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Midge (525 KP) rated The East End in Books
May 8, 2019
A Brilliant Début!
My word, how exciting and enthralling was this début novel by newcomer Jason Allen?!
Being honest, I went into The East End without much enthusiasm, thinking “Oh well, yet another novel about dysfunctional behaviour and taking drugs.” (Huge sigh). But if I had continued with that line of thought and not read The East End, I would have missed out on so much as it turned out to be one of the best reads of the year, so far.
I was immediately blown away by all of the drama, from page one. Yes, there was some drug-taking - well a lot actually - however, it was absolutely essential to the story-line.
The book opens with a break-in. Living with his mum, Gina, in the Hamptons, Corey Halpern has just graduated from high school and Gina is employed as a housekeeper for billionaire Leo Sheffield. Full of angst towards the filthy rich, Corey spends much of his time breaking into their homes, not to steal but to play pranks on them. He decides to break into the Sheffield mansion which is home to Leo, wife Sheila and teenage daughter, Tiffany and witnesses something he wished he had not. But what will he choose to do next?
The East End was told from several different perspectives which is normally something I am not too fond of, however, Jason Allen achieved this admirably and without any confusion for me.
The characters that Jason Allen created were so well drawn it was almost unbelievable. I felt that I was part of the unfolding drama with every chapter, as I found myself shouting out advice to the particular character who was facing their latest dilemma. I found it difficult to choose a favourite character so I opted for three of them - Leo, Gina and Angelique. Leo, I felt huge sadness for, as he was so down on his luck, though he did habitually make a lot of bad choices. I had so much empathy with Gina and who could not adore Angelique? She was so feisty, gutsy and full of hope despite her start in life.
The emotional complexity of the story was definitely one of the highlights of The East End and I loved the tenderness between Corey and Angelique.
Jason Allen’s writing style was very unique. There were longer paragraphs of narrative and less dialogue in this book than I’m used to, however, the plot was so engrossing that it didn’t prevent me from loving the story.
This book has everything from secrets, love and family to addiction, scandal, desperation, tragedy and greed. The plot was presented in the form of a slow-burning mystery with underlying themes of class, social structure and discrimination packaged as a family drama but with added comedic aspect.
The ending was a surprise and, for me, very fitting and fulfilling. All in all, I found this book to be a fantastic and very worthwhile read and I look forward to reading more from Jason Allen.
Thanks to NetGalley, Park Row Books and the author, Jason Allen for my complimentary ARC of The East End. My honest review is entirely voluntary.
My review will be published on my blog, Brianne’s Book Reviews on May 8, 2019.
Being honest, I went into The East End without much enthusiasm, thinking “Oh well, yet another novel about dysfunctional behaviour and taking drugs.” (Huge sigh). But if I had continued with that line of thought and not read The East End, I would have missed out on so much as it turned out to be one of the best reads of the year, so far.
I was immediately blown away by all of the drama, from page one. Yes, there was some drug-taking - well a lot actually - however, it was absolutely essential to the story-line.
The book opens with a break-in. Living with his mum, Gina, in the Hamptons, Corey Halpern has just graduated from high school and Gina is employed as a housekeeper for billionaire Leo Sheffield. Full of angst towards the filthy rich, Corey spends much of his time breaking into their homes, not to steal but to play pranks on them. He decides to break into the Sheffield mansion which is home to Leo, wife Sheila and teenage daughter, Tiffany and witnesses something he wished he had not. But what will he choose to do next?
The East End was told from several different perspectives which is normally something I am not too fond of, however, Jason Allen achieved this admirably and without any confusion for me.
The characters that Jason Allen created were so well drawn it was almost unbelievable. I felt that I was part of the unfolding drama with every chapter, as I found myself shouting out advice to the particular character who was facing their latest dilemma. I found it difficult to choose a favourite character so I opted for three of them - Leo, Gina and Angelique. Leo, I felt huge sadness for, as he was so down on his luck, though he did habitually make a lot of bad choices. I had so much empathy with Gina and who could not adore Angelique? She was so feisty, gutsy and full of hope despite her start in life.
The emotional complexity of the story was definitely one of the highlights of The East End and I loved the tenderness between Corey and Angelique.
Jason Allen’s writing style was very unique. There were longer paragraphs of narrative and less dialogue in this book than I’m used to, however, the plot was so engrossing that it didn’t prevent me from loving the story.
This book has everything from secrets, love and family to addiction, scandal, desperation, tragedy and greed. The plot was presented in the form of a slow-burning mystery with underlying themes of class, social structure and discrimination packaged as a family drama but with added comedic aspect.
The ending was a surprise and, for me, very fitting and fulfilling. All in all, I found this book to be a fantastic and very worthwhile read and I look forward to reading more from Jason Allen.
Thanks to NetGalley, Park Row Books and the author, Jason Allen for my complimentary ARC of The East End. My honest review is entirely voluntary.
My review will be published on my blog, Brianne’s Book Reviews on May 8, 2019.
Lee (2222 KP) rated The Rental (2020) in Movies
Sep 2, 2020
Business startup partners Charlie (Dan Stevens) and Mina (Sheila Vand) are celebrating the success of their company by looking at Airbnb rentals for a weekend getaway. As Mina casually rests on Charlie, looking over his shoulder at the amazing, but expensive house they’re thinking of renting, you get the impression they are a couple. That is, until Charlie’s brother Josh (Jeremy Allen White) walks in, and we learn that it is Josh and Mina who are together. And that the weekend trip is to include Charlie’s wife Michelle (Alison Brie).
Some obstacles to a perfect weekend arise before the foursome even make it to their rented house. Josh has decided to bring along his dog, Reggie, a violation of the homeowners no-pets rule, and Mina is concerned that the homeowner may be racist. She had tried to book the exact same house just an hour before Charlie did but was turned down, and she believes her Middle-Eastern name (her surname is Mohammadi) was the reason.
They arrive at the idyllic house, set out in the woods and right by the ocean, where they are greeted by the caretaker, and brother of the homeowner, Taylor (Toby Huss). He’s not exactly a welcoming barrel of laughs though – unhappy at the group for arriving an hour late and definitely giving off some racist vibes towards Mina which only add fuel to the concerns she’d raised in the car earlier.
With Taylor gone, the couples begin to settle into their weekend break with some music, drink and drugs. When Josh and Michelle decide to get an early night in preparation for a planned hike the next day, business partners Charlie and Mina decide to go and try out the hottub. And, well, I’m sure you can figure out how much of a mistake that turns out to be. To top it all off, somebody seems to be watching the group from afar…
The Rental is the directorial debut of actor Dave Franco. It’s a horror movie, but spends half of its 88 minute runtime with very little happening at all. If it wasn’t for the foreboding music, and the occasional hint at some sort of stalker, you’d think this was just a drama about two couples getting themselves into a whole heap of trouble in a strangers house.
When things do begin to shift, some potentially interesting twists and plot setups quickly fall by the wayside, as The Rental slips into being just a very generic slasher movie with nothing we haven’t seen before. I suddenly realised just how interesting that first half was in comparison and what a waste of a great cast it was.
Some obstacles to a perfect weekend arise before the foursome even make it to their rented house. Josh has decided to bring along his dog, Reggie, a violation of the homeowners no-pets rule, and Mina is concerned that the homeowner may be racist. She had tried to book the exact same house just an hour before Charlie did but was turned down, and she believes her Middle-Eastern name (her surname is Mohammadi) was the reason.
They arrive at the idyllic house, set out in the woods and right by the ocean, where they are greeted by the caretaker, and brother of the homeowner, Taylor (Toby Huss). He’s not exactly a welcoming barrel of laughs though – unhappy at the group for arriving an hour late and definitely giving off some racist vibes towards Mina which only add fuel to the concerns she’d raised in the car earlier.
With Taylor gone, the couples begin to settle into their weekend break with some music, drink and drugs. When Josh and Michelle decide to get an early night in preparation for a planned hike the next day, business partners Charlie and Mina decide to go and try out the hottub. And, well, I’m sure you can figure out how much of a mistake that turns out to be. To top it all off, somebody seems to be watching the group from afar…
The Rental is the directorial debut of actor Dave Franco. It’s a horror movie, but spends half of its 88 minute runtime with very little happening at all. If it wasn’t for the foreboding music, and the occasional hint at some sort of stalker, you’d think this was just a drama about two couples getting themselves into a whole heap of trouble in a strangers house.
When things do begin to shift, some potentially interesting twists and plot setups quickly fall by the wayside, as The Rental slips into being just a very generic slasher movie with nothing we haven’t seen before. I suddenly realised just how interesting that first half was in comparison and what a waste of a great cast it was.