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Want to enjoy the life you are living, even as you face major life challenges? Is your mind...
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Monkey Preschool Fix-It is an early learning game for ages 2 to 5 from the creators of the top...
Minimo Town
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MiniMo Town is a casual learning builder game for children (5-9 years). In MiniMo Town children...
Love O2O
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Bei Weiwei is the computer department goddess, who excels in her studies. She aspires to be an...
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Historical Fiction
Aces of the Pacific
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Aces of the Pacific features various warplanes of the era, such as the F6F Hellcat and the Zero. The...
The Perfect King: The Life of Edward III, Father of the English Nation
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He ordered his uncle to be beheaded; he usurped his father's throne; he taxed his people more than...
ClareR (6054 KP) rated Pan's Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun in Books
Nov 9, 2021
This book perfectly illustrates the cruelty and despair of the fascist regime under Franco. Ofelia tries to escape real life in her books, but this becomes increasingly difficult for her as her mother becomes more and more ill during her pregnancy. The brutality of her stepfather and his terrible methods of control is seen in the surrounding area and his own home: the lack of care for his wife, the plans to kill the anti-fascist fighters in the woods, and his methods of torture.
Ofelia escapes in to her imagination - or is Pan real? I loved this aspect and the tasks she was given to complete. I really enjoyed how the folktales were interwoven and alternated with real life (which had the harsher conclusions? Fairy tales don’t always have a happy ending), and gave an explanation to the origin of the Labyrinth.
The illustrations were beautiful too, and put faces to the characters - after all, it’s a long time since I saw the film. But this book stands so well on it’s own, and dare I say that you don’t need to have seen the film? Well, no, because I really enjoyed the film! So, read the book, and watch the film - you won’t regret it!
