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ClareR (5854 KP) rated Limberlost in Books
Oct 22, 2023
Limberlost is yet another beautiful novel from Robbie Arnott. There’s less of the magical realism in this, yet there’s still the beauty and magic of the natural world.
Limberlost is a place. It’s the orchard belonging to Ned West’s family; but all Ned can think about is sailing in a boat of his own, far from life in Limberlost.
The story moves back and forth between Ned’s childhood and his adulthood. Ned’s older brothers go away to fight in WW2, and he lives with his father and older sister. Their lives revolve around worry for the brothers and the apple crop. Ned is struggling as the brother left behind, so he decides to trap rabbits and sell their fur in order to buy his own boat. When he accidentally traps a quoll, only he and Callie (who lives on the next farm and is his best friend Jackbirds sister) know. He decides to nurse it back to health.
Ned’s childhood is seen through three significant moments: the capture of the quoll, the rebuilding of a Huon pine boat, and years before when his father borrowed a boat and took his children out to look at the whales.
Many years later, Ned still remembers these moments.
It was interesting (and sobering) to read about mans, and Neds, impact on the land: how his crop spraying may have been the cause of his wife’s cancer, and how colonisation was the reason why the orchard was his and not the native people’s anymore.
This is such a gentle, gorgeously written novel, and utterly devastating in parts. Even the description of Ned sanding his boat was told with such tenderness - the reader is there, inhaling the scent of pine.
This is yet another utterly entrancing novel from Robbie Arnott. I’m most definitely a fan.
Limberlost is a place. It’s the orchard belonging to Ned West’s family; but all Ned can think about is sailing in a boat of his own, far from life in Limberlost.
The story moves back and forth between Ned’s childhood and his adulthood. Ned’s older brothers go away to fight in WW2, and he lives with his father and older sister. Their lives revolve around worry for the brothers and the apple crop. Ned is struggling as the brother left behind, so he decides to trap rabbits and sell their fur in order to buy his own boat. When he accidentally traps a quoll, only he and Callie (who lives on the next farm and is his best friend Jackbirds sister) know. He decides to nurse it back to health.
Ned’s childhood is seen through three significant moments: the capture of the quoll, the rebuilding of a Huon pine boat, and years before when his father borrowed a boat and took his children out to look at the whales.
Many years later, Ned still remembers these moments.
It was interesting (and sobering) to read about mans, and Neds, impact on the land: how his crop spraying may have been the cause of his wife’s cancer, and how colonisation was the reason why the orchard was his and not the native people’s anymore.
This is such a gentle, gorgeously written novel, and utterly devastating in parts. Even the description of Ned sanding his boat was told with such tenderness - the reader is there, inhaling the scent of pine.
This is yet another utterly entrancing novel from Robbie Arnott. I’m most definitely a fan.
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Gran Torino (2009) in Movies
Mar 25, 2018
Original
A racist Korean War veteran has to deal with his own prejudice when a Hmong teenager tries to steal his car.
Acting: 8
Clint Eastwood comes out of the gates swinging in playing racist Walt Kowalski. I thought it was a daring role seeing as, even though the character had a strong prejudices, you were still supposed to somehow like and respect him. Clint walks that line finely and pulls the role off with that smooth ease I've seen in a number of his previous roles.
Special love to a strong supporting role from Chee Thao who plays the angry Grandma of the Hmong family. She hates Clint as much as he hates her and their chemistry makes for some hilarious scenes. She captures the role perfectly.
Beginning: 1
Characters: 10
Gran Torino features a rich array of characters with meaning and depth. Walt is a man set in his ways after the war hardened him, but you find his walls slowly tearing down as the movie progresses. He reluctantly lets in the people that he wouldn't normally and finds himself becoming closer to them than his own family. While his heart may have changed, I appreciated the fact that his mouth didn't. Walt, with his brutal honesty, always spoke what was on his mind at all times which was funny and refreshing at the same time.
Thao (Bee Vang) has his own internal struggle as he deals with getting his education while trying to take care of his family and still fit in with the men in his family. He wants to be different than his thug cousins but he's too much of a softy to stand up for himself. Thao and Walt end up on a collision course towards each other surrounded by a number of characters that have their own stories worth paying attention to.
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
A lot of scenes stuck out in my head when considering Gran Torino. From family dinners to one-off scenes with Walt and Thao, the film provides believable insight into Walt becoming closer to his "enemies" than his own family. The dinners were shot in a claustrophobic type of way. Thao's house was littered with people and you find a surrounded Walt trying to navigate his way through while steering clear of being social. The film as a whole was shot in a dark style indicative of looming danger. It's unnerving in a way, but effective at the same time.
Conflict: 10
Genre: 7
Memorability: 10
The hard dramatic shift in the film is like a gut punch, both jarring and unexpected. I appreciate when a film can change tones and still be effective. I also appreciate when films show racism from both sides of the fence. There's a refreshing sense of realism you get with Gran Torino that may be sacrificed in other films for the sake of getting a point across. In Torino, no one is innocent. No one is exempt.
I can't even count the number of one-liners that Walt provides throughout the span of the movie. My personal favorite: "Good day, puss cake." I have often considered how hilarious it would be to randomly say that to someone. There's still time...
Pace: 6
Definitely could have been improvement in the pacing department. The beginning starts off extremely slow before moving at a shaky pace. It finally levels out at about the half hour mark, but the damage had already been done for me at this point.
Plot: 10
Solid storyline from beginning to end that is both intriguing and unique. We are provided with an insight into a different culture in an endearing way that makes you smile.
Resolution: 5
Overall: 77
Gran Torino is an original film that succeeds with gritty realism and strong characters. A few tweaks, particularly a stronger ending, would have put the movie into a higher tier for me. Still a solid watch.
Acting: 8
Clint Eastwood comes out of the gates swinging in playing racist Walt Kowalski. I thought it was a daring role seeing as, even though the character had a strong prejudices, you were still supposed to somehow like and respect him. Clint walks that line finely and pulls the role off with that smooth ease I've seen in a number of his previous roles.
Special love to a strong supporting role from Chee Thao who plays the angry Grandma of the Hmong family. She hates Clint as much as he hates her and their chemistry makes for some hilarious scenes. She captures the role perfectly.
Beginning: 1
Characters: 10
Gran Torino features a rich array of characters with meaning and depth. Walt is a man set in his ways after the war hardened him, but you find his walls slowly tearing down as the movie progresses. He reluctantly lets in the people that he wouldn't normally and finds himself becoming closer to them than his own family. While his heart may have changed, I appreciated the fact that his mouth didn't. Walt, with his brutal honesty, always spoke what was on his mind at all times which was funny and refreshing at the same time.
Thao (Bee Vang) has his own internal struggle as he deals with getting his education while trying to take care of his family and still fit in with the men in his family. He wants to be different than his thug cousins but he's too much of a softy to stand up for himself. Thao and Walt end up on a collision course towards each other surrounded by a number of characters that have their own stories worth paying attention to.
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
A lot of scenes stuck out in my head when considering Gran Torino. From family dinners to one-off scenes with Walt and Thao, the film provides believable insight into Walt becoming closer to his "enemies" than his own family. The dinners were shot in a claustrophobic type of way. Thao's house was littered with people and you find a surrounded Walt trying to navigate his way through while steering clear of being social. The film as a whole was shot in a dark style indicative of looming danger. It's unnerving in a way, but effective at the same time.
Conflict: 10
Genre: 7
Memorability: 10
The hard dramatic shift in the film is like a gut punch, both jarring and unexpected. I appreciate when a film can change tones and still be effective. I also appreciate when films show racism from both sides of the fence. There's a refreshing sense of realism you get with Gran Torino that may be sacrificed in other films for the sake of getting a point across. In Torino, no one is innocent. No one is exempt.
I can't even count the number of one-liners that Walt provides throughout the span of the movie. My personal favorite: "Good day, puss cake." I have often considered how hilarious it would be to randomly say that to someone. There's still time...
Pace: 6
Definitely could have been improvement in the pacing department. The beginning starts off extremely slow before moving at a shaky pace. It finally levels out at about the half hour mark, but the damage had already been done for me at this point.
Plot: 10
Solid storyline from beginning to end that is both intriguing and unique. We are provided with an insight into a different culture in an endearing way that makes you smile.
Resolution: 5
Overall: 77
Gran Torino is an original film that succeeds with gritty realism and strong characters. A few tweaks, particularly a stronger ending, would have put the movie into a higher tier for me. Still a solid watch.
Merissa (12698 KP) rated The Ethereal Squadron (The Sorcerers of Verdun) in Books
May 8, 2019
The Ethereal Squadron (The Sorcerers of Verdun) by Shami Stovall
The Ethereal Squadron is part of The Sorcerers of Verdun series, and it starts off with a bang! To put it very simply - sorcerers exist, and they are fighting in WWI. Now, if you're a history buff, just be prepared for this story to be different to the books you may have read prior to this. This is, after all, a fiction book. Saying that though, the realism that is portrayed by this author is second to none. From situations to characters, they all have the ring of truth going on, which just kept on improving my satisfaction of this story.
I won't go into the story, you don't need me to do that. What I will tell you is this story is exceptional in EVERY way. From the research done into battles, guns, chains-of-command, to how characters react in situations. When these characters fall from a great height, they are worried about how much it's going to hurt! They don't just blithely jump, not fearing consequences. The character development is outstanding. All of the characters change during this book, in a way consistent with them. No one suddenly become Superman after being Clark Kent for 99% of the book!
I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and definitely want to read more. One of the things I enjoyed most was the 'time'. All too often, stories are set in the second World War. This made the story individual, and coupled with the rest of the elements in here, I would even go so far as to say unique.
A long book without a single wasted word. Absolutely recommended by me, and I can't wait to read more - both about these Sorcerers, and also from this amazing author.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books
I won't go into the story, you don't need me to do that. What I will tell you is this story is exceptional in EVERY way. From the research done into battles, guns, chains-of-command, to how characters react in situations. When these characters fall from a great height, they are worried about how much it's going to hurt! They don't just blithely jump, not fearing consequences. The character development is outstanding. All of the characters change during this book, in a way consistent with them. No one suddenly become Superman after being Clark Kent for 99% of the book!
I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and definitely want to read more. One of the things I enjoyed most was the 'time'. All too often, stories are set in the second World War. This made the story individual, and coupled with the rest of the elements in here, I would even go so far as to say unique.
A long book without a single wasted word. Absolutely recommended by me, and I can't wait to read more - both about these Sorcerers, and also from this amazing author.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books
Michael Packner (32 KP) rated Pyewacket (2017) in Movies
Jun 16, 2019
Pacing (6 more)
Dark tone
Dark and sadistic ending
Fantastic acting from every character
Well thought out story
Moral lesson: Be careful what you wish for, you might get it.
Moral lesson 2: Be careful what you do in anger. You might never be able to take it back.
Somewhat of a rushed ending (1 more)
Some minor loose ends that could've been tied up better.
Pyewacket is definitely a hidden gem. I love indie horror films because they have so much more freedom to be what the filmmaker wants, rather than something with great potential but watered down to appeal to a wider audience. Pyewacket plays to it's audience and it makes the film that much better. I typically do not like supernatural horror because it's just so ridiculous. I know, it's a movie and I should learn to be more forgiving. I'm a slasher fanatic and not too many of them are high on realism. I guess it's just a preference I've developed. Anyway, I do enjoy the occasional supernatural get down, especially if it's dark and done well, ex: Sinister. Pyewacket is both dark and done well. I'm also a sucker for a good slow burn that's not afraid to set itself up and properly build tension. Again, Pyewacket succeeds here. The film is extremely dark and gives us one hell of a dark and twisted gut punch ending. It even teases the ending, convinces you it's going there, pulls back enough to fake you out, then dives right back in and gives it to you with an extra punch. Magnificent! The only real gripe I have is that while the ending is fantastic, it also feels a bit rushed. They could've tacked on an extra 20 minutes and really went for it, but I surmise budget was to blame. I also wish we could've seen more from her friend who went nutty, but that's a smaller issue and definitely forgivable. Definitely worth the rent.
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated Her Body and Other Parties: Stories in Books
Sep 9, 2018
This is another book off my Wronged Women list - women who have been part of the #metoo movement. Specifically the ones that have come out against Junot Diaz and Sherman Alexie, but I hope to expand it to others as well. Her Body and Other Parties is a collection of eight surreal stories. Magical Realism is probably the best categorization for them, as they're not really fantasy. Real World stories with a touch of magic, or events that we're not sure whether they could be magic or are just in the narrator's head.
The Husband Stitch is the first story, and it's a retelling of an old children's story that I recently saw being discussed on Twitter - the one with the woman who had a green ribbon tied around her neck. Her husband always wanted to ask about it, but she refused to answer any questions about it, and wouldn't let him touch it until she was on her deathbed. In Machado's version, it isn't just the narrator that has one. Every woman does. It's different colors, in different places, but it's still never talked about. I think she means it as a metaphor for trauma. It works well.
Eight Bites is a particularly haunting piece about self-hate, body acceptance, and peer pressure. It's probably my second favorite story after The Husband Stitch.
The only one I didn't love was Especially Heinous. It was written as episode synopses of a television show, and it was interesting, but it just went on too long.
All of the stories are written well, though, and each one makes a different point. I think this would make an amazing Book Club book, because I'd love to discuss the meanings of the stories with other people. Other women, specifically. It would definitely be a great book for discussion.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
The Husband Stitch is the first story, and it's a retelling of an old children's story that I recently saw being discussed on Twitter - the one with the woman who had a green ribbon tied around her neck. Her husband always wanted to ask about it, but she refused to answer any questions about it, and wouldn't let him touch it until she was on her deathbed. In Machado's version, it isn't just the narrator that has one. Every woman does. It's different colors, in different places, but it's still never talked about. I think she means it as a metaphor for trauma. It works well.
Eight Bites is a particularly haunting piece about self-hate, body acceptance, and peer pressure. It's probably my second favorite story after The Husband Stitch.
The only one I didn't love was Especially Heinous. It was written as episode synopses of a television show, and it was interesting, but it just went on too long.
All of the stories are written well, though, and each one makes a different point. I think this would make an amazing Book Club book, because I'd love to discuss the meanings of the stories with other people. Other women, specifically. It would definitely be a great book for discussion.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
Sensitivemuse (246 KP) rated The Line That Held Us in Books
Dec 11, 2018
Dark and moody. Definitely recommend
I was very surprised to like this book immensely. This easily has to be one of my favorites for 2018. I read this in almost one sitting and the plot grabbed me from the very first page. It’s dark and moody, somber and serious, but it’s worth to read from cover to cover in one sitting.
You can take a guess things weren’t to go very well once things hit the fan, what you probably didn’t expect is the snowball to get big enough that it affects a larger group of people. Yet once you get to know what kind of a person Dwayne is, he’s quite the man of extremes. On the other hand, can you really blame him though? After what he’s gone through and his childhood, he truly has no one else but his brother. Now it doesn’t excuse him for what he did, but it goes to show at what extremes people would get to because of people or things being taken away from them.
I just loved the overall mood and tone of the book. It’s quaint because it’s set in a small town. Everyone knows each other since childhood, certain family names stand out and are prominent due to reputation or how long they’ve been in town. It’s a great setting and the characters are realistic. Although each had their own ghosts and secrets, it provided more realism to them and they’re not so perfect and they’re all pretty much flawed. This is what made the book so good.
The plot was good and provided easy reading. You’d want to know what happens and the ending wasn’t what I expected, it was a great ending however it would have been nice to hear about the outcomes of some of the characters featured. Definitely recommend this book. I enjoyed it absolutely from start to finish.
You can take a guess things weren’t to go very well once things hit the fan, what you probably didn’t expect is the snowball to get big enough that it affects a larger group of people. Yet once you get to know what kind of a person Dwayne is, he’s quite the man of extremes. On the other hand, can you really blame him though? After what he’s gone through and his childhood, he truly has no one else but his brother. Now it doesn’t excuse him for what he did, but it goes to show at what extremes people would get to because of people or things being taken away from them.
I just loved the overall mood and tone of the book. It’s quaint because it’s set in a small town. Everyone knows each other since childhood, certain family names stand out and are prominent due to reputation or how long they’ve been in town. It’s a great setting and the characters are realistic. Although each had their own ghosts and secrets, it provided more realism to them and they’re not so perfect and they’re all pretty much flawed. This is what made the book so good.
The plot was good and provided easy reading. You’d want to know what happens and the ending wasn’t what I expected, it was a great ending however it would have been nice to hear about the outcomes of some of the characters featured. Definitely recommend this book. I enjoyed it absolutely from start to finish.
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated Gentleman's Guide To Vice And Virtue in Books
Dec 25, 2018
I have been eagerly awaiting this sequel to The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue, and it did not disappoint! In The Lady's Guide we continue the story of the Montague siblings, with the book opening on Felicity showing up at her brother's flat in London while she figures out how to get into medical school. I love the sibling relationship between these two, and Felicity's friendship with Monty's partner Percy. The three of them just make an amazing little group, so supportive and understanding of each other.
Felicity strongly hinted at being asexual in The Gentleman's Guide, and through the course of this book, that is cemented. Even when she comes to care for someone, sex just...isn't her thing. Romance isn't really either, making her both asexual and aromantic. It's fantastic representation for an identity we don't see very often in books. Or, perhaps, an identity we don't see explicitly mentioned in fiction. Many books don't have romantic plots and just don't investigate that aspect of their characters, but to investigate that aspect of a character and say NO, they are NOT interested in that is unique.
Similar to The Gentleman's Guide, this is an adventure story. Unexpectedly, we veered into magical realism in this book, with the existence of some fantastical creatures I wasn't expecting to see. Nothing about The Gentleman's Guide had implied that the world they inhabited was not exactly ours, but The Lady's Guide does deviate. So that was a big surprise, and I'm not sure I like it. It felt a little forced. I think the "secret" that someone was protecting could have been written as something real instead of a fantastic creature.
That minor quibble aside, I really loved this book, just like I did the first. These two are GREAT books, and the characters are outstanding.
You can read all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
Felicity strongly hinted at being asexual in The Gentleman's Guide, and through the course of this book, that is cemented. Even when she comes to care for someone, sex just...isn't her thing. Romance isn't really either, making her both asexual and aromantic. It's fantastic representation for an identity we don't see very often in books. Or, perhaps, an identity we don't see explicitly mentioned in fiction. Many books don't have romantic plots and just don't investigate that aspect of their characters, but to investigate that aspect of a character and say NO, they are NOT interested in that is unique.
Similar to The Gentleman's Guide, this is an adventure story. Unexpectedly, we veered into magical realism in this book, with the existence of some fantastical creatures I wasn't expecting to see. Nothing about The Gentleman's Guide had implied that the world they inhabited was not exactly ours, but The Lady's Guide does deviate. So that was a big surprise, and I'm not sure I like it. It felt a little forced. I think the "secret" that someone was protecting could have been written as something real instead of a fantastic creature.
That minor quibble aside, I really loved this book, just like I did the first. These two are GREAT books, and the characters are outstanding.
You can read all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com