Eisteddfod
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"We value truth in this family. Carpe Diem. Seize the day. We're all just food for worms. So tell...
Kaysee Hood (83 KP) rated All the Crooked Saints in Books
Nov 17, 2017
Okay, don't forget everything. Let me make it a bit clearer. Forget the characters you've known before. Forget the twists and turns, plots, and bits of information before. You'll need your mind clear to process All the Crooked Saints because a whole new world has been created in 1962 Colorado on a ranch in Bicho Raro where miracles take place, yet not the type of miracles you may have in mind.
The Sorias have a gift to perform these miracles on people who come, called pilgrims, where the darkness within a person becomes tangible. Some come believing once it is done then all is well. This is not the case. Drawing out the darkness is the first part. The second part is on the pilgrim to figure out on their own or darkness shall overcome the Soria who attempts to help. This is how it has always been. This is what the Sorias have been told. This is what the cousins, who the story is greatly based around, have been told. Yet is this the truth?
This is what the cousins (Beatriz and Joaquin) are trying to figure out when Daniel, the oldest of their trio, breaks the rule in aiding one of the pilgrims. They know neither can directly interfere. So Beatriz goes out on a limb using the radio system she has built for Joaquin to see if the broadcasting can help the others and let Daniel know he is not alone until they figure out how to change his fate. They've noticed the broadcast has done well for the other pilgrims, so why not their dear cousin, too? They have to figure it out before he dies out in the valley from the darkness, starvation, dehydration, or the elements.
However, there may be a slight problem with this plan. Well, two problems. One, Pete Wyatt arrived with a pilgrim to do odd jobs around the ranch to earn the box truck. The very box truck Beatriz fixed up and built the radio station in. As well as he is doing Pete may earn the truck before they can help Daniel. It's hard enough working under the time frame they have without the ticking time of Pete. Two, a Soria recognized Joaquin's voice. This means their secret is no longer a secret. This means they may not be able to help Daniel anyway.
They're pressed for time. Can Pete be talked to? Can Daniel, the saint, who should have known better, even be saved from his darkness? Or will the little bit of work be all in vain?
All this can be found out in the tale that will have you turning pages to find out if Daniel can be saved from his darkness, why he risked his life, and if the other pilgrims can be helped without bringing darkness to them all.
The Via Francigena Canterbury to Rome: Canterbury to the Great St Bernard Pass: Part 1:
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8.0
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Egypt
Deborah Manley and Sahar Abdel-Hakim
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No land on earth has been so long observed as Egypt, which was attracting awestruck travelers back...
Hazel (1853 KP) rated The Sunlight Pilgrims in Books
May 25, 2017
Note: I did not finish reading this book.
It is winter 2020 and the world is facing the most extreme winter for over 200 years. Jenni Fagan’s The Sunlight Pilgrims explores the potential disastrous effects of climate change beginning with a new ice age set in the very near future, only four years away. With the North Atlantic drift slowing and temperatures around the world dropping to -40 degrees, the Earth’s inhabitants fear a pending apocalypse.
The story is largely set in Clachan Fells, a Scottish caravan park situated at the base of a group of mountains. Tin houses are not the most practical form of abodes for cold weather, let alone the worst snowstorms the world has ever seen. This is the situation the main characters of The Sunlight Pilgrims find themselves. Dylan MacRae has moved into a mobile home he did not know he owned until the recent death of his mother and soon makes friends with his neighbour Constance and her daughter Stella. Although only twelve years old Stella is more concerned about her identity than she is the fatal weather condition outside. Born a boy, Stella is uncomfortable in her body and struggles to get other people to accept that she is really a girl.
Surprisingly, the dystopian snow scene seems to be more of a backdrop to a different storyline featuring identity, family and romance. Dylan is a lonely man falling in love with the woman next door, however she is tied up with relationship problems of her own. Stella, whilst seemingly carefree, is desperate to be accepted for who she is and live a happy and secure life.
Jenni Fagan does an exceptional job of portraying the confusion, thoughts and emotions of a transgender child experiencing stigma amongst her peers. Yet Fagan also emphasises the potential acceptance of people in this situation through the reception received from Dylan who did not bat an eyelid on discovering the truth about Stella’s identity.
The Sunlight Pilgrims combines popular current affairs that are likely to attract a wide audience. Sadly as a story it falls short of mediocrity. Without a clear storyline it is a struggle to remain interested. The readers’ lack of enthusiasm for the characters and their individual worries makes it a challenge to reach the end. As I never made it to the final chapter I cannot say whether the conclusion is worth sticking around for. Mixed reviews on Goodreads suggest that enjoyment depends on the individual reader rather than the novel itself. I, however, cannot recommend this book.
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