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After the Crash: And Other Stories
Book
David Pickford's After the Crash and other stories is a collection of nine short stories that will...
The 4.50 from Paddington
Book
A facsimile first edition hardback of the Miss Marple books, published to mark the 75th anniversary...
The Alphabet of Birds
Book
If death comes to a loved one, can we grieve alone? When all around is in ruins, can we confine our...
Cheers (The Rose Gold Collection)
8.0
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Book
As a successful Sales and Catering Manager for the posh Hayden Court Hotel located in New Orleans’...
Zuky the BookBum (15 KP) rated Dont Look Now in Books
Mar 15, 2018
I think this book is very deserving of 4 stars rather than the 3 a lot of people have decided to give it. While I agree the last two books of the collection (The Way of The Cross and The Breakthrough) were disappointing in relation to the first three (Don't Look Now, Not After Midnight and A Border-Line Case) I don't think that knocked the book of a star as each story was well written and unique.
My favourite was, by far, A Border-Line Case. Du Maurier does a great job of building tension throughout and while people are complaining that it's twist ending is nothing new, you have to remember that this was originally published in the 70's and so the twist probably was something new and from that time since there have been repeats of the shock ending - meaning Du Maurier's story is unique and the others thereafter are not (though a lot of them are in other ways).
I haven't read any of Du Maurier's other stories and I'm glad of that because it seems like these short stories are being compared to her other works. So for me, having nothing to compare these stories with, it seems I found this a lot more enjoyable than other people seemed to!
Even though the last two stories weren't as fun and spooky they were still good stories and I would recommend this book to many of my friends and family.
My favourite was, by far, A Border-Line Case. Du Maurier does a great job of building tension throughout and while people are complaining that it's twist ending is nothing new, you have to remember that this was originally published in the 70's and so the twist probably was something new and from that time since there have been repeats of the shock ending - meaning Du Maurier's story is unique and the others thereafter are not (though a lot of them are in other ways).
I haven't read any of Du Maurier's other stories and I'm glad of that because it seems like these short stories are being compared to her other works. So for me, having nothing to compare these stories with, it seems I found this a lot more enjoyable than other people seemed to!
Even though the last two stories weren't as fun and spooky they were still good stories and I would recommend this book to many of my friends and family.
Well & Badly Loved:A Queer Trilogy
Book
"This collection of short plays is a passionate response to the effect of Section 28 on the artistic...
London Tales (Short Stories #2)
8.0
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Book
This collection of eleven tales offers dramatic pinpricks in the rich tapestry of London’s...
Short Stories Historical Fiction
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Jesus' Son (1999) in Movies
Jan 9, 2021
Terrible Ending to a Bad Movie
Jesus’ Son is a collection of stories revolving around main character FH. A great concept with poor execution, this movie reminds me more of a wannabe Tarantino movie.
Acting: 10
Beginning: 10
Characters: 6
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
Conflict: 2
I could never latch on to what the movie was about or where things were ultimately heading. As a result, there never felt like there was any true conflict that I needed to care about. Most of the scenes felt like they weren’t of much consequence if they had been taken out or left in. This made it really hard to give two craps about the movie as a whole.
Entertainment Value: 6
Memorability: 7
I love the way director Alison Maclean approached the film. The way things are shot in story fashion with flashbacks and rewinds is very creative. While the execution didn’t deliver on the story I was hoping for, I applaud the attempt to be different.
Pace: 6
The movie isn’t overly long, there is just a little more fluff than what is needed. Again, not understanding the concept of what’s happening definitely makes it feel like time is moving slower. A better story would have alleviated this issue.
Plot: 2
Resolution: 4
About the best thing about the ending was that the movie was ending. Didn’t really tie anything up. Didn’t make me any more fulfilled for seeing the movie. No bueno.
Overall: 63
The reason why I enjoy my rating system so much is because you can come up short in some areas and still pass as a quality movie. Too much of a dip in multiple categories and you strike out. Jesus’ Son suffers from weak characters, minor conflict, and little “wow” quality. Not recommended.
Acting: 10
Beginning: 10
Characters: 6
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
Conflict: 2
I could never latch on to what the movie was about or where things were ultimately heading. As a result, there never felt like there was any true conflict that I needed to care about. Most of the scenes felt like they weren’t of much consequence if they had been taken out or left in. This made it really hard to give two craps about the movie as a whole.
Entertainment Value: 6
Memorability: 7
I love the way director Alison Maclean approached the film. The way things are shot in story fashion with flashbacks and rewinds is very creative. While the execution didn’t deliver on the story I was hoping for, I applaud the attempt to be different.
Pace: 6
The movie isn’t overly long, there is just a little more fluff than what is needed. Again, not understanding the concept of what’s happening definitely makes it feel like time is moving slower. A better story would have alleviated this issue.
Plot: 2
Resolution: 4
About the best thing about the ending was that the movie was ending. Didn’t really tie anything up. Didn’t make me any more fulfilled for seeing the movie. No bueno.
Overall: 63
The reason why I enjoy my rating system so much is because you can come up short in some areas and still pass as a quality movie. Too much of a dip in multiple categories and you strike out. Jesus’ Son suffers from weak characters, minor conflict, and little “wow” quality. Not recommended.
Lure: Read Chat Fiction
Book and Entertainment
App
Lure features a huge collection of chat fiction; short stories told with text messages, like if you...
Eilidh G Clark (177 KP) rated A Portable Shelter in Books
May 13, 2017
‘…there’s no other way to give you the truth except to hide it in a story and let you find your own way inside.’
‘…there’s no other way to give you the truth except to hide it in a story and let you find your own way inside.’
Kirsty Logan’s first collection of short stories, The Rental Heart and Other Fairytales, published by Salt in 2014, won the Polari First Book Prize in 2015. A Portable Shelter is her second collection. Set in a small cottage in the rural north coast of Scotland, Ruth and Liska are expecting their first child. The couple believe that their unborn baby will have a better chance of survival away from the harshness of suburban life. They make a pact with one another, that they will only ever tell their child the truth. Yet while Liska is asleep or Ruth is at work, each whispers secret stories to their unborn child. Delving into fantastical tales about people from their past and re-telling stories that span from generation to generation, the couple unfold the horrors of the real world. Whilst these tales, laced in myth and legend, and fattened with the magic of the imagination, demonstrate the art of oral storytelling, Logan reaches further to show the reader why storytelling is important.
While this book is primarily a collection of short stories, its novel like structure frames each story with a preceding monologue from either Ruth or Liska. The monologues offer delightful morsels of description that bring the harshness of Mother Nature into the safety of the couple’s bedroom, “right now our home is speaking to you. The walls creak their approval in the wind. The rain applauds on the roof. The lighthouse beam swoops, swoops, swoops. The tide breathes loud and slow like a giant. If you listen carefully, perhaps you can even hear the moon hum.” The pace of these sentences, combined with the delicacy of language demonstrates Logan’s skill at describing the sublime spirit of the natural world, which brings the narrative to life.
Most impressive though, is Logan’s poetic language and carefully crafted sentences which create the most beautiful imagery. In ‘Flinch,’ for example – James is a fisherman struggling with his identity, yet his affiliation with the land is locked into his first-person point of view where the reader gets to closely experience what he sees, “The sky is pinkish-grey like the insides of shells. Speckled bonxies wheel overhead. Seals loll on the rocks, fat as kings. The rising mist is cool and milky.” Any of these lines could easily be arranged into a poem and with sentences that are squeezed tight; they create a wonderful poetic rhythm. Logan uses this technique throughout her novel, demonstrating the precision and craft in her work. There are definite similarities in her writing style to fellow Scottish novelist and poet Jenni Fagan. Both authors use rich language, which is well crafted and smattered with vernacular. Furthermore, combining this with the reoccurring theme of identity, the oral storytelling tradition, landscape, folklore, and myth, it is clear to see why these authors contribute to the growing canon in Scottish literature.
This is a book that I will read over and over again because I know that in each reading, I will find something new. A Portable Shelter, I feel, deserves a place on my ‘keep’ book shelf.
A Portable Shelter, Kirsty Logan, London: Vintage, 2015
Kirsty Logan’s first collection of short stories, The Rental Heart and Other Fairytales, published by Salt in 2014, won the Polari First Book Prize in 2015. A Portable Shelter is her second collection. Set in a small cottage in the rural north coast of Scotland, Ruth and Liska are expecting their first child. The couple believe that their unborn baby will have a better chance of survival away from the harshness of suburban life. They make a pact with one another, that they will only ever tell their child the truth. Yet while Liska is asleep or Ruth is at work, each whispers secret stories to their unborn child. Delving into fantastical tales about people from their past and re-telling stories that span from generation to generation, the couple unfold the horrors of the real world. Whilst these tales, laced in myth and legend, and fattened with the magic of the imagination, demonstrate the art of oral storytelling, Logan reaches further to show the reader why storytelling is important.
While this book is primarily a collection of short stories, its novel like structure frames each story with a preceding monologue from either Ruth or Liska. The monologues offer delightful morsels of description that bring the harshness of Mother Nature into the safety of the couple’s bedroom, “right now our home is speaking to you. The walls creak their approval in the wind. The rain applauds on the roof. The lighthouse beam swoops, swoops, swoops. The tide breathes loud and slow like a giant. If you listen carefully, perhaps you can even hear the moon hum.” The pace of these sentences, combined with the delicacy of language demonstrates Logan’s skill at describing the sublime spirit of the natural world, which brings the narrative to life.
Most impressive though, is Logan’s poetic language and carefully crafted sentences which create the most beautiful imagery. In ‘Flinch,’ for example – James is a fisherman struggling with his identity, yet his affiliation with the land is locked into his first-person point of view where the reader gets to closely experience what he sees, “The sky is pinkish-grey like the insides of shells. Speckled bonxies wheel overhead. Seals loll on the rocks, fat as kings. The rising mist is cool and milky.” Any of these lines could easily be arranged into a poem and with sentences that are squeezed tight; they create a wonderful poetic rhythm. Logan uses this technique throughout her novel, demonstrating the precision and craft in her work. There are definite similarities in her writing style to fellow Scottish novelist and poet Jenni Fagan. Both authors use rich language, which is well crafted and smattered with vernacular. Furthermore, combining this with the reoccurring theme of identity, the oral storytelling tradition, landscape, folklore, and myth, it is clear to see why these authors contribute to the growing canon in Scottish literature.
This is a book that I will read over and over again because I know that in each reading, I will find something new. A Portable Shelter, I feel, deserves a place on my ‘keep’ book shelf.
A Portable Shelter, Kirsty Logan, London: Vintage, 2015