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Erika Kehlet (21 KP) rated The Quick in Books
Feb 21, 2018
**I received an ARC of this book at no cost, but was not compensated for this review.**
This book has some elements of the trendy epistolary style of story-telling via documents woven into a traditional, Victorian-style novel. James Norbury is an aspiring poet who finds himself living in London with the friend of a friend. A quiet, shy man, James finds friendship, love, and then tragedy as his life is torn apart by events completely outside of his control. The first part of the book tells us James' story, then we move on to journal entries and tales from other points of view, and slowly piece together what is truly happening in London, and what James has unwittingly become involved in.
I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this book but was quickly drawn into James' London. The book is both surprising and at times terrible, but I couldn't put it down. This is definitely not a story for the feint-of-heart, but a very good read set in an entirely believable world filled with characters you won't soon forget.
This book has some elements of the trendy epistolary style of story-telling via documents woven into a traditional, Victorian-style novel. James Norbury is an aspiring poet who finds himself living in London with the friend of a friend. A quiet, shy man, James finds friendship, love, and then tragedy as his life is torn apart by events completely outside of his control. The first part of the book tells us James' story, then we move on to journal entries and tales from other points of view, and slowly piece together what is truly happening in London, and what James has unwittingly become involved in.
I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this book but was quickly drawn into James' London. The book is both surprising and at times terrible, but I couldn't put it down. This is definitely not a story for the feint-of-heart, but a very good read set in an entirely believable world filled with characters you won't soon forget.
Nicole Hadley (380 KP) rated Sisters One, Two, Three in Books
Jun 14, 2018
Sisters One, Two and Three by Nancy Star is a story told from Ginger's perspective. The plot moves between the 1970s and today. Ginger is the oldest of four siblings, and in the 1970s a tragic event redefined her family.
The three sisters, all very different, come together after the death of their mother. Ginger is the the eldest who is the overanxious hypochondriac. Mimi is the laissez-faire soccer Mom extraordinaire. Lastly, Callie is the youngest and the wanderer whom, as of late, has been on one of her famous disappearing acts. The three finally converge at their Martha’s Vineyard home and, finally, are forced to confront the tragedy from their childhood that has plagued them all for years.
The characters in this novel are well thought out and unique, as well as realistic and flawed. This novel has great style, flow and is very easy to read. I was overjoyed when the format on my E-reader copy was clear, and I could easily engage.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Lake Union Publishing for an opportunity to read an advance copy.
The three sisters, all very different, come together after the death of their mother. Ginger is the the eldest who is the overanxious hypochondriac. Mimi is the laissez-faire soccer Mom extraordinaire. Lastly, Callie is the youngest and the wanderer whom, as of late, has been on one of her famous disappearing acts. The three finally converge at their Martha’s Vineyard home and, finally, are forced to confront the tragedy from their childhood that has plagued them all for years.
The characters in this novel are well thought out and unique, as well as realistic and flawed. This novel has great style, flow and is very easy to read. I was overjoyed when the format on my E-reader copy was clear, and I could easily engage.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Lake Union Publishing for an opportunity to read an advance copy.
Awix (3310 KP) rated On Chesil Beach (2018) in Movies
Jun 1, 2018
Bleak British Repressed Sexuality a Go Go!
Handsomely mounted BBC film starts off looking like many another period-set literary adaptation, then turns into something rather different. Newlyweds Edward and Florence are on the brink of their wedding night; both are nervous, and struggling with the expectations society and their upbringing has placed upon them. (The fact that society hasn't bothered to educate them in the slightest about what can, or should, go on in the bedroom really doesn't help on this voyage into, or possibly out of, virgin territory.) Not all goes to plan; a small but genuine tragedy unfolds.
Not the kind of film you walk home from whistling, unless you're some kind of militant celibacy advocate, but an undeniably fine one (or so it seems to me): very good performances from the young stars, and well-judged direction. Initially the film seems like a slightly dark comedy-drama of manners (the excruciating scenes of people failing to have sex are very awkward to watch), but it develops into something profoundly moving and deeply sad before the end. Thank God for the permissive society.
Not the kind of film you walk home from whistling, unless you're some kind of militant celibacy advocate, but an undeniably fine one (or so it seems to me): very good performances from the young stars, and well-judged direction. Initially the film seems like a slightly dark comedy-drama of manners (the excruciating scenes of people failing to have sex are very awkward to watch), but it develops into something profoundly moving and deeply sad before the end. Thank God for the permissive society.
Awix (3310 KP) rated First Man (2018) in Movies
Oct 26, 2018 (Updated Oct 26, 2018)
(Spoiler alert: Neil Armstrong lands on the Moon at the end.)
Neil Armstrong/Apollo 11 movie eschews flag-waving bombast and conventional spectacle by focusing much more on what was going on inside Armstrong's head during the moon mission and its build-up (by the way, I have a horrible suspicion that the moon-landing sequence in this movie was faked in a studio). Given that Armstrong himself was such a notably quiet and undemonstrative man, this seems like a good choice, although whether it excuses Damien Chazelle's choice to depict Armstrong's whole career in space as some kind of coping mechanism for dealing with a family tragedy is probably a matter of personal taste.
Like its subject, this is a notably low-key and unflashy film, and many may find it slow-going; space fans will probably have a lot to enjoy, though. The actual moon-landing sequence is superb, flag or no flag. In the end this is (perhaps inevitably) less of a guaranteed crowd-pleaser than La La Land (Chazelle and Gosling's last film together) but still a substantial and impressive movie.
Neil Armstrong/Apollo 11 movie eschews flag-waving bombast and conventional spectacle by focusing much more on what was going on inside Armstrong's head during the moon mission and its build-up (by the way, I have a horrible suspicion that the moon-landing sequence in this movie was faked in a studio). Given that Armstrong himself was such a notably quiet and undemonstrative man, this seems like a good choice, although whether it excuses Damien Chazelle's choice to depict Armstrong's whole career in space as some kind of coping mechanism for dealing with a family tragedy is probably a matter of personal taste.
Like its subject, this is a notably low-key and unflashy film, and many may find it slow-going; space fans will probably have a lot to enjoy, though. The actual moon-landing sequence is superb, flag or no flag. In the end this is (perhaps inevitably) less of a guaranteed crowd-pleaser than La La Land (Chazelle and Gosling's last film together) but still a substantial and impressive movie.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2456 KP) rated A Literal Mess in Books
Jan 14, 2019
Strong Debut
Allie Cobb has returned home to Rushing Creek, Indiana for her father's funeral. While his death wasn't a surprise, it has still hit her hard. She's not prepared for tragedy to strike her small town a second time when the body of Thornwell Winchester is found. He was one of Allie's father's literary clients, and also the father of Allie's best friend, Sloane. When Sloane becomes the police's chief suspect, Allie steps in to find out the truth. Can she do it?
This book is more serious in tone than many of the cozies I read, but given what brings Allie home, that is completely appropriate. I never found that overwhelming, and the book doesn't dwell on it. After all, this is a mystery, and it isn't long before we are off meeting Thornwell and the potential suspects. I was intrigued by the red herrings and enjoyed the twists as we headed toward the logical climax. The suspects are strong, but I was really impressed with the series regulars. They have pasts and baggage that brought them to the page fully formed. I'm interested to see how that dynamic plays out as the series progresses.
This book is more serious in tone than many of the cozies I read, but given what brings Allie home, that is completely appropriate. I never found that overwhelming, and the book doesn't dwell on it. After all, this is a mystery, and it isn't long before we are off meeting Thornwell and the potential suspects. I was intrigued by the red herrings and enjoyed the twists as we headed toward the logical climax. The suspects are strong, but I was really impressed with the series regulars. They have pasts and baggage that brought them to the page fully formed. I'm interested to see how that dynamic plays out as the series progresses.
Andy K (10823 KP) rated Lords of Chaos (2018) in Movies
Dec 14, 2019
ANARCHY!
Every once and a while a film comes along that truly surprises you (I love it when that happens) and Lords of Chaos did that for me tonight. I was thinking going in was going to be a metal version of This is Spinal Tap maybe or an anti version of Bohemian Rhapsody, or definitely a film I would have to keep the volume turned down as not to annoy my wife with the extremely booming soundtrack, but none of those were true.
Instead we get a supposedly true, or mostly true, story of the 90s Norwegian Black Metal band, Mayhem, its members, its music, its tragedy. I knew there would be horror and it delivered on that for sure. There are some truly graphic scenes which are not for the squeamish or for those who get offended easily. Having said that, it is also about friendship, mental illness, bullying, fitting in, being different than the rest, anarchy, paganism, relationships and how true (or fake) are your convictions.
For those that enjoy the out of the ordinary, I would highly recommend.
Instead we get a supposedly true, or mostly true, story of the 90s Norwegian Black Metal band, Mayhem, its members, its music, its tragedy. I knew there would be horror and it delivered on that for sure. There are some truly graphic scenes which are not for the squeamish or for those who get offended easily. Having said that, it is also about friendship, mental illness, bullying, fitting in, being different than the rest, anarchy, paganism, relationships and how true (or fake) are your convictions.
For those that enjoy the out of the ordinary, I would highly recommend.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Waves (2019) in Movies
Jan 22, 2020
Powerful, visually dazzling contemporary drama. The lives of an African-American family in Florida begin to unravel when their son, perhaps pushed too hard by a driven father, develops a painkiller addiction and discovers his girlfriend is pregnant. Very much in the same kind of vein as Moonlight, but I found this to be much more powerful in addition to being incredibly creative visually - the screen is filled with a bravura mixture of colour and movement.
For the first hour and half or so, this is like watching a car crash in slow motion: it's almost unbearable to watch the main character go off the rails, but you can't look away either. It concludes with the kind of incident you hear about as a brief item on the news, but here the film puts flesh on those bones and the scale of the tragedy is made clear. The third act is a definite change of pace: no less artfully made or moving, but less focused, and the outcome of the film remains in doubt until the very end. I'm hugely surprised this hasn't featured on the Academy Awards shortlist: a tremendous film in so many ways.
For the first hour and half or so, this is like watching a car crash in slow motion: it's almost unbearable to watch the main character go off the rails, but you can't look away either. It concludes with the kind of incident you hear about as a brief item on the news, but here the film puts flesh on those bones and the scale of the tragedy is made clear. The third act is a definite change of pace: no less artfully made or moving, but less focused, and the outcome of the film remains in doubt until the very end. I'm hugely surprised this hasn't featured on the Academy Awards shortlist: a tremendous film in so many ways.
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