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Hazel (1853 KP) rated What Light in Books
Dec 17, 2018
<i>This eBook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review </i>
Almost a decade after Jay Asher wowed readers with his debut novel, he returns to the literary scene with a brand new young adult romance. <i>What Light</i> focuses on the life of a good-natured girl living a complicated life. It is almost as if the teenaged Sierra is living two lives: eleven months on a Christmas tree farm in Oregon, followed by a month selling them in California. Due to the struggling business, this year may be the last time Sierra spends Christmas in California; however it is also the first year she meets the boy of her dreams.
Knowing that a romantic relationship is unlikely to survive the long distance between the two states, Sierra cannot help her developing feelings towards the handsome Caleb. Using his own money to purchase Christmas trees for families who cannot afford them, Caleb seems like the perfect guy; however rumours suggest he has a rather dubious history. Struggling to convince everyone that Caleb is a good person, Sierra suffers the consequences of strained relationships with her friends back home. The big issue is: should she continue to support Caleb even though in a couple of weeks she may never see him again?
As young adult romance novels go, <i>What Light</i> is fairly typical. Girl and boy meet; there are various issues to resolve; but things turn out all right in the end. If you are into those types of stories then this is the book for you, sadly, Asher does not bring anything new to the genre.
After reading several of these types of predictable novels, it becomes noticeable how unrealistic they are. The amount of youngsters in committed relationships is rather suspicious, especially the ones that seems to happen as if by accident or fate – although, from the readers perspective, are so obvious from the very beginning.
There is nothing deep or meaningful within this narrative – not a criticism of <i>What Light</i>, rather an observation of the genre – but it is sufficient for a quick read to pass the time, particularly over the upcoming Christmas period. There is nothing to disappoint the reader in terms of conclusion – it could be described as what some would call a “fluffy read”.
Overall, <i>What Light</i> is a novel that maintains the status quo of young adult romance, providing brief entertainment for those seeking a happy love story. With beautiful (in terms of personality) characters and settings, Jay Asher is likely to win back all the fans that had given up waiting for his next book to be written.
Almost a decade after Jay Asher wowed readers with his debut novel, he returns to the literary scene with a brand new young adult romance. <i>What Light</i> focuses on the life of a good-natured girl living a complicated life. It is almost as if the teenaged Sierra is living two lives: eleven months on a Christmas tree farm in Oregon, followed by a month selling them in California. Due to the struggling business, this year may be the last time Sierra spends Christmas in California; however it is also the first year she meets the boy of her dreams.
Knowing that a romantic relationship is unlikely to survive the long distance between the two states, Sierra cannot help her developing feelings towards the handsome Caleb. Using his own money to purchase Christmas trees for families who cannot afford them, Caleb seems like the perfect guy; however rumours suggest he has a rather dubious history. Struggling to convince everyone that Caleb is a good person, Sierra suffers the consequences of strained relationships with her friends back home. The big issue is: should she continue to support Caleb even though in a couple of weeks she may never see him again?
As young adult romance novels go, <i>What Light</i> is fairly typical. Girl and boy meet; there are various issues to resolve; but things turn out all right in the end. If you are into those types of stories then this is the book for you, sadly, Asher does not bring anything new to the genre.
After reading several of these types of predictable novels, it becomes noticeable how unrealistic they are. The amount of youngsters in committed relationships is rather suspicious, especially the ones that seems to happen as if by accident or fate – although, from the readers perspective, are so obvious from the very beginning.
There is nothing deep or meaningful within this narrative – not a criticism of <i>What Light</i>, rather an observation of the genre – but it is sufficient for a quick read to pass the time, particularly over the upcoming Christmas period. There is nothing to disappoint the reader in terms of conclusion – it could be described as what some would call a “fluffy read”.
Overall, <i>What Light</i> is a novel that maintains the status quo of young adult romance, providing brief entertainment for those seeking a happy love story. With beautiful (in terms of personality) characters and settings, Jay Asher is likely to win back all the fans that had given up waiting for his next book to be written.
My First Coach: Untold Stories of NFL Quarterbacks and Their Dads
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Breakout Strategies for Emerging Markets: Business and Marketing Tactics for Achieving Growth
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Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Stillwater (2021) in Movies
Aug 10, 2021
Matt Damon - solid central performance (1 more)
Intelligent script
Life is Brutal
Positives:
- Matt Damon needs to be the rock at the centre of the movie to hold it all together. The movie lives or dies on believing that he could be a God-fearing oil roughneck and all-round fuck-up. And he does a really good job here in doing that.
- The script excels in a number of ways:
-- it's great in building, and in some cases destroying, the relationships between the characters. In particular, the portrayal of the pseudo-family that develops with Bill, Virginie and Maya is very sweet. A lounge scene, without dialogue, with each looking in turn at each other is glorious;
-- the story isn't handed to you on a plate, but your understanding of what's going on evolves as you watch it;
-- a twist in the story (no spoilers) is unexpected and savage, and requires real concentration to understand!
Negatives:
- Although I appreciated the leisurely introduction of the characters and their relationships, the film was a bit flabby in the telling. At nearly 140 minutes, I think its about 20 minutes too long.
- For balance and a different view, the wife was very upset and cross about the treatment of Maya at one point in the movie. (There are clear repercussions though). And she wasn't a fan of Abigail "Little Miss Sunshine" Breslin's performance (although I personally though it was "OK").
Summary Thoughts on "Stillwater": It's billed as a "Thriller" and although it does have it's moments of tension, it's much more a drama reflecting a flawed father trying to make amends for his failures in the past. As such it might plod a bit for those looking for more of an action-oriented thriller. But I found it thoroughly absorbing overall, and a marked improvement on "Spotlight" by the same director (which seemed to garner praise and Oscar nods from everyone other than me!).
A curiosity for me is the rating for this one.... a "15" certificate in the UK for "Strong Language". I'd assumed that the "15" rating was due to the racist dialogue, present in one particular brief scene. But that seems to be a secondary concern to the BBFC (see their web site). I'm sure they have word-tally counts. But, to me, there wasn't enough bad language in this one to merit the rating: I personally think it should have been a "12A".
But overall this is a solid piece of movie storytelling, whether controversial or otherwise. And Recommended.
(For the full graphical review please check out One Mann's Movies on the web, Facebook or Tiktok. Thanks).
- Matt Damon needs to be the rock at the centre of the movie to hold it all together. The movie lives or dies on believing that he could be a God-fearing oil roughneck and all-round fuck-up. And he does a really good job here in doing that.
- The script excels in a number of ways:
-- it's great in building, and in some cases destroying, the relationships between the characters. In particular, the portrayal of the pseudo-family that develops with Bill, Virginie and Maya is very sweet. A lounge scene, without dialogue, with each looking in turn at each other is glorious;
-- the story isn't handed to you on a plate, but your understanding of what's going on evolves as you watch it;
-- a twist in the story (no spoilers) is unexpected and savage, and requires real concentration to understand!
Negatives:
- Although I appreciated the leisurely introduction of the characters and their relationships, the film was a bit flabby in the telling. At nearly 140 minutes, I think its about 20 minutes too long.
- For balance and a different view, the wife was very upset and cross about the treatment of Maya at one point in the movie. (There are clear repercussions though). And she wasn't a fan of Abigail "Little Miss Sunshine" Breslin's performance (although I personally though it was "OK").
Summary Thoughts on "Stillwater": It's billed as a "Thriller" and although it does have it's moments of tension, it's much more a drama reflecting a flawed father trying to make amends for his failures in the past. As such it might plod a bit for those looking for more of an action-oriented thriller. But I found it thoroughly absorbing overall, and a marked improvement on "Spotlight" by the same director (which seemed to garner praise and Oscar nods from everyone other than me!).
A curiosity for me is the rating for this one.... a "15" certificate in the UK for "Strong Language". I'd assumed that the "15" rating was due to the racist dialogue, present in one particular brief scene. But that seems to be a secondary concern to the BBFC (see their web site). I'm sure they have word-tally counts. But, to me, there wasn't enough bad language in this one to merit the rating: I personally think it should have been a "12A".
But overall this is a solid piece of movie storytelling, whether controversial or otherwise. And Recommended.
(For the full graphical review please check out One Mann's Movies on the web, Facebook or Tiktok. Thanks).
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Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated My Cousin Rachel (2017) in Movies
Nov 12, 2017 (Updated Nov 12, 2017)
Gothic Victorian suspense surrounding the mysterious Rachel
This film is no doubt atmospheric and evocative, rather than old fashioned Victorian horror, all about the widow of recently deceased cousin who died under mysterious circumstances.
Sam Claflin plays the vengeful nephew, who plots to find out the truth about Rachel, believing that she murdered his guardian. But his feelings become complicated as he finds himself falling under the beguiling spell of her charms.
Daphne Du Maurier was an excellent writer of course and many of her novels have been transferred to both the big and small screen to much acclaim. As it is, this is a film of intrigue and intent that is not quite what it at first seems. The outcome is not mind-blowing and you don't have to be Hercule Poirot to follow the plot or work things out. However, the 'did she didn't she murder' question is left rather open-ended and down to the interpretation/thoughts of the viewer. While it is not in the same league as Rebecca, the director makes a decent effort in creating an uneasy ambience.
It is a fascinating film which delves (in a shallow way) into the workings of the human mind and its psychological ways and how suspicion can play havoc in relationships.
Sam Claflin plays the vengeful nephew, who plots to find out the truth about Rachel, believing that she murdered his guardian. But his feelings become complicated as he finds himself falling under the beguiling spell of her charms.
Daphne Du Maurier was an excellent writer of course and many of her novels have been transferred to both the big and small screen to much acclaim. As it is, this is a film of intrigue and intent that is not quite what it at first seems. The outcome is not mind-blowing and you don't have to be Hercule Poirot to follow the plot or work things out. However, the 'did she didn't she murder' question is left rather open-ended and down to the interpretation/thoughts of the viewer. While it is not in the same league as Rebecca, the director makes a decent effort in creating an uneasy ambience.
It is a fascinating film which delves (in a shallow way) into the workings of the human mind and its psychological ways and how suspicion can play havoc in relationships.
Merissa (13068 KP) rated A Hint of Frost (Araneae Nation #1) in Books
Aug 3, 2017
A Hint of Frost (Araneae Nation #1) by Hailey Edwards
It's not often that someone can do something different with a well known genre but Hailey Edwards has managed it. There are a lot of different clans in this world, all with confusing (to me!) names but the life and spark that Hailey has created is wonderful. There are aspects of this story that I was cringing at to begin with - as you are supposed to! It's written in a way that makes it horribly good. But then as you read more and understand more, you see how something has been abused and debased. It becomes less horrible as an act and more horrible towards the person doing it. Confused? Then give this book a try and see for yourself.
The world is well written and you can tell a lot of thought has been put into this world, the clans in it and the relationships between people, both those of inside and outside the clan. The characters are all very well written and even though it is written from the first person POV, nothing is lost.
This world is too good to read just one book and then leave. The others are now firmly on my T-B-R list.
* Verified Purchase ~ January 2013 *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
The world is well written and you can tell a lot of thought has been put into this world, the clans in it and the relationships between people, both those of inside and outside the clan. The characters are all very well written and even though it is written from the first person POV, nothing is lost.
This world is too good to read just one book and then leave. The others are now firmly on my T-B-R list.
* Verified Purchase ~ January 2013 *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!