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graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated The Fruit of Her Hands: The Story of Shira of Ashkenaz in Books
Feb 15, 2019
I'm having a remarkably hard time gathering up my thoughts to review THE FRUIT OF HER HANDS. The book is a mixed bag as far as I'm concerned.
Overall, the book was informative and easy entertainment, but it lacked depth. For the most part the characters were either good or bad, with no shades of grey, which made them unrealistic and led to my feeling of detachment. Shira was a sympathetic and capable main character during the first third of the book and looked to be an interesting Medieval wife. Unfortunately, after she became married, she lost her personality. I realize that it was an accurate portrayal of Jewish wives back then, but Shira had been scholarly, while still seeing to her duties, up until this point and then turned into a boring protagonist. What set her apart and made me want to read about her was her attitude about learning the Talmud like the men. What interested Meir in the first place was Shira, who he thought unusual; not that I was shown their love, I was just told about it. The chemistry was lacking between them, but that may be in part that I didn't get a good sense of who Meir was as a person, other than he was brilliant, a revered scholar, et cetera. No one felt real in this book and that's a shame.
What was perhaps done best were the details and information about the Jewish people and their faith. Generally, it was written into the story quite well, even if Shira was conveniently placed right in the way of big events. I learned much and am grateful for the history of that time. My one problem with it was that although I felt the pain and suffering the Jewish endured, it was just a little too clean. More realism and grit would have added much to the book.
Perhaps the scope of the book did a disservice to the story as a whole, and it might have benefited a few scenes taken out. As a whole, it's a decent book and a good debut, but it still lacks that something that makes me what to say "read it".
Overall, the book was informative and easy entertainment, but it lacked depth. For the most part the characters were either good or bad, with no shades of grey, which made them unrealistic and led to my feeling of detachment. Shira was a sympathetic and capable main character during the first third of the book and looked to be an interesting Medieval wife. Unfortunately, after she became married, she lost her personality. I realize that it was an accurate portrayal of Jewish wives back then, but Shira had been scholarly, while still seeing to her duties, up until this point and then turned into a boring protagonist. What set her apart and made me want to read about her was her attitude about learning the Talmud like the men. What interested Meir in the first place was Shira, who he thought unusual; not that I was shown their love, I was just told about it. The chemistry was lacking between them, but that may be in part that I didn't get a good sense of who Meir was as a person, other than he was brilliant, a revered scholar, et cetera. No one felt real in this book and that's a shame.
What was perhaps done best were the details and information about the Jewish people and their faith. Generally, it was written into the story quite well, even if Shira was conveniently placed right in the way of big events. I learned much and am grateful for the history of that time. My one problem with it was that although I felt the pain and suffering the Jewish endured, it was just a little too clean. More realism and grit would have added much to the book.
Perhaps the scope of the book did a disservice to the story as a whole, and it might have benefited a few scenes taken out. As a whole, it's a decent book and a good debut, but it still lacks that something that makes me what to say "read it".
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Reviving Izabel (In the Company of Killers, #2) in Books
Jan 7, 2021
DNF at 30%.
The author lost me between chapters 10 and 11. And to think I loved the first one...
Sarai came across as very annoying and whiney to me, which in a way reminded me of Bray from SOTF (Song of the Fireflies) which isn't a good thing for me as I didn't like it, and considering I thought she was really brave and strong in the first one has let me down.
I bought this so I could figure out how it would play out and end but I have to say I cant find any enthusiasm for it now. It may be because I've gone off NA or it could be that the style wasn't gelling with me.
The author lost me between chapters 10 and 11. And to think I loved the first one...
Sarai came across as very annoying and whiney to me, which in a way reminded me of Bray from SOTF (Song of the Fireflies) which isn't a good thing for me as I didn't like it, and considering I thought she was really brave and strong in the first one has let me down.
I bought this so I could figure out how it would play out and end but I have to say I cant find any enthusiasm for it now. It may be because I've gone off NA or it could be that the style wasn't gelling with me.
Mark Halpern (153 KP) rated Star Trek III - The Search for Spock (1984) in Movies
Jan 14, 2018
Searching for a friend
With the loss of spock fresh on his mind Krik is very distraught. We see that the project they were working on has successfully begun on a near by planet. We also know that the Klingons have also learned of the project and are eager to see how it works. The one thing that they didn't count on was Spocks coffin having landed on this planet and go through the changes fuled by the experiment. It is a race to the finish on who will learn of project Genesis capabilities and has their long lost firend come back?
Movie Metropolis (309 KP) rated The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) in Movies
Jun 10, 2019
Spielberg has said on record many times that taking this job was one of the worst decisions of his career. He shouldn’t be so hard on himself though as for the most part, The Lost World is great fun.
The characters are fleshed out more and the special effects are once again top-notch but there’s a spark from the first film that’s notable by its absence. Things pick up through the much-maligned finale in San Diego but the franchise began to take a tumble only halted 18 years later…
https://moviemetropolis.net/2017/07/15/jurassic-park-franchise-reviews/
The characters are fleshed out more and the special effects are once again top-notch but there’s a spark from the first film that’s notable by its absence. Things pick up through the much-maligned finale in San Diego but the franchise began to take a tumble only halted 18 years later…
https://moviemetropolis.net/2017/07/15/jurassic-park-franchise-reviews/
MissCagey (2652 KP) rated Still Alice (2015) in Movies
Mar 31, 2018
Contains spoilers, click to show
I have no personal experience of Alzheimer's but Moore's portrayal of an intelligent woman losing her words, forgetting where rooms are in her own home and even not recognising one of her daughters was utterly heartbreaking.
I believe there could've been a far better ending than Kirsten Stewart's character reading a monologue from a play. I am completely unfamiliar with the play "Angels in America" and to me it seemed like they only chucked that in to get the line "Nothing's lost for ever" in. After an intense and unsettling ride through the movie the ending certainly let it down.
I believe there could've been a far better ending than Kirsten Stewart's character reading a monologue from a play. I am completely unfamiliar with the play "Angels in America" and to me it seemed like they only chucked that in to get the line "Nothing's lost for ever" in. After an intense and unsettling ride through the movie the ending certainly let it down.
Matilda
Book
'I gained his secret and we were both lost for ever' Mary Shelley's dark story of a bereaved man's...
Black Butterfly
Book
The Black Butterfly is a symbol of transformation and rebirth after death. Drake wrote this book for...
TravelersWife4Life (31 KP) rated A Bride of Convenience (The Bride Ships Book #3) in Books
Feb 23, 2021
https://travelingwife4life.wordpress.com/2020/06/30/a-bride-of-convenience-book-review/
This is my first time reading a book by Jody Hedlund (I can hear the gasps of some of you even now), but it is the truth. For some reason, I have just never picked up a book by her. A Bride of Convenience is the third book in her Bride Ships series, I was not lost at all, so the book can be read at a standalone. However, I liked this one so much I ordered the first two books already and I am eagerly anticipating their arrival
This is my first time reading a book by Jody Hedlund (I can hear the gasps of some of you even now), but it is the truth. For some reason, I have just never picked up a book by her. A Bride of Convenience is the third book in her Bride Ships series, I was not lost at all, so the book can be read at a standalone. However, I liked this one so much I ordered the first two books already and I am eagerly anticipating their arrival
Potboiler
Book
Arthur Pfefferkorn is a has-been, or perhaps a never-was: a middle-aged college professor with...
Rotham Race
9.0
Rate It
Book
The United States is gone; in its place is a broken country struggling to survive. A lost microchip...