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BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Stuber (2019) in Movies
Jul 18, 2019
Lack of chemistry between the leads
"Chemistry" is a tricky thing in a film and one that "either you got it or you don't" - it's an elusive element that can sink or raise a film. Case in point 2 films I have seen this week.
I rewatched the 1998 Crime/Romance flick OUT OF SIGHT - starring George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez. I remembered this Steven Soderbergh directed film as "terrific" and was excited to show it to my bride. What I realized when watching it is that this is a middle-of-the-road film that is elevated by the tremendous (sexual) chemistry between Lopez and Clooney. It oozes off the screen and is palatable to the viewer.
On the other end of the scale is the recent Action/Comedy STUBER with comedian Kuamil Nanjiani (THE BIG SICK) and former pro wrestler Dave Bautista (Drax in the GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY films). This is a middle-of-the-road film that is hurt (tremendously) by the LACK of chemistry between the two leads.
Nanjiani stars as Stu, a sad-sack Uber driver who does not stand up for himself while Bautista is a "nothing gets in my way" take charge cop who (because of recent eye surgery) cannot drive and hires an Uber driver, Stu (who gets called STUBER, hence the name of the film), to chase down clues to a criminal he's been on the hunt for - shenanigans ensue.
Individually, some of the scenes/scenarios of this film are fine/funny and Nanjiani is terrific as Stu and adds some clever comedic elements to a script that is "good enough" by Tripper Clancy.
And then there's Bautista.
He seems lost in this film, underplaying the things that make him good, his over-exuberance and over physicality (if that is a term) of someone of his size. Is this Bautista's fault or did Director Michael Dowse (GOON) purposely tone him down? It doesn't really matter for it doesn't really work.
And this is the beginning of the problem with the chemistry between the two leads - Nanjiani manic energy is not matched by Bautista - he seems to be an "energy sucker" and takes quite a bit of life out of this film. But...Director Dowse is also a problem, for he brings this lack of energy to quite a few of the big action scenes, underplaying, not overplaying what should have been over played.
There are some good things in this - besides the script and Nanjiani, Natalie Morales and Betty Gilpin are good and we do have a "Mira Sorvino sighting", which is welcome...but that's about it. Oh...except for an extended cameo by Karen Gillan (Nebula in the GUARDIANS films) she brings some energy. I would have loved to see her paired with Nanjiani in this.
If you're looking for a good "buddy cop" film with good chemistry between the leads, might I suggest THE OTHER GUYS (Will Ferrell/Mark Wahlberg), RUNNING SCARED (Billy Crystal/Gregory Hines) or the greatest example of strong chemistry - 48 HOURS (Nick Nolte/Eddie Murphy). Stuber would be the example of just the opposite.
6 stars out of 10 (for Nanjiani, Gillan and Sorvino - and a script and circumstances that could have worked had the chemistry between the leads been better)
Letter Grade: B- and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
I rewatched the 1998 Crime/Romance flick OUT OF SIGHT - starring George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez. I remembered this Steven Soderbergh directed film as "terrific" and was excited to show it to my bride. What I realized when watching it is that this is a middle-of-the-road film that is elevated by the tremendous (sexual) chemistry between Lopez and Clooney. It oozes off the screen and is palatable to the viewer.
On the other end of the scale is the recent Action/Comedy STUBER with comedian Kuamil Nanjiani (THE BIG SICK) and former pro wrestler Dave Bautista (Drax in the GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY films). This is a middle-of-the-road film that is hurt (tremendously) by the LACK of chemistry between the two leads.
Nanjiani stars as Stu, a sad-sack Uber driver who does not stand up for himself while Bautista is a "nothing gets in my way" take charge cop who (because of recent eye surgery) cannot drive and hires an Uber driver, Stu (who gets called STUBER, hence the name of the film), to chase down clues to a criminal he's been on the hunt for - shenanigans ensue.
Individually, some of the scenes/scenarios of this film are fine/funny and Nanjiani is terrific as Stu and adds some clever comedic elements to a script that is "good enough" by Tripper Clancy.
And then there's Bautista.
He seems lost in this film, underplaying the things that make him good, his over-exuberance and over physicality (if that is a term) of someone of his size. Is this Bautista's fault or did Director Michael Dowse (GOON) purposely tone him down? It doesn't really matter for it doesn't really work.
And this is the beginning of the problem with the chemistry between the two leads - Nanjiani manic energy is not matched by Bautista - he seems to be an "energy sucker" and takes quite a bit of life out of this film. But...Director Dowse is also a problem, for he brings this lack of energy to quite a few of the big action scenes, underplaying, not overplaying what should have been over played.
There are some good things in this - besides the script and Nanjiani, Natalie Morales and Betty Gilpin are good and we do have a "Mira Sorvino sighting", which is welcome...but that's about it. Oh...except for an extended cameo by Karen Gillan (Nebula in the GUARDIANS films) she brings some energy. I would have loved to see her paired with Nanjiani in this.
If you're looking for a good "buddy cop" film with good chemistry between the leads, might I suggest THE OTHER GUYS (Will Ferrell/Mark Wahlberg), RUNNING SCARED (Billy Crystal/Gregory Hines) or the greatest example of strong chemistry - 48 HOURS (Nick Nolte/Eddie Murphy). Stuber would be the example of just the opposite.
6 stars out of 10 (for Nanjiani, Gillan and Sorvino - and a script and circumstances that could have worked had the chemistry between the leads been better)
Letter Grade: B- and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Midge (525 KP) rated Shallow Water in Books
Jan 23, 2019 (Updated Jan 23, 2019)
Lots of suspense (1 more)
Great lead characters
Nail-biting Thriller!
"Shallow Water" is a nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat story that has a bit of everything. From tension, fear, and panic to drama, romance and conflict, and joy and sorrow, there really is something for everyone. It is a suspenseful, psychological thriller fiction novel set in wonderfully scenic Pt. Redwood on California’s rural Mendocino coast.
What’s really likeable about it straight-away are the opening chapters that draw you into the main character, Clara Kendrick. She is a strong, feisty, sexy, confident, badass, journalist, but is living her life under the shadow of the past. She partially blames herself for the terrible unsolved murder of her best friend Ruthi eight years ago, memories of which continue to haunt her.
Clara receives a telephone call from a relative begging her to go and visit her sick mother who she hasn't seen since she fled from her home town all those years ago. She can't bear the thought of seeing her first-love and old flame Sean again. Relationships are put to the test when she does return and past issues are brought to the fore.
But not long into her return to Pt. Redwood, another teenage girl is found on the beach in similar circumstances to Ruthi. Clara and Sean find themselves at the centre of the investigation. Is there a serial killer at large, or is the second murder a coincidence?
I felt instantly on her side of the emotional and impulsive Clara, particularly in her initial dealings with Sean, her handsome, bad-boy first-love. You can immediately sense there is something still going on, and one of the highlights of the book is following how they deal with their emotional baggage. Sean is, at first, hard to work out but you gradually get to know him as the story unfolds and see that he has many surprising qualities. Both the plot and the character development are excellent, and the story-line is very believable. The story is both captivating and engaging. It held my interest from start to finish, and I found myself rooting for both Sean and Clara as they tried to deal with all of the accusations being made against them and the courage they showed in confronting their challenges.
"Shallow Water" was an interesting novel particularly for the interplay of the different characters - a distant and indifferent mother, a group of exceptionally bitchy grown-up teenagers and a judgemental, close-knit community. Plenty of twists and turns ups and downs along the way and plenty of surprises. I loved the authors writing style which I found very easy to read and the suspense at times had me scared and almost afraid to read on. I loved it!
I did figure out who was behind the murders but not until very near the climax of the book and I was very satisfied with the ending. I have been inspired to read more from Amanda J. Clay and I highly recommend this book. I suggest wholeheartedly that you add it to your reading list.
Thank you to LibraryThing and the author, Amanda J. Clay for a free ARC of this book in exchange for a voluntary, honest review.
What’s really likeable about it straight-away are the opening chapters that draw you into the main character, Clara Kendrick. She is a strong, feisty, sexy, confident, badass, journalist, but is living her life under the shadow of the past. She partially blames herself for the terrible unsolved murder of her best friend Ruthi eight years ago, memories of which continue to haunt her.
Clara receives a telephone call from a relative begging her to go and visit her sick mother who she hasn't seen since she fled from her home town all those years ago. She can't bear the thought of seeing her first-love and old flame Sean again. Relationships are put to the test when she does return and past issues are brought to the fore.
But not long into her return to Pt. Redwood, another teenage girl is found on the beach in similar circumstances to Ruthi. Clara and Sean find themselves at the centre of the investigation. Is there a serial killer at large, or is the second murder a coincidence?
I felt instantly on her side of the emotional and impulsive Clara, particularly in her initial dealings with Sean, her handsome, bad-boy first-love. You can immediately sense there is something still going on, and one of the highlights of the book is following how they deal with their emotional baggage. Sean is, at first, hard to work out but you gradually get to know him as the story unfolds and see that he has many surprising qualities. Both the plot and the character development are excellent, and the story-line is very believable. The story is both captivating and engaging. It held my interest from start to finish, and I found myself rooting for both Sean and Clara as they tried to deal with all of the accusations being made against them and the courage they showed in confronting their challenges.
"Shallow Water" was an interesting novel particularly for the interplay of the different characters - a distant and indifferent mother, a group of exceptionally bitchy grown-up teenagers and a judgemental, close-knit community. Plenty of twists and turns ups and downs along the way and plenty of surprises. I loved the authors writing style which I found very easy to read and the suspense at times had me scared and almost afraid to read on. I loved it!
I did figure out who was behind the murders but not until very near the climax of the book and I was very satisfied with the ending. I have been inspired to read more from Amanda J. Clay and I highly recommend this book. I suggest wholeheartedly that you add it to your reading list.
Thank you to LibraryThing and the author, Amanda J. Clay for a free ARC of this book in exchange for a voluntary, honest review.
Darren (1599 KP) rated The Devil's Rejects (2005) in Movies
Nov 28, 2019
Verdict: Big Improvement
Story: The Devil’s Rejects starts as the Firefly family have been dubbed ‘The Devil’s Rejects’ by the media see their house surrounded by a vengeful police force led by Sheriff Wydell (Forsythe), with a massive shootout on the ranch. Mother Firely (Easterbrook) is captured, while Otis (Moseley) and Baby (Zombie) escape turning to Captain Spaulding (Haig) for shelter.
Otis and Baby find shelter in a motel, taking a family hostage, while they wait for the showdown with the Sheriff, giving them a chance to continue their murderous way.
Thoughts on The Devil’s Rejects
Characters – Captain Spaulding still runs his house of horrors away from the house, despite being part of the house, he must go on the run to meet the other members of the Fireflies, which sees him showing a much nastier side than we have seen before. Otis is the most twisted member of the family, he will punish anybody, he doesn’t care about anybody and will show his sadistic side too often. Baby is the youngest member of the family, she has grown up in this environment, acting like it is just second nature to her, she enjoys the punishment even turning it into a game at times. Sheriff Wydell is determined to capture and kill the whole Firefly family after they killed his brother, he will break a few rules along the way to make sure it gets done.
Performances – Sid Haig, Bill Moseley and Sheri Moon Zombie have helped develop their characters to have a much darker side to them, which shows us more about how sadistic they are meant to be through the film. William Forsythe brings us a strong police figure that clearly shows the vengeful side he is going through in the film.
Story – The story here follows the events of the first film, the Firefly family have been discovered and are now on the run from a vengeful sheriff that wants the whole family dead for what they did to his family member. Where this story improves on the original comes from seeing just how the fireflies are able to react to a threat, we get a glimpse of their sadistic side, but instead of it just them being twisted, we get to see them dealing with a relentless cop that isn’t going to let them get away with their crimes. The story is constructed better too because we don’t just have random clips like we had in the first film, which shows how the film can be put together to give us a better story.
Action/Horror – This is much more action back with shoot outs going on between the two sides, while the horror is still there when the fireflies get to step into their sadistic ways.
Settings – The film uses the settings to show how the Fireflies can go on the run from the law, we see the back country motels which they would hide out in and the connections of other shady business they would know.
Special Effects – The effects in the film show the gore being done by the family, it shows the wounds looking brutal and real through the film.
Scene of the Movie – The escape.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – It still doesn’t give us any likeable figures in the fight.
Final Thoughts – This is an improvement on the first film, it does give us a more rounded figures in the Firefly family and shows us just how capable they are when pushed against the wall.
Overall: Sick Improvement.
Otis and Baby find shelter in a motel, taking a family hostage, while they wait for the showdown with the Sheriff, giving them a chance to continue their murderous way.
Thoughts on The Devil’s Rejects
Characters – Captain Spaulding still runs his house of horrors away from the house, despite being part of the house, he must go on the run to meet the other members of the Fireflies, which sees him showing a much nastier side than we have seen before. Otis is the most twisted member of the family, he will punish anybody, he doesn’t care about anybody and will show his sadistic side too often. Baby is the youngest member of the family, she has grown up in this environment, acting like it is just second nature to her, she enjoys the punishment even turning it into a game at times. Sheriff Wydell is determined to capture and kill the whole Firefly family after they killed his brother, he will break a few rules along the way to make sure it gets done.
Performances – Sid Haig, Bill Moseley and Sheri Moon Zombie have helped develop their characters to have a much darker side to them, which shows us more about how sadistic they are meant to be through the film. William Forsythe brings us a strong police figure that clearly shows the vengeful side he is going through in the film.
Story – The story here follows the events of the first film, the Firefly family have been discovered and are now on the run from a vengeful sheriff that wants the whole family dead for what they did to his family member. Where this story improves on the original comes from seeing just how the fireflies are able to react to a threat, we get a glimpse of their sadistic side, but instead of it just them being twisted, we get to see them dealing with a relentless cop that isn’t going to let them get away with their crimes. The story is constructed better too because we don’t just have random clips like we had in the first film, which shows how the film can be put together to give us a better story.
Action/Horror – This is much more action back with shoot outs going on between the two sides, while the horror is still there when the fireflies get to step into their sadistic ways.
Settings – The film uses the settings to show how the Fireflies can go on the run from the law, we see the back country motels which they would hide out in and the connections of other shady business they would know.
Special Effects – The effects in the film show the gore being done by the family, it shows the wounds looking brutal and real through the film.
Scene of the Movie – The escape.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – It still doesn’t give us any likeable figures in the fight.
Final Thoughts – This is an improvement on the first film, it does give us a more rounded figures in the Firefly family and shows us just how capable they are when pushed against the wall.
Overall: Sick Improvement.
Night Reader Reviews (683 KP) rated Three Black Boys: Tomorrow After Supper in Books
Apr 6, 2020
Honest Review for Free Copy of Book
Three Black Boys: Tomorrow After Supper Volume 1 by Zangba Thomson is two books in one or it could be considered two parts of one book. This is one book that you do not want to dismiss out of turn because it just may surprise you.
Barnes, Demus, and Baker are three young black boys living in Southside Jamaica Queens, New York. The three boys are close friends and spend a lot of time together. They all have dreams of their own but their living situations make it hard for them to realize their dreams. Barnes spends his time spelling drugs and instruments of death to provide for himself and his sick mother. However, things change when Barnes takes his mother to a doctor and discovers that she has Black Fever Disease and will die in a month or less if she doesn't get a liver transplant that will cost a quarter of a million dollars. Branes, wanting to save his mother’s life, convinces his friends to help him get the money in the only way they know how, robbery.
Tomorrow After Supper is when Barnes, Demus, and Baker have a chance to redeem themselves since their intentions where pure. Ego has stollen the cosmic melatonin tree which provides everyone on Earth with their immune system and released a Death Virus on the planet. It is up to the Three Black Boys to recover the tree before everyone dies and Ego takes over.
This book not only exposes a disease (Black Fever Disease) that few have even heard of but shows how desperate things can get for those living on a low income or in poverty. The second half of the book is just as interesting and entertaining (also reminded me of Dante's Inferno) as the boys get a chance to redeem themselves. Some of the characters I was not able to fully connect into the story. The detectives and Ten-Ten Winz could have used more backstory as to how they are connected to the Three Black Boys and what they were doing. Also, some of the languages was a bit different for me.
Adults and young adults alike will enjoy this book, providing they don’t dismiss it out of turn. It would probably be fine for even middle school-aged children to read. It is very little in the lines of rough language and I believe most who read this will be impressed. I rate it 3 out of 4. Overall it had a great plot to it. Unfortunately, since a few of the characters confused me a bit I can not give it full points. This goes for both the original book and Tomorrow After Supper. I will admit I ended up looking up Black Fever Disease after reading this book.
Edited to add: I have read over some other reviews of this book and noticed that the second section seems to get a negative review in favor of the more realistic and serious first section. I enjoyed both sections equally. I feel like the second relies much heavier on symbolism and can understand how some who only read the section at face value could have found it lacking.
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Barnes, Demus, and Baker are three young black boys living in Southside Jamaica Queens, New York. The three boys are close friends and spend a lot of time together. They all have dreams of their own but their living situations make it hard for them to realize their dreams. Barnes spends his time spelling drugs and instruments of death to provide for himself and his sick mother. However, things change when Barnes takes his mother to a doctor and discovers that she has Black Fever Disease and will die in a month or less if she doesn't get a liver transplant that will cost a quarter of a million dollars. Branes, wanting to save his mother’s life, convinces his friends to help him get the money in the only way they know how, robbery.
Tomorrow After Supper is when Barnes, Demus, and Baker have a chance to redeem themselves since their intentions where pure. Ego has stollen the cosmic melatonin tree which provides everyone on Earth with their immune system and released a Death Virus on the planet. It is up to the Three Black Boys to recover the tree before everyone dies and Ego takes over.
This book not only exposes a disease (Black Fever Disease) that few have even heard of but shows how desperate things can get for those living on a low income or in poverty. The second half of the book is just as interesting and entertaining (also reminded me of Dante's Inferno) as the boys get a chance to redeem themselves. Some of the characters I was not able to fully connect into the story. The detectives and Ten-Ten Winz could have used more backstory as to how they are connected to the Three Black Boys and what they were doing. Also, some of the languages was a bit different for me.
Adults and young adults alike will enjoy this book, providing they don’t dismiss it out of turn. It would probably be fine for even middle school-aged children to read. It is very little in the lines of rough language and I believe most who read this will be impressed. I rate it 3 out of 4. Overall it had a great plot to it. Unfortunately, since a few of the characters confused me a bit I can not give it full points. This goes for both the original book and Tomorrow After Supper. I will admit I ended up looking up Black Fever Disease after reading this book.
Edited to add: I have read over some other reviews of this book and noticed that the second section seems to get a negative review in favor of the more realistic and serious first section. I enjoyed both sections equally. I feel like the second relies much heavier on symbolism and can understand how some who only read the section at face value could have found it lacking.
https://www.facebook.com/nightreaderreviews/
https://smashbomb.com/nightreader
https://nightreaderreviews.blogspot.com/
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Earth to Echo (2014) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
Earth to Echo really excited me when I first heard about it. The premise reminded me of movies of my youth, such as Goonies, E.T.: Extra Terrestrial and Explorers. In fact, Echo actually seems like a mix of these three movies, which made me even more excited about it.
Earth to Echo sees three childhood friends Alex (Teo Halm), Tuck (Brian “Astro” Bradley) and Munch (Reese Hartwig) as they deal with moving away from each other because their neighborhood is being torn down to make way for a new freeway. Shortly before the final move date, something weird starts happening to their phones, and it turns out that a map is being fed into them. On their last night together as a group, they decide to pursue the map, not knowing the great adventure they have waiting for them, or the dangers that lie ahead. Of course, without any spoilers that are not already in the commercials/trailers, they find an alien life-form in a small owl-like creature. The creature is hurt and trying to get off planet, and the kids decide to help.
Overall the main story-arch of Echo was great. While a little unbelievable in this day and age that an established neighborhood is going to be uprooted for a new freeway (at least to me), the story was solid and things are not exactly as they seem. All three boys, and a love interest Emma (Ella Wahlestedt) did an excellent job in their performances, and you forget that the actors are actually the age of the children they are portraying. The visual effects were awesome, and the score was spot-on. The film was very enjoyable and knocked it out of the park in these aspects.
Now, this movie unfortunately suffers from its cinematography. The movie is viewed through cameras that are “controlled” by the characters themselves. Think Chronicle. Tuck is the camera-fanatic of the group and we see the adventures of the friends through his GoPro camera, spy glasses and handheld camcorder, as well as through the cell phones of the various characters. There is nothing wrong with this method of filming, and in fact could have worked really well, especially as it does play into the plot with our little alien friend. However, this filming technique was not used appropriately. There was just way too much “shaky-cam”. In fact, every single person in my party became nauseated by the overuse of the film style. While two in my group were able to overcome the sick feeling, the rest of us could not shake it. There are several things that could have happened on our part to prevent this (i.e., sitting farther back in the theater), but many will not know this going in and it could be a bane to their movie-going experience.
It really is too bad that the camera-work had this much effect on the film. As I said, overall it was a very enjoyable movie. My suggestion is to sit toward the back of the theater, or even just wait until it comes out on Blu-ray/DVD/Digital. I think that being able to see it on a smaller screen, or sitting in the back of theater, will allow you to frame the film and not be so submersed into it. This will prevent the nausea that my party, as well as other moviegoers I heard expressing the same concern. I will definitely be picking it up when it is released for purchase, despite my experience in the theater.
Earth to Echo sees three childhood friends Alex (Teo Halm), Tuck (Brian “Astro” Bradley) and Munch (Reese Hartwig) as they deal with moving away from each other because their neighborhood is being torn down to make way for a new freeway. Shortly before the final move date, something weird starts happening to their phones, and it turns out that a map is being fed into them. On their last night together as a group, they decide to pursue the map, not knowing the great adventure they have waiting for them, or the dangers that lie ahead. Of course, without any spoilers that are not already in the commercials/trailers, they find an alien life-form in a small owl-like creature. The creature is hurt and trying to get off planet, and the kids decide to help.
Overall the main story-arch of Echo was great. While a little unbelievable in this day and age that an established neighborhood is going to be uprooted for a new freeway (at least to me), the story was solid and things are not exactly as they seem. All three boys, and a love interest Emma (Ella Wahlestedt) did an excellent job in their performances, and you forget that the actors are actually the age of the children they are portraying. The visual effects were awesome, and the score was spot-on. The film was very enjoyable and knocked it out of the park in these aspects.
Now, this movie unfortunately suffers from its cinematography. The movie is viewed through cameras that are “controlled” by the characters themselves. Think Chronicle. Tuck is the camera-fanatic of the group and we see the adventures of the friends through his GoPro camera, spy glasses and handheld camcorder, as well as through the cell phones of the various characters. There is nothing wrong with this method of filming, and in fact could have worked really well, especially as it does play into the plot with our little alien friend. However, this filming technique was not used appropriately. There was just way too much “shaky-cam”. In fact, every single person in my party became nauseated by the overuse of the film style. While two in my group were able to overcome the sick feeling, the rest of us could not shake it. There are several things that could have happened on our part to prevent this (i.e., sitting farther back in the theater), but many will not know this going in and it could be a bane to their movie-going experience.
It really is too bad that the camera-work had this much effect on the film. As I said, overall it was a very enjoyable movie. My suggestion is to sit toward the back of the theater, or even just wait until it comes out on Blu-ray/DVD/Digital. I think that being able to see it on a smaller screen, or sitting in the back of theater, will allow you to frame the film and not be so submersed into it. This will prevent the nausea that my party, as well as other moviegoers I heard expressing the same concern. I will definitely be picking it up when it is released for purchase, despite my experience in the theater.
ClareR (6256 KP) rated The Mercies in Books
Feb 25, 2020 (Updated Feb 25, 2020)
The Mercies is a slow burn of a novel, set in the Arctic town of Vardø in 1617 (Norway, the part that was called Finnmark). On Christmas Eve, whilst all of the men are out fishing, a storm blows in and kills them all. The women are left without their husbands, brothers and fathers, and must learn to fend for themselves. Maren Magnusdatter is one of these women. She watches as her father, brothers and future husband are drowned.
Three years later, a Scot, Absalom Cornet and his young Norwegian wife, Ursa, arrive. Absalom has been appointed Commissioner of Vardø, and is adamant that witchcraft was the cause of the storm three years ago. The fact that the women are surviving and taking on the roles of their dead menfolk doesn’t help their case. Absalom only sees evil, and women who have forgotten their place as servants of God. He is a witch finder, and has been responsible for the prosecution and death of women at home in Scotland. Unsurprisingly, he’s not a very nice character, and I liked NOT liking him, although I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Ursa. She is shy and inexperienced in the ways of the world. She has been shut away, caring for her sick younger sister. She knows nothing of what is expected of her as a wife - in every sphere. She doesn’t know how to keep a house at all. This is where Maren steps in as an advisor. They become good friends, and there is the beginnings of something more than just a simple friendship. I loved the interactions between these two women. Maren, strongly independent, competent and lonely, and Ursa, inexperienced, unhappy and lonely. In other circumstances, theirs could have been a good friendship - but unlikely because of social status, I should think.
The writing in this is gorgeous. The descriptions of the landscape and the sea made me feel as though I was standing there with them (warmer though!), and I loved getting to know the women, even the ultra-religious women who were only too keen to give up their fellow towns-women as witches. This part doesn’t happen for quite a while, so we’re given the chance to become emotionally invested in these characters. So when we read of their treatment at the hands of Absalom and his fellow witch hunters, it makes it all the more appalling. If it wasn’t bad enough already.
I love historical fiction, and I really liked how this was written in such a way that these didn’t really seem to be women separated from us by 400 years. They were normal women, working hard to survive and make lives for the,selves. Which made it all the more sad. There’s no way I could detach myself and NOT read this with a modern woman’s eye. These women were punished for something that we take for granted: independence.
Despite the terrible things that happen, it’s a beautifully written, very enjoyable book that I would easily recommend to anyone, even though it’s just like I would imagine the landscape around Finnmark is: bleak, yet beautiful.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book to read and review.
Three years later, a Scot, Absalom Cornet and his young Norwegian wife, Ursa, arrive. Absalom has been appointed Commissioner of Vardø, and is adamant that witchcraft was the cause of the storm three years ago. The fact that the women are surviving and taking on the roles of their dead menfolk doesn’t help their case. Absalom only sees evil, and women who have forgotten their place as servants of God. He is a witch finder, and has been responsible for the prosecution and death of women at home in Scotland. Unsurprisingly, he’s not a very nice character, and I liked NOT liking him, although I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Ursa. She is shy and inexperienced in the ways of the world. She has been shut away, caring for her sick younger sister. She knows nothing of what is expected of her as a wife - in every sphere. She doesn’t know how to keep a house at all. This is where Maren steps in as an advisor. They become good friends, and there is the beginnings of something more than just a simple friendship. I loved the interactions between these two women. Maren, strongly independent, competent and lonely, and Ursa, inexperienced, unhappy and lonely. In other circumstances, theirs could have been a good friendship - but unlikely because of social status, I should think.
The writing in this is gorgeous. The descriptions of the landscape and the sea made me feel as though I was standing there with them (warmer though!), and I loved getting to know the women, even the ultra-religious women who were only too keen to give up their fellow towns-women as witches. This part doesn’t happen for quite a while, so we’re given the chance to become emotionally invested in these characters. So when we read of their treatment at the hands of Absalom and his fellow witch hunters, it makes it all the more appalling. If it wasn’t bad enough already.
I love historical fiction, and I really liked how this was written in such a way that these didn’t really seem to be women separated from us by 400 years. They were normal women, working hard to survive and make lives for the,selves. Which made it all the more sad. There’s no way I could detach myself and NOT read this with a modern woman’s eye. These women were punished for something that we take for granted: independence.
Despite the terrible things that happen, it’s a beautifully written, very enjoyable book that I would easily recommend to anyone, even though it’s just like I would imagine the landscape around Finnmark is: bleak, yet beautiful.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book to read and review.
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