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Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated The Noise of Time in Books

Oct 9, 2017 (Updated Oct 9, 2017)  
The Noise of Time
The Noise of Time
Julian Barnes | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
9
8.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Historical fiction at its very best
There is a huge amount of non-fiction elements of this bleak novel about one of Russia's most noted composers and musicians Dmitri Shostakovich, who fought inner demons for the majority of his life due to the immense pressures and threats posed by the Soviet Union.

From his complex relationships with women, to the government, the artist was forced to live a life of paranoia, after many of his fellow composers and musicologists mysteriously disappeared following talks with the "Power" at the Big House. There were many moments where it resembled Room 101 from George Orwell's 1984, and the oppressive atmosphere that Shostakovich had to live through.

In the end, Julian Barnes explains that agreeing to Stalin's and Khrushchev's demands had been the ultimate downfall to his health. and in many ways it was a fate worse than death. It is grim and tragic to think about such an important composer in history being treated in such way.
  
All Your Twisted Secrets
All Your Twisted Secrets
Diana Urban | 2020 | Young Adult (YA)
4
5.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Contains spoilers, click to show
TW: Drug use, suicide, bullying, toxic friends: Overall I enjoyed most of this book. There was a few writing issues that took me out of the story like certain descriptions of sounds characters would make would be used multiple times. In the beginning it was also hard to keep track of which character was which. This story took a turn for the bad towards the end. It reminded me heavily of one of us is lying; someone in the room knew what was happening. In Amber's quest to make Sasha see the error of her ways (after Sasha accuses her of being like her) Amber becomes just as terrible if not more so than the toxic Sasha. In the end Amber ends up messing up 6 people's lives trying to prove a point instead of trying to properly get her friend back and get Sasha some much needed help. I really disliked the ending but the book keep me reading so it gets points there.
  
    My Home Legrand

    My Home Legrand

    Lifestyle

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    The ufficial app developed by Legrand which allows you to control home automation functions of your...

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Amy Poehler recommended Away in Books (curated)

 
Away
Away
Amy Bloom | 2008 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry
(0 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"This is the story of Lillian Leyb, a Russian immigrant making her way in a new land, traveling through America in the mid-1920s. Her daughter was taken away from her during a pogrom in Russia, and she feels this unbelievable mother’s pull to search for her child that keeps her going—literally—through woods and snow and over mountains. From minute one, you root for Lillian’s success because she’s this plucky heroine. I felt as if I were on the journey with her, so there were a couple of moments when I would just want to throw the book across the room and yell, ‘Amy Bloom, if you make Lillian suffer anymore, I am going to kill you!’ This is a sweeping story of someone new to America who runs into the best and worst of people. The kindness—and the harshness—Lillian finds along the way represents, I think, the real experience of our country."

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    Table Tennis AR

    Table Tennis AR

    Games and Entertainment

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    Enjoy a challenging augmented reality game of Table Tennis with beautiful 3D graphics and realistic...

    My Home BTicino

    My Home BTicino

    Lifestyle

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    The official app developed by BTicino. This app allows you to control home automation functions of...

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Dean (6927 KP) rated Jonathan Creek in TV

Aug 31, 2020 (Updated Aug 31, 2020)  
Jonathan Creek
Jonathan Creek
1997 | Comedy, Crime, Drama, Mystery
10
7.7 (40 Ratings)
TV Show Rating
Cast chemistry (2 more)
The ideas behind the crimes
Funny
Brilliant Mystery Drama
A brilliant TV show, one of my favourites and one you can easily watch again. This is more of a how they did it as well as a Whodunit?
The title character works as an ideas man for a stage performing illusionist. Often working out very complex crimes with a reporter friend. Often these are locked room murders or other baffling cases that don't make sense. The ideas behind most stories are really good and it's fun trying to work them out. There is plenty of comedy as well and the cast work great together.
The last 2 series weren't as good as the earlier ones but still enjoyable. The best ones though are the longer special episodes, especially "The Grinning Man". If you didn't catch them all or missed it completely it's worth checking it out if you are a fan of Agatha Christie style murder mysteries. Available on BBC iplayer and Alabi on demand.