KP) rated The Nightingale in Books

Jan 14, 2020

The Nightingale

Kristin Hannah | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry

8.9

(61 Ratings)

Book Rating

I honestly thought this was going to be a run of the mill WW2 story, but I was so wrong! These two sisters, one young, vivacious and spirited, the other older, settled and inclined to play it safe are so different, yet where it really counts each are as brave as the other.
Isabelle, the younger, is wild and impetuous. When Nazis invade their home town, she immediately wants to fight, regardless of the consequences. Taking an active part in the resistance she belies her years.
Older sister Vianne is more conservative. Married since she was 16, living in the family home that has been theirs for generations she is settled, keeps her head down and doesnt want to draw attention to herself.
Appearances can be deceptive. Even with Nazi officers billeted at her home, she proves that a mother is willing to do anything to protect her children, especially with her husband interned in a POW camp.
The stories these women have to tell are extraordinary, each of the finding in themselves a bravery they didn't know they had until they had to find it. Beautifully written, heart breaking. Extraordinary.