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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Finding Esme in Books
Jan 25, 2020
I love reading middle grade fiction, so when the chance to read and review Finding Esme by Suzanne Crowley came up, I jumped at the chance! I was really glad I got a chance to read Finding Esme because it was such an amazing book!
Esme is a 12 year old girl growing up in the 1970's. Her home life isn't very traditional. Her dad is out somewhere being a wanderer, and her mom is too busy worrying about her dad to look after Esme. The only person that really looks after Esme is her grandma Bee. When Esme finds dinosaur bones (which she'd like to keep secret) on a hill by her house, things start changing for Esme.
I really loved the plot of Finding Esme. There is a touch of magical realism within this book that written very well. Esme and her grandmother have certain gifts. They can find lost things and/or people usually. There's also sightings of ghosts although not spooky ghostly sightings. Suzanne Crowley does such a fantastic job of making the magical realism element seem like it's an every day happening in real life. She also does a fantastic job with Esme's dealing of loss and just with the whole plot overall. Although Finding Esme does start out a bit slow, as well as a bit confusing with a bunch of different names, it quickly picks up the pacing. Also, it because clear which character is which quickly. The wording may be confusing for some as it's written in semi-heavy Texas twang and slang throughout. However, context clues help. It was easyish for me to understand being as I was born and raised in Texas.
I must gush now on the characters found in Finding Esme! They were all so fleshed out and felt like they were actual people I was reading about instead of just being fictitious characters. Bee, Esme's grandmother, was probably my favorite character because I loved her no-nonsense approach to things. June Rain was always in la la land since her husband was always up and missing. My heart ached for her, but at the same time, I was angry with her for not paying more attention to her children, Esme and Bo. Sweetmaw was another great character, and I loved her for watching out for Esme when Esme felt she had no one. Finch, Esme's best friend, cared for Esme very much, and it was obvious throughout the novel. He only wanted what was best for Esme even if she had a hard time figuring that out. I loved little Bo, Esme's younger brother. I can't remember if Bo's age is ever mentioned in Finding Esme. I guessed Bo to be around 7 or so based on how he acted. Esme was a fantastically written main character. I could relate to her on so many levels especially when it came to not feeling loved or wanted. I'm sure we've all felt like this at some point in our lives. Esme was wanting to keep her dinosaur bones (which she endearingly refers to as Louella Goodbones) secret just so she could have at least one thing that was just hers. I was angered when her secret bones were no longer her secret (not a spoiler). I just wanted to hug Esme to let her know that she wasn't alone. She seemed like such a sweet girl who had already had to put up with more things than most children her age.
One main thing I feel that I must mention is this is Finding Esme is listed as being a middle grade book. I guess this is because the main character is 12 years old. I felt like this wasn't a typical middle grade read as it lacks a middle grade feel. The wording and narrative seemed to be written towards more of an older audience especially with mentions of things that happened in the past that a middle grade audience may not know about or understand. I feel like Finding Esme would probably go over most middle grader's head with the language and events that happened. Even though Esme is only 12, I feel like adults would enjoy this more or at least a young adult audience.
Trigger warnings for Finding Esme include death, depression, gun violence (although not graphic), an absent father, and profanity (although it was just the word damnation used once).
Overall, Finding Esme is a fantastical read which will tug at your heartstrings and leave you breathless. It's a quick read that you won't want to put down. At least, I didn't! I never wanted it to end if I'm being honest. I would definitely recommend Finding Esme by Suzanne Crowley to those aged 15+. Yes, it's supposed to be a middle grade read, but as I mentioned before, I really think adults and possibly teens would enjoy it more.
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(A special thank you to Suzanne Crowley for sending me a hardback of Finding Esme in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)
Esme is a 12 year old girl growing up in the 1970's. Her home life isn't very traditional. Her dad is out somewhere being a wanderer, and her mom is too busy worrying about her dad to look after Esme. The only person that really looks after Esme is her grandma Bee. When Esme finds dinosaur bones (which she'd like to keep secret) on a hill by her house, things start changing for Esme.
I really loved the plot of Finding Esme. There is a touch of magical realism within this book that written very well. Esme and her grandmother have certain gifts. They can find lost things and/or people usually. There's also sightings of ghosts although not spooky ghostly sightings. Suzanne Crowley does such a fantastic job of making the magical realism element seem like it's an every day happening in real life. She also does a fantastic job with Esme's dealing of loss and just with the whole plot overall. Although Finding Esme does start out a bit slow, as well as a bit confusing with a bunch of different names, it quickly picks up the pacing. Also, it because clear which character is which quickly. The wording may be confusing for some as it's written in semi-heavy Texas twang and slang throughout. However, context clues help. It was easyish for me to understand being as I was born and raised in Texas.
I must gush now on the characters found in Finding Esme! They were all so fleshed out and felt like they were actual people I was reading about instead of just being fictitious characters. Bee, Esme's grandmother, was probably my favorite character because I loved her no-nonsense approach to things. June Rain was always in la la land since her husband was always up and missing. My heart ached for her, but at the same time, I was angry with her for not paying more attention to her children, Esme and Bo. Sweetmaw was another great character, and I loved her for watching out for Esme when Esme felt she had no one. Finch, Esme's best friend, cared for Esme very much, and it was obvious throughout the novel. He only wanted what was best for Esme even if she had a hard time figuring that out. I loved little Bo, Esme's younger brother. I can't remember if Bo's age is ever mentioned in Finding Esme. I guessed Bo to be around 7 or so based on how he acted. Esme was a fantastically written main character. I could relate to her on so many levels especially when it came to not feeling loved or wanted. I'm sure we've all felt like this at some point in our lives. Esme was wanting to keep her dinosaur bones (which she endearingly refers to as Louella Goodbones) secret just so she could have at least one thing that was just hers. I was angered when her secret bones were no longer her secret (not a spoiler). I just wanted to hug Esme to let her know that she wasn't alone. She seemed like such a sweet girl who had already had to put up with more things than most children her age.
One main thing I feel that I must mention is this is Finding Esme is listed as being a middle grade book. I guess this is because the main character is 12 years old. I felt like this wasn't a typical middle grade read as it lacks a middle grade feel. The wording and narrative seemed to be written towards more of an older audience especially with mentions of things that happened in the past that a middle grade audience may not know about or understand. I feel like Finding Esme would probably go over most middle grader's head with the language and events that happened. Even though Esme is only 12, I feel like adults would enjoy this more or at least a young adult audience.
Trigger warnings for Finding Esme include death, depression, gun violence (although not graphic), an absent father, and profanity (although it was just the word damnation used once).
Overall, Finding Esme is a fantastical read which will tug at your heartstrings and leave you breathless. It's a quick read that you won't want to put down. At least, I didn't! I never wanted it to end if I'm being honest. I would definitely recommend Finding Esme by Suzanne Crowley to those aged 15+. Yes, it's supposed to be a middle grade read, but as I mentioned before, I really think adults and possibly teens would enjoy it more.
--
(A special thank you to Suzanne Crowley for sending me a hardback of Finding Esme in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated Wild Rose (2018) in Movies
May 13, 2019
River wild
#wildrose is a powerful & #depressing look at the harsh reality of trying to chase your dreams & raise a #family at the same time. #Jessiebuckley plays Rose a young #woman forced to grow up to fast because of mistakes she made at a very young age. This is not your usual #happy singer #songwriter film instead going for a more raw vibe which keeps the film grounded in a very harsh, relatable & achievable reality. Rose fresh out of #prison (fuelled, driven & inspired by her #passion for country music) #feels like she is destined to play at #nashville & as we follow her from the highs to the lows we get such a tremendous sense of who this woman really is. Shes selfish neglectful, hot headed & reckless not only hurting family but leaving most people who come into her life miserable too. Shes essentailly been forced to grow up quick having children then becoming incarcerated at a young age which has zapped her youth away from her. Its all very riviting/#heartbreaking stuff watching her trying to chase her dreams then having to grow up & accept responisibility for her actions. Harsh realities of life are a big focus here & there's something deeply sad when the film communicates how we all have #dreams yet life always seems to find ways of putting them on hold or removing them from our path completely. Acting is award worthy with Jessies absolutely captivating & show stopping performance followed closely by the also stunning #juliewalters. All in all i was extremely won over by this movie, it got to me on an emotional/relatable level while surprising me with the broad #issues it tackles. Not your average feel good music movie 'Wild Rose' has #heart, #soul & a deep burning fire full of meaning that's hard to ignore. #countrygirl #country #odeon #odeonlimitless #ciniphile #mondaymotivation #singer #singing #america #glasgow #scottish #astarisborn #screenunseen
JT (287 KP) rated Pet Sematary (2019) in Movies
Mar 10, 2020
I've always said that the vast majority of horror remakes just don’t better the original, and this one can also join that list. Stephen King adaptations are a bit hit and miss and this new incarnation is no different.
Providing a few decent scares throughout it never quite lives up to the highs of King’s terrifying novel. The film follows the Creed family as they relocate to the outskirts of a quiet town in Maine, called Ludlow. Head of the family Louis (Jason Clarke), is starting a new job at the university hospital and their new home feels like the perfect place to settle.
But it doesn’t take long for things to go pear-shaped when daughter Ellie (Jeté Laurence) stumbles across a Pet Sematary (misspelt). There she meets neighbour Jud Crandall (John Lithgow) who warns her that it is not the place for a young girl to play – despite a procession of creepy children in masks walking through the woods. However, a family tragedy sparks Jud to reach out to Louis and offer him a way to resurrect the past.
Providing a few decent scares throughout it never quite lives up to the highs of King’s terrifying novel
Co-directed by Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer Pet Sematary skims over family relationships and races right to the tragedy (which was blatantly given away in the trailer) to satisfy the audience by giving them what they want. However, there is not enough time for Kölsch and Widmyer to delve deeper into the pages of King’s novel to extract parts that could have enhanced the narrative even further.
The ending is unsatisfactory and the directors, looking to impart their take on the story, change and leave out significant parts of King’s book. This is both annoying and surprising. That said, the film is not without the odd positive, despite falling just short of being a decent horror remake.
Providing a few decent scares throughout it never quite lives up to the highs of King’s terrifying novel. The film follows the Creed family as they relocate to the outskirts of a quiet town in Maine, called Ludlow. Head of the family Louis (Jason Clarke), is starting a new job at the university hospital and their new home feels like the perfect place to settle.
But it doesn’t take long for things to go pear-shaped when daughter Ellie (Jeté Laurence) stumbles across a Pet Sematary (misspelt). There she meets neighbour Jud Crandall (John Lithgow) who warns her that it is not the place for a young girl to play – despite a procession of creepy children in masks walking through the woods. However, a family tragedy sparks Jud to reach out to Louis and offer him a way to resurrect the past.
Providing a few decent scares throughout it never quite lives up to the highs of King’s terrifying novel
Co-directed by Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer Pet Sematary skims over family relationships and races right to the tragedy (which was blatantly given away in the trailer) to satisfy the audience by giving them what they want. However, there is not enough time for Kölsch and Widmyer to delve deeper into the pages of King’s novel to extract parts that could have enhanced the narrative even further.
The ending is unsatisfactory and the directors, looking to impart their take on the story, change and leave out significant parts of King’s book. This is both annoying and surprising. That said, the film is not without the odd positive, despite falling just short of being a decent horror remake.
Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated Waltz With Bashir (2008) in Movies
Mar 11, 2021
This is the fifth in the series of films I would recommend to an alien to explain humanity. Not, as posted on the Instagram account, #6 – sorry for the confusion, I think I skipped #4 on there when posting for Schindler’s List a few weeks ago. Anyway… today’s choice is Ari Folman’s extraordinary antiwar film from 2008, which combines several forms of animation and live action footage to create a dreamlike landscape of the 1982 invasion of Lebanon, and one man’s journey to reconstruct his own lost memories of events.
I saw this when working at The Cameo Cinema in Edinburgh on release. It was the kind of thing I loved to discover that I wouldn’t normally have paid to see. Its impact on me was immediate, and I went back to see it 3 more times. When it was released on DVD in 2009, it became my go to movie to gift to people who I knew would love it but may not have even heard of it, due to its low profile arthouse origins. It was nominated in the Best Foreign Language Film category at the Oscars, but otherwise went under the radar in many ways. I still doubt it has been seen by a quarter of the people who would immediately say it was one of the most amazing films they had ever seen.
The animation may seem gimmicky at first, but once you identify its utility in this context and understand this is not a film for children, it becomes a transcendent trip of vibrant colour, emotion and… humanity. I would call it as indispensable an antiwar movie as Apocalypse Now, and in many ways so much more moving than that classic. If you have yet to see it, do yourself a favour, pick a time you can reflect and allow the dreamlike quality to carry you away.
I saw this when working at The Cameo Cinema in Edinburgh on release. It was the kind of thing I loved to discover that I wouldn’t normally have paid to see. Its impact on me was immediate, and I went back to see it 3 more times. When it was released on DVD in 2009, it became my go to movie to gift to people who I knew would love it but may not have even heard of it, due to its low profile arthouse origins. It was nominated in the Best Foreign Language Film category at the Oscars, but otherwise went under the radar in many ways. I still doubt it has been seen by a quarter of the people who would immediately say it was one of the most amazing films they had ever seen.
The animation may seem gimmicky at first, but once you identify its utility in this context and understand this is not a film for children, it becomes a transcendent trip of vibrant colour, emotion and… humanity. I would call it as indispensable an antiwar movie as Apocalypse Now, and in many ways so much more moving than that classic. If you have yet to see it, do yourself a favour, pick a time you can reflect and allow the dreamlike quality to carry you away.
Billie Wichkan (118 KP) rated The House in Books
May 22, 2019
Sadie, Fin, and their two children were a perfectly ordinary family. Even if Fin felt taken for granted sometimes. Even if their introverted son, Liam, had terrible nightmares and knew things he shouldn't.
But everything changes the night Sadie is viciously assaulted by former client Lance Sherry. Sherry knows where they live, and when the police fail to catch him, Sadie and Fin are forced to run. They think they've found the perfect place to start over. The house is everything Fin dreamed of, but as they settle in, Sadie discovers their home may not be what it seems, and daughter Lucy's imaginary friend might not be imaginary at all. Or even a friend. With Lance Sherry hunting them, the house could be the least of their problems. He's coming to finish what he started. And he won't stop until he finds Sadie.
This is the kind of book that is not easy to review because you dont want to give anything away.
There is a paranormal element to this, but its almost more evil than what you think about a normal haunting with ghosts. And there is also a real life evil person the characters have to deal with so its a lot on their plates.
The combination of the real and the paranormal was a nice touch.
For the most part, the story is told from both heroines point of view, but at times the reader is also privy to whats going on in little Liams head as well as the villains.
This was a great read to me and I really enjoyed it.
Recommend reading.
Copy provided by the publisher, Bold Strokes Books, via NetGalley.
But everything changes the night Sadie is viciously assaulted by former client Lance Sherry. Sherry knows where they live, and when the police fail to catch him, Sadie and Fin are forced to run. They think they've found the perfect place to start over. The house is everything Fin dreamed of, but as they settle in, Sadie discovers their home may not be what it seems, and daughter Lucy's imaginary friend might not be imaginary at all. Or even a friend. With Lance Sherry hunting them, the house could be the least of their problems. He's coming to finish what he started. And he won't stop until he finds Sadie.
This is the kind of book that is not easy to review because you dont want to give anything away.
There is a paranormal element to this, but its almost more evil than what you think about a normal haunting with ghosts. And there is also a real life evil person the characters have to deal with so its a lot on their plates.
The combination of the real and the paranormal was a nice touch.
For the most part, the story is told from both heroines point of view, but at times the reader is also privy to whats going on in little Liams head as well as the villains.
This was a great read to me and I really enjoyed it.
Recommend reading.
Copy provided by the publisher, Bold Strokes Books, via NetGalley.
Billie Wichkan (118 KP) rated Picture of Innocence in Books
May 22, 2019
My name is Lydia. Im 12 years old. Im not an evil person, but I did something bad.
My name is Maddie. Id never hurt my son. But can I be sure if I dont remember?
With three children under ten, Maddie is struggling. On the outside, shes a happy young mother, running a charity as well as a household. But inside, shes exhausted. She knows shes lucky to have to have a support network around her. Not just her loving husband, but her family and friends too.
But is Maddie putting her trust in the right people? Because when tragedy strikes, she is certain someone has hurt her child and everyone is a suspect, including Maddie herself
The women in this book are about to discover that looks can be deceiving because anyone is capable of terrible things. Even the most innocent, even you.
This is the story of every mothers worst fear. But its not a story you know and nothing is what it seems.
Picture Of Innocence is a dark psychological thriller.
This novel had me utterly hooked!
The story follows the lives of two women: Maddie and Lydia, and the theme is nature versus nurture.
I really enjoyed the two stories of two women in two different periods of time and watching how those stories intertwined.
This is one devious thriller!
There are so many twists, turns and red herrings in this book; you will be guessing and open mouthed even down to the last page!
I wont give any spoilers, suffice to say that its shocking and dreadful and heartbreaking all at the same time.
I have to commend T. J. Stimson for a brilliant read!
Many Thanks to AVON Books, UK and NetGalley for a wonderful read
My name is Maddie. Id never hurt my son. But can I be sure if I dont remember?
With three children under ten, Maddie is struggling. On the outside, shes a happy young mother, running a charity as well as a household. But inside, shes exhausted. She knows shes lucky to have to have a support network around her. Not just her loving husband, but her family and friends too.
But is Maddie putting her trust in the right people? Because when tragedy strikes, she is certain someone has hurt her child and everyone is a suspect, including Maddie herself
The women in this book are about to discover that looks can be deceiving because anyone is capable of terrible things. Even the most innocent, even you.
This is the story of every mothers worst fear. But its not a story you know and nothing is what it seems.
Picture Of Innocence is a dark psychological thriller.
This novel had me utterly hooked!
The story follows the lives of two women: Maddie and Lydia, and the theme is nature versus nurture.
I really enjoyed the two stories of two women in two different periods of time and watching how those stories intertwined.
This is one devious thriller!
There are so many twists, turns and red herrings in this book; you will be guessing and open mouthed even down to the last page!
I wont give any spoilers, suffice to say that its shocking and dreadful and heartbreaking all at the same time.
I have to commend T. J. Stimson for a brilliant read!
Many Thanks to AVON Books, UK and NetGalley for a wonderful read
Versusyours (757 KP) rated Lords of Chaos (2018) in Movies
Dec 14, 2019
All black everything
After reading the review by @Andy K I went out a sourced a copy to view, so thanks for the tip.
As a lover of all music, I cant resist a biopic and this was as far removed from La Bamba as it could get. I was familiar with the story of Norwegian Black Metal mostly due to the burning of churches and the notoriety of those involved in the scene. Rory Culkin plays the narrator and so many times I thought it was Home Alone the goth years. Some of the scenes are so hard hitting and graphic but they are softened by the ineptitude and immaturity of the dark lords who are just kids playing peacock to impress each other and be the most dark and outrageous. This one upmanship is the catalyst to the eventual down fall off them all. The music is secondary to the story so hardcore fans will not get anything new there but the dynamic between Varg the very naughty boy turned murderer and the King of taking the credit Goth Kevin from home alone is one that most people will witness in life. Hopefully not too their extent but power and influence are explored and it shows how ideology can spread like a fire in a holy place of sanctuary. Unlike other music films and biopics there are now end part where you find out what they are doing now, so if this was deliberately done so that you needed to search more about it then they win that one.
Some upsetting scenes that would be unsuitable for children but not many kids under 12 will be fully into Norwegian Black Metal.
As a lover of all music, I cant resist a biopic and this was as far removed from La Bamba as it could get. I was familiar with the story of Norwegian Black Metal mostly due to the burning of churches and the notoriety of those involved in the scene. Rory Culkin plays the narrator and so many times I thought it was Home Alone the goth years. Some of the scenes are so hard hitting and graphic but they are softened by the ineptitude and immaturity of the dark lords who are just kids playing peacock to impress each other and be the most dark and outrageous. This one upmanship is the catalyst to the eventual down fall off them all. The music is secondary to the story so hardcore fans will not get anything new there but the dynamic between Varg the very naughty boy turned murderer and the King of taking the credit Goth Kevin from home alone is one that most people will witness in life. Hopefully not too their extent but power and influence are explored and it shows how ideology can spread like a fire in a holy place of sanctuary. Unlike other music films and biopics there are now end part where you find out what they are doing now, so if this was deliberately done so that you needed to search more about it then they win that one.
Some upsetting scenes that would be unsuitable for children but not many kids under 12 will be fully into Norwegian Black Metal.
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