BookInspector (124 KP) rated A Pearl for My Mistress in Books
Sep 24, 2020
The characters in this novel are very interesting, sophisticated and at the same time very believable and down to earth. The whole book was mainly told from Lady Lucy’s, Hester’s (the maid) and Sophie’s (Hester’s sister) perspectives. I really liked that author chose multiple perspectives, it allowed me to have a better insight into characters personalities and made the whole story more indulging. My favourite persona in this book was Hester. I liked her simplicity, pureness and adventurous heart.
The narrative of the book is filled with historical knowledge and politics. It was very clearly visible that author has a passion for history and she has done a great research for this novel. For me it wasn't a very easy read, there are a lot of things happening in this novel and a lot of politics involved, because of that I had to keep my concentration going to understand what was going on. However, I really enjoyed all the details which author shared about aristocratic life, their struggles and wish of Independence. I also loved the insight into maids world in that period, as most of the books I read was mostly set in the 19th century, and it was nice to compare how it changed during the time.
The writing style of this book is very rich and elegant, it reflected that particular era very nicely, and I felt the spirit of 1930th through the pages. The chapter length was quite long to my liking, even though it was divided into smaller parts. (Well, what can I say, I love short chapters…) The ending of the book concluded the book really nicely but still left me guessing where life will take Hester. So to conclude, it is a very interesting book about aristocrats and their lifestyle between the wars in England, filled with secrets, manipulations, and fear or support of new regiment. I would strongly recommend this book to all historical fiction readers and people who like politics. Enjoy :)
Was given this book by publisher and NetGalley for an honest review.
Body Counts: A Memoir of Activism, Sex, and Survival
Book
As a politics-obsessed Georgetown freshman, Sean Strub arrived in Washington, DC, from Iowa in 1976,...
Earl and His Butler in Constantinople: The Secret Diary of an English Servant Among the Ottomans
Nigel R. Webb and Caroline Webb
Book
George Hay, 8th Earl of Kinnoull, was an unconventional ambassador. A Scottish aristocrat who had...
Routledge Handbook on the Global History of Nursing NIP
Patricia D'Antonio, Julie A. Fairman and Jean C. Whelan
Book
A CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title 2014! 2014 winner of the American Association for the History of...
Aesthetic Marx
Samir Gandesha and Johan Hartle
Book
The whole of Marx's project confronts the narrow concerns of political philosophy by embedding it in...
Mary Kelly
Book
When Mary Kelly's best-known work, Post-Partum Document (1973--1979), was shown at the Institute of...
Allen Ginsberg
Book
In this new critical biography of Allen Ginsberg, Steve Finbow re-examines the life, poetry and...
Lesabendio
Book
"The serene and gentle amazement with which the author tells of the strange natural laws of other...
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Black Christmas (2019) in Movies
Dec 17, 2020
Ignoring the politics side for a moment - it's a hugely poor horror film. It's devoid of any scares, it cuts away from any gore, and perhaps worst of all, it has the audacity to be called "Black Christmas" - which is quite simply one of the best slashers ever made.
Did this film even start as a Black Christmas remake? It basically goes: Men are shit - some people get killed offscreen - weird supernatural twist - oh shit, it's Black Christmas, better throw in a glass unicorn sculpture.
The supernatural part is something I'm not mad at actually - at least it tried something different rather than being a straight re tread.
Then of course, there's the aformentioned politics, which is what most people's issue is with this film. Feminist messages in horror movies can be hugely effective - the original Black Christmas does it well for example - but I can't help but feel that the message this version putting out there is severely mishandled. As a guy, I am willing to hear how I'm wrong in this instance, but it feels sooooo over the top with what it's trying to do. It's not too hard to be on board with for the most part, but the final scenes really go for it - I mean the lines "you're insane!" "No, we're just men" - really!? It just feels very in the nose to me.
Other than that, this film is turd. It gets a star for Imogen Poots and the creative snow angel death scene at the start. Watch the original instead.
Coltan
Book
A decade ago no one except geologists had heard of tantalum or 'coltan' - an obscure mineral that is...