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ClareR (5879 KP) rated Send For Me in Books
Sep 7, 2021
Send For Me is an emotionally charged look at the lives of three generations of women: Klara, Annalise and Clare. Annalise is German, a Jew living in Feldenheim at a time when it was dangerous to be Jewish - whether you were a practicing Jew or not. After years of persecution, Annalise, her husband and her toddler daughter, manage to get permission to leave for the USA. But she has to leave her parents behind.
This was a different take on other books set at this time, and I liked that about it very much. I haven’t read many books about those who managed to escape the Nazi regime and immigrate to safe countries before the Holocaust really began. But it’s no less saddening for that. Annalise desperately misses her parents, and life is so utterly different in the US.
The story swaps between Annalise and her granddaughter, Clare, whose life couldn’t have been any more different. Clare has the much more liberated life of an American woman - whether that’s what she really wants, remains to be seen.
I really enjoyed seeing the juxtaposition between a 1930s immigrant and a modern young woman. Annalise’s fear of being in a big city with no English is palpable - I panicked along with her. It must be so scary to move somewhere that’s completely different to your own life experience, and not even have a common language - something that people have always had to endure for their own safety throughout the ages.
This is a really moving novel, made more so when I learnt that the letters between Annalise and her mother Klara were real - just that the names were changed.
This was a different take on other books set at this time, and I liked that about it very much. I haven’t read many books about those who managed to escape the Nazi regime and immigrate to safe countries before the Holocaust really began. But it’s no less saddening for that. Annalise desperately misses her parents, and life is so utterly different in the US.
The story swaps between Annalise and her granddaughter, Clare, whose life couldn’t have been any more different. Clare has the much more liberated life of an American woman - whether that’s what she really wants, remains to be seen.
I really enjoyed seeing the juxtaposition between a 1930s immigrant and a modern young woman. Annalise’s fear of being in a big city with no English is palpable - I panicked along with her. It must be so scary to move somewhere that’s completely different to your own life experience, and not even have a common language - something that people have always had to endure for their own safety throughout the ages.
This is a really moving novel, made more so when I learnt that the letters between Annalise and her mother Klara were real - just that the names were changed.
Eyewitness to Wehrmacht Atrocities on the Eastern Front: A German Soldier’s Memoir of War and Captivity
6.0
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How can the truth about the devastating atrocities committed by the German army on the Eastern Front...
To be honest, crime fiction is not my usual genre of choice.
I also tend to find 'book club picks' to be rather off-putting; generally finding those I have previously read to be rather tedious and just not generally all that interesting (while able to admire the literary sophistication of the works).
This is both a crime fiction novel, and a 'Richard and Judy book club pick', so that would - normally - have been 2 marks against picking it up, in my books.
However, I have read - and generally quite enjoyed - most, if not all, of Simon Scarrow's other works - in particular his Cato and Macro series - so, when I saw this on a Kindle deal for something like 99p, I thought to myself 'why not?'.
And, I have to admit, I did actually quite enjoy this.
Set in 1939 Berlin just at the start of WW2, I found this to be unusual in that it told the story from the Point of View of a German criminal inspector - most WW2 novels (that I am aware of) usually feature either American or Brits as their main protagonists - who is not a member of the Nazi party: a fact that, here, is usually held against him but is also the reason he got handed the assignment as he has no links to any factions within the party.
It's both a very different time and 'headspace' than modern sensibilities; interesting to see how the man-on-the-street could have viewed the headline events of the time. As someone from Northern Ireland, there's also aspects of the novel that hit frighteningly close to home for me ...
I also tend to find 'book club picks' to be rather off-putting; generally finding those I have previously read to be rather tedious and just not generally all that interesting (while able to admire the literary sophistication of the works).
This is both a crime fiction novel, and a 'Richard and Judy book club pick', so that would - normally - have been 2 marks against picking it up, in my books.
However, I have read - and generally quite enjoyed - most, if not all, of Simon Scarrow's other works - in particular his Cato and Macro series - so, when I saw this on a Kindle deal for something like 99p, I thought to myself 'why not?'.
And, I have to admit, I did actually quite enjoy this.
Set in 1939 Berlin just at the start of WW2, I found this to be unusual in that it told the story from the Point of View of a German criminal inspector - most WW2 novels (that I am aware of) usually feature either American or Brits as their main protagonists - who is not a member of the Nazi party: a fact that, here, is usually held against him but is also the reason he got handed the assignment as he has no links to any factions within the party.
It's both a very different time and 'headspace' than modern sensibilities; interesting to see how the man-on-the-street could have viewed the headline events of the time. As someone from Northern Ireland, there's also aspects of the novel that hit frighteningly close to home for me ...
The Says Wife
Book
The highly anticipated new historical adventure from the bestselling author of The Champagne War. ...
![The Hidden Village (Wartime Holland Book 1) [Audiobook]](/uploads/profile_image/0c0/c99b7ae5-3878-4d10-b5f0-d71634e510c0.jpg?m=1642341418)
The Hidden Village (Wartime Holland Book 1) [Audiobook]
7.0
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A Nazi soldier slams his rifle into her father’s head. From her hiding place, Sofie stifles a...
Under the Paper Moon
5.0
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Kate Quinn’s The Rose Code meets Mr. and Mrs. Smith in this intrigue-filled debut, as two former...
I have to admit, I’m not a huge fan of opera, but Diva held me in its thrall from the off. Maria Callas’ life was fascinating: she was dramatic, striking, dedicated and vulnerable. Her mother had exploited her voice in Nazi-occupied Greece, which Maria never forgave her for, and she cuts her off when she makes it big. But even though Callas makes out that she can’t be used again for other’s financial gain, it does happen.
Then she meets Aristotle Onassis - the love of her life. This relationship must have looked so romantic at the time, and it seems that Maria thought so. She believed that Onassis saw her for who she really was. I thought this was where her vulnerability was really brought to the fore - and as she lets her guard down, he does the inevitable and lets her down.
I really liked the way this was set out: Callas’ career was interspersed with flashbacks of her early life, and as I was listening to the audiobook there were excerpts from songs (arias?)in between chapters. I actually headed to Spotify to listen to more after listening to a couple of these (there’s a playlist linked to the book: Diva by Daisy Goodwin). The narrator, Lorelei King made for an excellent Maria Callas as well as ‘just’ a narrator. She was very convincing.
I was completely sucked in to Maria Callas’ life whilst I was listening to this. She was quite some woman, and she was brought to life whilst I listened. My only complaint is that it ended too soon!
Then she meets Aristotle Onassis - the love of her life. This relationship must have looked so romantic at the time, and it seems that Maria thought so. She believed that Onassis saw her for who she really was. I thought this was where her vulnerability was really brought to the fore - and as she lets her guard down, he does the inevitable and lets her down.
I really liked the way this was set out: Callas’ career was interspersed with flashbacks of her early life, and as I was listening to the audiobook there were excerpts from songs (arias?)in between chapters. I actually headed to Spotify to listen to more after listening to a couple of these (there’s a playlist linked to the book: Diva by Daisy Goodwin). The narrator, Lorelei King made for an excellent Maria Callas as well as ‘just’ a narrator. She was very convincing.
I was completely sucked in to Maria Callas’ life whilst I was listening to this. She was quite some woman, and she was brought to life whilst I listened. My only complaint is that it ended too soon!
Murder on the Steel Pier (A Tess Mancini Time Travel Mystery #1)
Book
Greetings from the Nifty Fifties… The morning after a blowout birthday celebration in Atlantic...
Historical Mystery Time Travel
Andy K (10823 KP) rated Wonder Woman (2017) in Movies
Dec 10, 2017
The casting of Gal Gadot (1 more)
The correct spirit and mood for the film/character
Finally seeing Wonder Woman for the first time, I am torn between joining the film's praise bandwagon and complaining about another stupid villain. While I certainly don't want to go back to the cheesy Bane, Poisin Ivy, Mr. Freeze days of old, I also am not a big fan of the generic CGI villain, in this case Ares, God of War. I would think they could come up with a happy medium using The Dark Knight as a basis for a complex, grounded human character.
As for Wonder Woman herself, I thought Gal Gadot was amazing in personality, spirit, and the physical embodiment of Wonder Woman as a modern, yet retro female superhero.
Unfortunately, the film's historical setting and perspective has already been done better in the first Captain America film, but had to be the way they did it to make it close to the comic book origin of the character. The scene where Wonder Woman emerges on the battlefield was very strong as you, the viewer, had been anticipating this moment throughout the first half of the film.
The use of CGI during some of the fight scenes with the Nazi soldiers was poor and looked very false. Even when she jumped great distances, I thought that looked fake and was more believable in a Hulk film or even the Wonder Woman TV series from the 1970s.
I also sorely missed an appearance by the original Wonder Woman, Lynda Carter. They have said they will have her in the next film. They had better. 😊
Overall, I enjoyed the film more than most recent superhero flicks, but in 10 years, won't all these films just start to run together?
As for Wonder Woman herself, I thought Gal Gadot was amazing in personality, spirit, and the physical embodiment of Wonder Woman as a modern, yet retro female superhero.
Unfortunately, the film's historical setting and perspective has already been done better in the first Captain America film, but had to be the way they did it to make it close to the comic book origin of the character. The scene where Wonder Woman emerges on the battlefield was very strong as you, the viewer, had been anticipating this moment throughout the first half of the film.
The use of CGI during some of the fight scenes with the Nazi soldiers was poor and looked very false. Even when she jumped great distances, I thought that looked fake and was more believable in a Hulk film or even the Wonder Woman TV series from the 1970s.
I also sorely missed an appearance by the original Wonder Woman, Lynda Carter. They have said they will have her in the next film. They had better. 😊
Overall, I enjoyed the film more than most recent superhero flicks, but in 10 years, won't all these films just start to run together?
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Overlord (2018) in Movies
Feb 3, 2019
Crazy Insane
When a team of American troops take on a routine mission in Nazi-occupied France during World War II, they stumble upon something abnormal and horrifying that they weren’t expecting.
Acting: 10
Beginning: 10
Characters: 10
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
Conflict: 10
From it’s heartpounding beginning to crazy conclusion, you’re put right in front of consistent action. They are the kind of scenes that leave you wanting more. Intensity awaits at every turn with gun battles, explosions, and crazy zombie(esque) fights. The action was managed perfectly, not overdone in anyway.
Genre: 7
Memorability: 8
I remember jumping quite a few times while watching Overlord. It’s one of those movies where you, as an audience member, recognize something is wrong, but the characters don’t seem to pick up on it until it’s too late. Some of the things you see are quite unsettling and hard to get out of your memory.
Pace: 8
Overlord moves at a steady speed, although not perfect. I would prefer “breakneck” with a movie like this, but instead you get “just over the speed limit”. Fortunately there are only a handful of lulls, but they seem to come at the worst times right when you expect the train to keep rolling.
Plot: 7
Resolution: 10
I won’t give anything away, but the ending left me both satisfied and hoping for more. There is definitely room for some kind of a sequel here if they wanted to go that route. All the loose ends that needed to be tied up were taken care of.
Overall: 90
I can’t stress enough that I appreciate when certain genres get reused for the sake of being spun in a different fashion. Sometimes it’s a big miss (insert Pride and Prejudice and Zombies here). Other times, a film succeeds with a big swing. Overlord hits a home run.
Acting: 10
Beginning: 10
Characters: 10
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
Conflict: 10
From it’s heartpounding beginning to crazy conclusion, you’re put right in front of consistent action. They are the kind of scenes that leave you wanting more. Intensity awaits at every turn with gun battles, explosions, and crazy zombie(esque) fights. The action was managed perfectly, not overdone in anyway.
Genre: 7
Memorability: 8
I remember jumping quite a few times while watching Overlord. It’s one of those movies where you, as an audience member, recognize something is wrong, but the characters don’t seem to pick up on it until it’s too late. Some of the things you see are quite unsettling and hard to get out of your memory.
Pace: 8
Overlord moves at a steady speed, although not perfect. I would prefer “breakneck” with a movie like this, but instead you get “just over the speed limit”. Fortunately there are only a handful of lulls, but they seem to come at the worst times right when you expect the train to keep rolling.
Plot: 7
Resolution: 10
I won’t give anything away, but the ending left me both satisfied and hoping for more. There is definitely room for some kind of a sequel here if they wanted to go that route. All the loose ends that needed to be tied up were taken care of.
Overall: 90
I can’t stress enough that I appreciate when certain genres get reused for the sake of being spun in a different fashion. Sometimes it’s a big miss (insert Pride and Prejudice and Zombies here). Other times, a film succeeds with a big swing. Overlord hits a home run.