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Eilidh G Clark (177 KP) rated The Portrait of Mr W.H. in Books
May 14, 2017
. As a paradox to the realism and ethics of the period, decadent writers, artists, and poets challenged a society that strove for a standard in public discourse.
First published in 1889, Oscar Wilde’s The Portrait of Mr W.H., is a short story about the efforts of three characters trying to discover the identity of Shakespeare’s Mr W.H. ; the dedicatee of his many sonnets. Wilde’s novel is a prime example of decadent literature and aestheticism, which, as a result, challenges the Victorian ideals of moral decency and public rectitude. The author uses paradox in the novel to present a theory that contradicts the conservative critics of Shakespeare’s sonnets.
Wilde presents a subjective interpretation of Shakespeare’s sonnets that portrays homoerotic sexual desire as the force for creative inspiration. Foremost, through the character Cyril Graham, the author demonstrates that art is ‘an attempt to realise one’s own personality on some imaginative plane out of reach of the trammelling accidents and limitations of real life’, (Wilde, p.111).
Taking from a hypothesis in the previous century by Edmund Malone and Thomas Tyrwhitt, the character of Cyril forms a theory in which Mr W.H. is a young actor named Willie Hughes, employed by Shakespeare and who is the muse to which the sonnets are devoted. Cyril investigates each poem and pieces together a theory he believes to be true.
On the surface, Cyril’s theory derives from feeling and beauty rather than logic and instruction.
The withholding of facts in Shakespeare’s sonnets energises Cyril. He scours the poems to find a clue that harmonise with his own feelings. Cyril believes that Shakespeare influences his readers by guiding them to Willie Hughes.
Cyril, spurned by the moralistic interpretations of previous critics, becomes enthralled by Shakespeare’s muse.
Wilde presents a subjective interpretation of Shakespeare’s sonnets that portrays homoerotic sexual desire as the force for creative inspiration. Foremost, through the character Cyril Graham, the author demonstrates that art is ‘an attempt to realise one’s own personality on some imaginative plane out of reach of the trammelling accidents and limitations of real life’, (Wilde, p.111).
Taking from a hypothesis in the previous century by Edmund Malone and Thomas Tyrwhitt, the character of Cyril forms a theory in which Mr W.H. is a young actor named Willie Hughes, employed by Shakespeare and who is the muse to which the sonnets are devoted. Cyril investigates each poem and pieces together a theory he believes to be true.
On the surface, Cyril’s theory derives from feeling and beauty rather than logic and instruction.
The withholding of facts in Shakespeare’s sonnets energises Cyril. He scours the poems to find a clue that harmonise with his own feelings. Cyril believes that Shakespeare influences his readers by guiding them to Willie Hughes.
Cyril, spurned by the moralistic interpretations of previous critics, becomes enthralled by Shakespeare’s muse.
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated The Reapers are the Angels (Reapers, #1) in Books
Feb 15, 2019
If you're going into this book thinking you'll find an action-packed, zombie-mauling good-time, you're in for a surprise. THE REAPERS ARE THE ANGELS is literary zombie fiction (yes, you read that right), although it's not too literary it feels pretentious and stuffy, but it's not a totally light read either. There's violence chock full of blood and gore, a semi-solitary road trip, and God. Does it work? Yeah, in a way. The book was serious but there wasn't much depth and it didn't impact me as much as it probably should have. The plot is basically an odyssey, in which many diverse characters appear and we see how the main character, Temple, relates with them. One of these struck me as odd and took me out of the story. Before, the book showed realism and grit, then it came to giant mutants and turned into a sci-fi horror show. Frankly, it was just weird and didn't correlate with the rest of the story. Temple was an interesting character who told the tale well but was a contradiction; she's illiterate but knows words that few people do. Since she's always lived with "meatskins" and has never known the world before, her background doesn't support this and I found it didn't fit with her character at all. I got her but didn't care about her.
Honestly, I don't have much feeling for this book, I liked it but that's all, and while it's a good read, it's not great. If you like a thinking zombie story with philosophy and a stream of Christianity running through it, although it's not too deep, than you just might enjoy this book.
Honestly, I don't have much feeling for this book, I liked it but that's all, and while it's a good read, it's not great. If you like a thinking zombie story with philosophy and a stream of Christianity running through it, although it's not too deep, than you just might enjoy this book.
Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated The Highwaymen (2019) in Movies
Apr 5, 2019 (Updated Apr 5, 2019)
Costner & Harrelson (1 more)
Well made
HighwayMeh
The Highwaymen is a recent Netflix movie about two ex Texas Rangers that were brought out of retirement to hunt and kill Bonnie & Clyde. With that premise and Kevin Costner & Woody Harrelson in the lead roles, this could have been incredible. Although the movie is very well made and the entire cast are all pretty great in it, it is just so damn slow.
Not only that but it is 2+ hours long and, my God do you feel it. Like me, you will most likely spend the whole time waiting for the film to pick up until it just sort of fizzles out. I get that they were going for realism over action here, but it is seriously slow. At what I thought was almost the end of the movie, I hit paused to go for a bathroom break, only to discover that I was just shy of halfway into the movie's runtime.
Don't get me wrong, Costner and Harrelson do a great job of carrying this movie and it really does rely on their performance. Also, the movie is technically proficient. The camera work, the lighting, the set design etc is all solid, this is by no means a poorly made movie.
Overall, if you are a huge fan of the Bonnie & Clyde story, or of either of the lead actors, then you should probably check this one out. If not, you can most certainly give it a skip. As I keep reiterating, this is a technically sound movie, it is just so slow and drawn out that it is detrimental to me recommending the film to anyone other than diehard fans of this story.
Not only that but it is 2+ hours long and, my God do you feel it. Like me, you will most likely spend the whole time waiting for the film to pick up until it just sort of fizzles out. I get that they were going for realism over action here, but it is seriously slow. At what I thought was almost the end of the movie, I hit paused to go for a bathroom break, only to discover that I was just shy of halfway into the movie's runtime.
Don't get me wrong, Costner and Harrelson do a great job of carrying this movie and it really does rely on their performance. Also, the movie is technically proficient. The camera work, the lighting, the set design etc is all solid, this is by no means a poorly made movie.
Overall, if you are a huge fan of the Bonnie & Clyde story, or of either of the lead actors, then you should probably check this one out. If not, you can most certainly give it a skip. As I keep reiterating, this is a technically sound movie, it is just so slow and drawn out that it is detrimental to me recommending the film to anyone other than diehard fans of this story.
Hannah May (3 KP) rated Playlist for a Broken Heart in Books
Mar 8, 2018
What I really liked about this novel was the realism and wit of the characters. It presents the real danger of living and working in a recession, and how one mistake can change your whole life. It was also nice to read a story set in England - too many are set in America nowadays! The mystery of which boy made the Cd was well thought out and had me guessing right to the end. By the end, I was happy that it was who it was. The other candidates were appalling or strange in comparison. What fascinated me most about Paige Lord was how much she'd changed. In the beginning, I thought she was snotty and high maintenance. It was both satisfying and sad to see her brought down a few levels, but the end effect was a positive one and she's definitely a better character for it. I like the portrayal of Paiges relationships with cousin Tasmin and Allegra. Knowing how difficult it is to talk to cousins - or extended family in general - I knew things would be difficult between Paige and Tasmin. It made me smile how they came together and had fun. Clover was a nice and refreshing character to read Too. What really got me about Allegra and Paige was their endurance. Despite the distance, they were determined to Skype, visit and talk as much as they Could. I know some friendships don't survive long distance, so it was nice to read different. As you can probably tell, I really liked this novel. It ran true on so many levels - socially and emotionally - and it was different to other teen novels I have read. I would definitely recommend it.
BookblogbyCari (345 KP) rated Not Thomas in Books
Jul 31, 2018
This is such a sad story I often struggled to bring myself to read it. The novel is written as if it were a true story told by the central character, 5-year-old Tomos. Tomos has just moved in with his birth mother, following a long period of foster care which came to an end when the foster parent died.
The language with which it’s written, is very much like that of its protagonist, with common wording, present tense, short sentences, and childlike enthusiasm clearly conveyed. In spite of this, you may argue it’s not necessarily easy to read, as I shall explain.
In the beginning of the book, the neglect endured by Tomos is more commonplace, such as: occasionally having crisps instead of a cooked meal, making do with a removable ladder to on and off his bed, and his mum missing his nativity play. Later a teacher spots there’s an issue and starts bringing food and uniform for him to school.
However, after each let-down, the author must have thought “Right, what’s the worst thing that can happen next?” By the end of the book, there’s a rape, an arrest, and a murder. Eventually the teacher forges a rescue of sorts for Tomos, but things may never be the same again for poor Tomos.
Reading a book where the dialogue is in my own Welsh valley dialect made the story feel all the more real to me. In the first half of the book, the dialogue amongst the adults provides more depth, context and complexity to the story, which would otherwise only be hinted at.
In the end, it’s the realism of the story that makes it such a hard read.
You can check out more of my book reviews on Wordpress or Facebook:
https://bookblogbycari.wordpress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/bookblogbycari/
The language with which it’s written, is very much like that of its protagonist, with common wording, present tense, short sentences, and childlike enthusiasm clearly conveyed. In spite of this, you may argue it’s not necessarily easy to read, as I shall explain.
In the beginning of the book, the neglect endured by Tomos is more commonplace, such as: occasionally having crisps instead of a cooked meal, making do with a removable ladder to on and off his bed, and his mum missing his nativity play. Later a teacher spots there’s an issue and starts bringing food and uniform for him to school.
However, after each let-down, the author must have thought “Right, what’s the worst thing that can happen next?” By the end of the book, there’s a rape, an arrest, and a murder. Eventually the teacher forges a rescue of sorts for Tomos, but things may never be the same again for poor Tomos.
Reading a book where the dialogue is in my own Welsh valley dialect made the story feel all the more real to me. In the first half of the book, the dialogue amongst the adults provides more depth, context and complexity to the story, which would otherwise only be hinted at.
In the end, it’s the realism of the story that makes it such a hard read.
You can check out more of my book reviews on Wordpress or Facebook:
https://bookblogbycari.wordpress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/bookblogbycari/
Olivia (102 KP) rated Infinite Blue in Books
Aug 13, 2018
I received an advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.
What I expected from Infinite Blue was a story about two teens trying to make love work and last. Instead, what I got was a contemporary, magical-realism book about life, love, passion and just how eternal they are.
Infinite Blue is a mystical read that I highly enjoyed. The relationship between our two main characters, Ash and Clayton, was incredibly sweet, the concept of this book felt highly original, and it was quick and easy to read. So, with all that praise, why have I given it a relatively low rating?
Infinite Blue left me wanting more. Unfortunately, not in the traditional "I loved this book and never want it to end! Give me twenty spin-offs of it!" way. The book is only 178 pages long. In that time a lot happens. But so much of it is skimmed over to an extreme extent where I felt I'd only read a third of a book. Yes, all the details a reader need to know are disclosed on paper, but there is practically no build up toward these events. That alone is why I don't feel I can give it a higher rating. The book feels incomplete.
With that being said, Orca Publishing specializes in publishing books for reluctant readers. This is a book I would recommend to reluctant readers ages 12-15. It's very straight to the point so it leaves little room to get distracted and the concept is extremely interesting.
But ultimately, as an avid reader, I found myself a bit let down by how incomplete the book felt as a whole.
What I expected from Infinite Blue was a story about two teens trying to make love work and last. Instead, what I got was a contemporary, magical-realism book about life, love, passion and just how eternal they are.
Infinite Blue is a mystical read that I highly enjoyed. The relationship between our two main characters, Ash and Clayton, was incredibly sweet, the concept of this book felt highly original, and it was quick and easy to read. So, with all that praise, why have I given it a relatively low rating?
Infinite Blue left me wanting more. Unfortunately, not in the traditional "I loved this book and never want it to end! Give me twenty spin-offs of it!" way. The book is only 178 pages long. In that time a lot happens. But so much of it is skimmed over to an extreme extent where I felt I'd only read a third of a book. Yes, all the details a reader need to know are disclosed on paper, but there is practically no build up toward these events. That alone is why I don't feel I can give it a higher rating. The book feels incomplete.
With that being said, Orca Publishing specializes in publishing books for reluctant readers. This is a book I would recommend to reluctant readers ages 12-15. It's very straight to the point so it leaves little room to get distracted and the concept is extremely interesting.
But ultimately, as an avid reader, I found myself a bit let down by how incomplete the book felt as a whole.
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Grey Areas - The Saga (Books 1-4) in Books
Nov 14, 2019
The Grey Areas saga encompasses 4 books - each pretty long in themselves - which can be read separately or all in one go, as each follows directly from the last.
It tells the story of a mysterious stranger called Henry Field who arrives in the small town of Gable, Iowa clearly wanting to forget whatever has happened in his recent past. Attempting to lie low proves difficult as he first becomes feted as a hero on the local news, falls in love and manages to become a witness to a drugs deal gone sour.
There is so much in each of the books it is hard to express just how good they are. There is drama, romance, humour, crime, action and police procedural. It is as if Carl wanted to cover as much ground as possible and he doesn't put a foot wrong at any point. Each page leads inevitably to the next as the fallout from Fields' brief stay in Gable causes ripples that put many people in difficult positions, grey areas, where there is no clear black or white, right or wrong.
For such a long story there are of course a large number of characters but every one has been drawn with care and are all distinct, all have depth and all seem very real and very human. Throughout the whole saga there is a thread of realism; this might be fiction but there is no suspension of belief required, no particular heroes, no particular villains. Just people trying to do what they think is best, and sometimes regretting their decisions.
Want a summer read that will genuinely last all summer and leave you thinking about it for months afterwards? This series will definitely fit the bill
It tells the story of a mysterious stranger called Henry Field who arrives in the small town of Gable, Iowa clearly wanting to forget whatever has happened in his recent past. Attempting to lie low proves difficult as he first becomes feted as a hero on the local news, falls in love and manages to become a witness to a drugs deal gone sour.
There is so much in each of the books it is hard to express just how good they are. There is drama, romance, humour, crime, action and police procedural. It is as if Carl wanted to cover as much ground as possible and he doesn't put a foot wrong at any point. Each page leads inevitably to the next as the fallout from Fields' brief stay in Gable causes ripples that put many people in difficult positions, grey areas, where there is no clear black or white, right or wrong.
For such a long story there are of course a large number of characters but every one has been drawn with care and are all distinct, all have depth and all seem very real and very human. Throughout the whole saga there is a thread of realism; this might be fiction but there is no suspension of belief required, no particular heroes, no particular villains. Just people trying to do what they think is best, and sometimes regretting their decisions.
Want a summer read that will genuinely last all summer and leave you thinking about it for months afterwards? This series will definitely fit the bill
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Midsommar (2019) in Movies
Dec 16, 2019 (Updated Mar 31, 2020)
Beautiful, disturbing, utterly bizarre
Whether you like Midsommar or not, you have to admit, it's quite a trip.
It's so far removed from conventional horror, it's hard to pin to a genre.
It's every bit of a break up drama as a horror, and even quite amusing in places, but one things for sure, there nothing quite like it.
Midsommar starts in bleak fashion, grounded in concrete realism, as Dani (played by a fantastic Florence Pugh) deals with the sudden deaths of her parents and sister. Affected by this understandable trauma, she joins her boyfriend Christian (Jack Reynor) and his friends as they head to Sweden to attend a rural 9-day festival.
As soon as the story shifts to the Swedish setting, the tone changes from bleak and grey, to vibrant and colourful. The rest of the film is set in broad daylight, and it carries an extremely unsettling undertone, and as the characters dabble in drugs, a sense of reality quickly becomes disorientating for both them and us as an audience.
As the narrative draws on, director Ari Aster serves up plot hints and hidden messages in almost every frame. The violence is seldom, but when it happens it's visceral and shocking. All of this combined makes for an almost dream like experience, as we watch the two leads toxic relationship collide with the unnervingly joyful people of Hårga.
Ari Aster uses jarring and emotionally charged sound cues to stir up tension (the last few minutes!) and these are complimented by the beautiful score by The Haxan Cloak.
Aster also spoils us with continuously striking shots, providing a really unique approach to horror.
Midsommar is not for everyone, but as far as I'm concerned, it's disturbing, heart breaking, and absolutely captivating - the whole package.
Definitely one of the best films this year.
It's so far removed from conventional horror, it's hard to pin to a genre.
It's every bit of a break up drama as a horror, and even quite amusing in places, but one things for sure, there nothing quite like it.
Midsommar starts in bleak fashion, grounded in concrete realism, as Dani (played by a fantastic Florence Pugh) deals with the sudden deaths of her parents and sister. Affected by this understandable trauma, she joins her boyfriend Christian (Jack Reynor) and his friends as they head to Sweden to attend a rural 9-day festival.
As soon as the story shifts to the Swedish setting, the tone changes from bleak and grey, to vibrant and colourful. The rest of the film is set in broad daylight, and it carries an extremely unsettling undertone, and as the characters dabble in drugs, a sense of reality quickly becomes disorientating for both them and us as an audience.
As the narrative draws on, director Ari Aster serves up plot hints and hidden messages in almost every frame. The violence is seldom, but when it happens it's visceral and shocking. All of this combined makes for an almost dream like experience, as we watch the two leads toxic relationship collide with the unnervingly joyful people of Hårga.
Ari Aster uses jarring and emotionally charged sound cues to stir up tension (the last few minutes!) and these are complimented by the beautiful score by The Haxan Cloak.
Aster also spoils us with continuously striking shots, providing a really unique approach to horror.
Midsommar is not for everyone, but as far as I'm concerned, it's disturbing, heart breaking, and absolutely captivating - the whole package.
Definitely one of the best films this year.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Trainspotting in Books
Mar 28, 2020
Bleak yet ultimately rather good
When I first started this book, I didn't think I'd manage to get all the way through it. The entire book, aside from a few sections, are written completely in Scottish. I have nothing against the Scottish, however trying to read a book that is written and spelt in a Scottish accent is a rather trying experience. Fortunately after a couple of chapters I managed to settle into a decent rhythm and began to enjoy the story for what it really was.
My biggest criticism of this book is the Scottish. It's a great idea and actually works well with the story, but it is a little difficult to decipher at times although it does add to the realism. Once you learn to accept the Scottish, what you get is a rather bleak and depressing story of a group of drug addicts, alcoholics and general all round bad people from Edinburgh. This isn't a happy story and virtually every character featured isn't particularly likeable (and some are downright despicable), but for me this is why I enjoyed the book so much. There is a slight issue with the passage of time, it seems to jump around quite a lot and whilst i think it took place over the period of a few months, it was a little confusing at times. I do think as well that now having read the book, that the film actually stays fairly close to the source material.
This isn't a book to read if you're looking for something happy and upbeat. However if you're looking for a starkly realistic dark story yet is still enjoyable, you can't go wrong with this.
My biggest criticism of this book is the Scottish. It's a great idea and actually works well with the story, but it is a little difficult to decipher at times although it does add to the realism. Once you learn to accept the Scottish, what you get is a rather bleak and depressing story of a group of drug addicts, alcoholics and general all round bad people from Edinburgh. This isn't a happy story and virtually every character featured isn't particularly likeable (and some are downright despicable), but for me this is why I enjoyed the book so much. There is a slight issue with the passage of time, it seems to jump around quite a lot and whilst i think it took place over the period of a few months, it was a little confusing at times. I do think as well that now having read the book, that the film actually stays fairly close to the source material.
This isn't a book to read if you're looking for something happy and upbeat. However if you're looking for a starkly realistic dark story yet is still enjoyable, you can't go wrong with this.
Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated Hardcore Henry (2016) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019 (Updated Aug 6, 2019)
Hardcore Henry is unlike anything we’ve ever seen on film before. Its fast, action packed, gratuitous and downright fun. The story is simple. The avatar character Aken wakes up and doesn’t quite know what is going on.
He sees a friendly face (Haley Bennett) and everything seems to be fine. Until unexpectedly all hell breaks loose. Now he is on a constant fast paced run for his life from one point to anther being led by Jimmy (Sharlto Copley) presumably someone who understand what is going on.
The film is shown through us entirely in the first person perspective of Aken. There is no steady cam work which may cause some to become a little nauseated. I am someone who has gotten motion sickness from a lack of steady cam in movies before, however the film has a fisheye lenses style which breaks the “realism” view just enough to cause the constant first person motion to become tolerable and less nauseating. I did not get sick at all and neither did two other friends who watched the film as well. So if that is your concern, give the film a chance as it may not be as bad as you think.
In the end, Hardcore Henry isn’t something for everyone. I would not recommend this to my mom. And I would not equate this to a first person shooter videogame like most others are. If you were to compare this film to a videogame, it feels more like playing Mirrors Edge than a first person shooter. Still, if you are looking for a fun, action packed, fast paced experience that has better plot points than Batman vs Superman, then give Hardcore Henry a shot. You have never experienced something quite like this before.
He sees a friendly face (Haley Bennett) and everything seems to be fine. Until unexpectedly all hell breaks loose. Now he is on a constant fast paced run for his life from one point to anther being led by Jimmy (Sharlto Copley) presumably someone who understand what is going on.
The film is shown through us entirely in the first person perspective of Aken. There is no steady cam work which may cause some to become a little nauseated. I am someone who has gotten motion sickness from a lack of steady cam in movies before, however the film has a fisheye lenses style which breaks the “realism” view just enough to cause the constant first person motion to become tolerable and less nauseating. I did not get sick at all and neither did two other friends who watched the film as well. So if that is your concern, give the film a chance as it may not be as bad as you think.
In the end, Hardcore Henry isn’t something for everyone. I would not recommend this to my mom. And I would not equate this to a first person shooter videogame like most others are. If you were to compare this film to a videogame, it feels more like playing Mirrors Edge than a first person shooter. Still, if you are looking for a fun, action packed, fast paced experience that has better plot points than Batman vs Superman, then give Hardcore Henry a shot. You have never experienced something quite like this before.