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Hazel (1853 KP) rated In a Land of Paper Gods in Books
Dec 17, 2018
<i>I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
“My name is Henrietta S. Robertson. That’s my English name… My Chinese name is Ming-Mei.”</i>
As the child of members of the Interior Alliance Mission, Henrietta has grown up between two cultures: English and Chinese. From the age of six she was sent to boarding school on a mountain in the Jiangxi Province, where four years later she remains as a small, pale, lonely girl.
For a girl as young as ten, Etta has a big imagination. She decides that God has called her to be a prophetess, and encourages the other girls in Dormitory A to join her in a Prophetess Club. This results is Etta getting into all sorts of trouble as she naively goes about inventing prophecies; all the while the Second Sino-Japanese War gets closer and closer to their mountain sanctuary.
Told mostly from Etta’s point of view, <i>In a Land of Paper Gods</i> is a hilarious historical novel about a young girl’s innocence. A large part of the story is about the missionary school rather than the ongoing war, therefore the focus is on Etta’s interpretation of the bible and her understanding of the differences between Western Christian and Chinese culture. However, once America joins the war effort, it is shockingly quick how the tale can go from humorous to heartbreaking.
The other character who plays a large part in this novel is Muriel, a dorm aunty, whom Etta regards highly. Muriel wanted to be a missionary but instead has found herself working at the Lushan school, keeping an eye on the ten and eleven year old girls. Although most of the book is written in Etta’s first person narrative, Rebecca Mackenzie has also included the occasional diary entry from Aunty Muriel. Since these are so few, it is not clear what their purpose is, as the story could easily continue without them.
Despite being an historical novel, <i>In a Land of Paper Gods </i>focuses less on fact and more on the impact the times had on a young girl. It is interesting to see the character development of Etta as she goes from a naughty, attention-seeking schoolgirl, to a young woman who must fend for herself. All the while she has her belief in God to resort to for explanations about the world she is living in. The reader also witnesses the growth of a relationship between Aunty Muriel and Etta. To begin with it is that of an adult and child, however it ends with them being equals in their suffering.
<i>In a Land of Paper Gods</i> is a pleasure to read. It is comically entertaining to begin with as the reader grows to love the characters, particularly mischievous Etta. It is hard to put the book down due to pure delight of the storyline, yet when the story turns darker it is just as difficult to put down, as we want to find out if the characters are going to be okay.
For some people, the Christian content will not mean anything, however it is possible to enjoy the novel without a religious background. For those, like myself, who do have a Christian upbringing, this aspect makes the story even better. Readers may recognize themselves or of their childhood in Etta, particularly her understanding of the bible.
Overall I loved this book. I was not sure what to expect, and have often found historical novels set in China to be rather dull. Therefore I was pleasantly surprised to discover how good this book was. I encourage others to read <i>In a Land of Paper Gods</i>, and I look forward to reading what Mackenzie writes next.
“My name is Henrietta S. Robertson. That’s my English name… My Chinese name is Ming-Mei.”</i>
As the child of members of the Interior Alliance Mission, Henrietta has grown up between two cultures: English and Chinese. From the age of six she was sent to boarding school on a mountain in the Jiangxi Province, where four years later she remains as a small, pale, lonely girl.
For a girl as young as ten, Etta has a big imagination. She decides that God has called her to be a prophetess, and encourages the other girls in Dormitory A to join her in a Prophetess Club. This results is Etta getting into all sorts of trouble as she naively goes about inventing prophecies; all the while the Second Sino-Japanese War gets closer and closer to their mountain sanctuary.
Told mostly from Etta’s point of view, <i>In a Land of Paper Gods</i> is a hilarious historical novel about a young girl’s innocence. A large part of the story is about the missionary school rather than the ongoing war, therefore the focus is on Etta’s interpretation of the bible and her understanding of the differences between Western Christian and Chinese culture. However, once America joins the war effort, it is shockingly quick how the tale can go from humorous to heartbreaking.
The other character who plays a large part in this novel is Muriel, a dorm aunty, whom Etta regards highly. Muriel wanted to be a missionary but instead has found herself working at the Lushan school, keeping an eye on the ten and eleven year old girls. Although most of the book is written in Etta’s first person narrative, Rebecca Mackenzie has also included the occasional diary entry from Aunty Muriel. Since these are so few, it is not clear what their purpose is, as the story could easily continue without them.
Despite being an historical novel, <i>In a Land of Paper Gods </i>focuses less on fact and more on the impact the times had on a young girl. It is interesting to see the character development of Etta as she goes from a naughty, attention-seeking schoolgirl, to a young woman who must fend for herself. All the while she has her belief in God to resort to for explanations about the world she is living in. The reader also witnesses the growth of a relationship between Aunty Muriel and Etta. To begin with it is that of an adult and child, however it ends with them being equals in their suffering.
<i>In a Land of Paper Gods</i> is a pleasure to read. It is comically entertaining to begin with as the reader grows to love the characters, particularly mischievous Etta. It is hard to put the book down due to pure delight of the storyline, yet when the story turns darker it is just as difficult to put down, as we want to find out if the characters are going to be okay.
For some people, the Christian content will not mean anything, however it is possible to enjoy the novel without a religious background. For those, like myself, who do have a Christian upbringing, this aspect makes the story even better. Readers may recognize themselves or of their childhood in Etta, particularly her understanding of the bible.
Overall I loved this book. I was not sure what to expect, and have often found historical novels set in China to be rather dull. Therefore I was pleasantly surprised to discover how good this book was. I encourage others to read <i>In a Land of Paper Gods</i>, and I look forward to reading what Mackenzie writes next.
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Sarah (7800 KP) rated Bright (2017) in Movies
Dec 26, 2017
A promising idea, just badly executed
I really don't think this film deserves the 'worst film of the year' title that a lot of critics have awarded it, but I'm afraid it still is pretty poor.
The basic plot idea on paper sounds interesting and fairly unique - fantasy characters (a la Lord of the Rings) living in present day LA. The problem is it's very badly executed. Instead of being what should be a mostly fantasy film, instead it is a cop buddy film with a vague element of fantasy thrown in almost as an after thought, and which also is a little bit silly.
The humour was mostly poor and misplaced and really not funny at all, and even the action scenes were dull and boring. My other half agreed with me on this one which is unusual, as he usually likes everything.
A promising idea that was sadly squandered.
The basic plot idea on paper sounds interesting and fairly unique - fantasy characters (a la Lord of the Rings) living in present day LA. The problem is it's very badly executed. Instead of being what should be a mostly fantasy film, instead it is a cop buddy film with a vague element of fantasy thrown in almost as an after thought, and which also is a little bit silly.
The humour was mostly poor and misplaced and really not funny at all, and even the action scenes were dull and boring. My other half agreed with me on this one which is unusual, as he usually likes everything.
A promising idea that was sadly squandered.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated The Circle (2017) in Movies
Feb 4, 2018
Could have been so much better
I'm a little disappointed with this film. On paper it sounds great, but in reality it's very badly executed.
It's very similar to Black Mirror, although nowhere near as dark or good. The idea is a good one and one very close to home considering how advanced technology is nowadays. It is a good take on social media and technology companies, it just doesn't quite work although at times it does make you feel rather uncomfortable at how all this is used. The problem is it comes across as a little boring and unengaging at times, and characters actions seem a bit bizarre. Tom Hanks and John Boyega are greatly underused although Emma Watson doesn't do too badly as the lead. I didn't get the ending either, it just didn't seem to fit and was a little confusing.
It's very similar to Black Mirror, although nowhere near as dark or good. The idea is a good one and one very close to home considering how advanced technology is nowadays. It is a good take on social media and technology companies, it just doesn't quite work although at times it does make you feel rather uncomfortable at how all this is used. The problem is it comes across as a little boring and unengaging at times, and characters actions seem a bit bizarre. Tom Hanks and John Boyega are greatly underused although Emma Watson doesn't do too badly as the lead. I didn't get the ending either, it just didn't seem to fit and was a little confusing.
Kirsty Marie Allen (0 KP) rated The Haunting of Hill House in TV
Jan 5, 2019
Amazing Whirlwind Ride From Start to End
Contains spoilers, click to show
This is one of the most honestly thrill seeking adaptations I have seen for a long time. I am a big lover of original novel based stories and when these stories are made into on screen adaptations, it is easy for things to go terribly wrong and the story to become lost within flashy CGI ect. This is one of the best TV shows I have watched for a long time, to be honest I binged watch it within 3 days. The crew and cast of 'The Haunting of Hill House' created a modern day masterpiece whilst staying true to the original paper back.
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