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Karina Longworth recommended Kitty Foyle (1940) in Movies (curated)

 
Kitty Foyle (1940)
Kitty Foyle (1940)
1940 | Classics, Drama, Romance
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"Next would be Kitty Foyle, which is the movie that Ginger Rogers won her Oscar for. She is obviously mostly remembered for a singing and dancing star from the Astaire and Rogers musicals, but this is a melodrama – there was no singing or dancing. It basically tells the story of a girl who grows up on the wrong side of the tracks and falls in love with a wealthy heir to a big Philadelphia fortune, and has to navigate romance and class and all of these different issues. It’s a very conservative film and it’s very didactic. It’s extremely problematic in a lot of ways, but I find it fascinating. The performance that she gives, though… I think a lot of times, some of these great stars, they win an Oscar for a movie that’s not their best work, or it’s sort of given as a consolation prize for them not winning for something that is a classic. I think people think that about Kitty Foyle because nobody watches it any more, and people only remember Ginger Rogers as a dancer, but her performance in this movie is stunning. The character she’s playing has to sort of take on different personas over the course of her life and with different people in her life. The way that Ginger Rogers performs those unique and distinct versions of the same person is just really incredible. Obviously, there’s a huge degree of difficulty to a career based on singing and dancing. I wrote about this in my book, but there’s that old line about Ginger Rogers that “She had to do everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in heels.” The whole idea of her stardom is about how much harder it is for a woman to do the same things that a man does. But all of that said, I think there’s a degree of difficulty to this performance that is the kind of thing that is really, true great acting and great stardom, but it’s the kind of thing where the labor doesn’t show, and so people don’t talk about it in that way."

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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated One to Watch in Books

Nov 12, 2020  
One to Watch
One to Watch
Kate Stayman-London | 2020 | Humor & Comedy, Romance
8
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
With more than half a million Instagram followers and a popular blog, Bea Schumacher has a great life. But she doesn't have love--she's still pining after her best friend, who broke her heart. Bea also loves the reality romance juggernaut, Main Squeeze, where men vie for the affections of a beautiful women. When Bea's critique of Main Squeeze goes viral--why doesn't the show feature any diversity of size in its cast--the show comes to her. They want Bea to be the next star. Bea agrees, but she's adamant: she won't fall in love. This is just for her career. But once on set, Bea realizes this might not be as easy as she thinks.

"Life isn’t often a fairy tale, even on a show that aims to create one.”

I've never seen "The Bachelor" (Main Squeeze's equivalent) before in my life, but I found this book fascinating. (Probably more enjoyable than the actual show, ha.) It's frothy and entertaining but also tackles serious topics like body issues and racism. Once on the show, Bea meets a host of men: some truly awful, some quite lovely. It's quite the ride to watch her have her choice of eligible and handsome men.

I found Bea a little frustrating in her absolute unwillingness to open up, leading her to wallow in self-pity and a complete inability to even consider love. But, she had her reasons. The body positivity in the book was excellent and frequent. Bea is fearful of opening up and revealing herself and her body after being hurt. But she's also a successful and strong businesswoman (and now a celebrity!). The book draws you in to the episodes of Main Squeeze--it's honestly quite addictive. It sprinkles in excepts from Twitter, chats, publications, and more to tell the story--a very effective format. And there's true humor, romance, and heartbreak involved as well.

Overall, this was probably 3.75 stars for me--bumping up due to its strong coverage of serious and important topics. Oh and for Bea's stepdad! I loved him so much. Worth a read, for sure.
  
The Rules of Revelation
The Rules of Revelation
Lisa McInerney | 2021 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry
9
9.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I really enjoyed The Rules of Revelation - although I started reading it fully prepared to be confused. I wasn’t. This is the third and final part of a trilogy - I do own the first two books, but in true Clare style, I haven’t read them. I like that this stands alone, although I’m sure that I will have missed out on some important parts of the plot - never fear! I’ll just go back and read the first two!

I really like stories set around bands or singers - and this does have something extra to that storyline. The side character really made this novel interesting. I loved Maureen, the mother of the local big drug baron. She really doesn’t care what anyone feels or thinks about her, and isn’t frightened by her son one bit - unlike most of Cork.

Georgie is an ex sex-worker who wants what she thinks is fair - and that’s to make sure that Ryan Cusak’s band, Lord Urchin, get what they deserve. Nothing. I can’t help but think that a lot of her problems come from the fact that she is so easily taken advantage of: in her past as well as by the journalist in her present.

And then there’s the love story of Ryan and Karine. How much more complicated could they make it for one another? On top of that, is Ryan’s battle to make his art accessible to others, to sell an album or play to an audience, but his past is constantly putting a spanner in the works. He wants to improve his life from his poor, deprived upbringing, and put his drug-dealing past firmly behind him.

And all of this set in a time of great change in Ireland. Maureen should see some positives in the new Ireland. She talks about Cork being a city for men, but Ireland has just passed laws for marriage equality and abortion rights.

There’s a lot going on in this novel, I’d never get through all of it here, and I wouldn’t want to. You should just read it. I loved it, and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.
  
A Thousand Ships
A Thousand Ships
Natalie Haynes | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry, History & Politics, Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
How could it be anything other than ‘Epic’ when it’s Greek Mythology involved?
A Thousand Ships is the story of the Trojan War as experienced by the women. Greek mythology is always centred around the men - after all, it was men who original myths down (The Iliad and The Odyssey both having been written by Homer). Women are side characters who have things done to them, rather than them being the ones doing things - unless they’re a goddess or a witch. Although witches and nymphs don’t seem to come out of these stories particularly well either 🤷🏼‍♀️

I’ve always loved reading Greek myths and legends, and I’m really enjoying the resurgence of these tales. Told with a modern eye, they can tell us something about ourselves today. We still experience war and loss (there has clearly been no learning experience over the time span between Troy and the modern era), and women are still the ones who shoulder the worst outcomes during and after a war.

It was fascinating to learn about these women, and I particularly liked Penelope’s letters to her husband Odysseus, relaying information about his unbelievable voyage and rather circuitous route home: all information gleaned from bards and their songs. A sensible person would want to know how the singer got the information to write the songs!

The Trojan women sections were really where the true heroes were. These were the women who had lived through a ten year siege, lost their husbands, brothers, sons and families, and were shared as slaves amongst the conquering Greeks. And that includes the poorest as well as the richest of women - Hecabe, Queen of Troy, amongst them.

This book was on the shortlist for the Women’s Prize 2020, and it deserved to be there. I loved reading this, and I now need to read the book written before this (The Children of Jocasta - it has sat patiently waiting on my bookshelf!) to get ready for Haynes’ book about Pandora and her jar!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.
  
Our Little Cruelties
Our Little Cruelties
Liz Nugent | 2020 | Thriller
4
6.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
William, Brian, and Luke Drumm--three boys each born a year apart. William becomes a successful movie producer. Luke, a famous singer. And Brian, the steady middle brother, watches over careers, money, and their mother. But none of the brothers are as successful and happy as they appear--scarred by their traumatic childhood and their constant attempts to gain the attention of their mother. Now, the brothers are gathered together again: but only two are alive.

"All three of the Drumm brothers were at the funeral. But only one of them was in the coffin."

I made a lot of mistakes with this book. First, I thought I loved Liz Nugent, but then I realized I had her confused with another writer, and that I've never read any of her books. Next, I thought this would be more of a true, suspenseful mystery. It is not.

I feel bad, but this book was not for me. It started out slowly and just never got better. The plot drags on and on. While it is somewhat a mystery about a dead brother (which Drumm has died?), it's mostly a character-driven tale about three awful brothers. Because these three men are terrible and despicable, and I found it nearly impossible to become interested in them or their stories.

The book is told in chunks--from the perspective of each brother. Within their parts, their stories go back and forth in time. It's hard to keep track of the passing of time, especially as the book progresses.

This novel could provide in-depth perspective on mental illness and the impact our parents can have on our lives, but so much of that nuance gets lost in our characters and their abject hatefulness. There is little redemption to be had here. I had twinges of sympathies for the brothers, but, at times, I wasn't sure I would care if they were dead. They are truly evil sometimes.

Overall, this book just didn't work for me. I wasn't interested in the characters, and I wanted this to be a different type of story. Many others found this much more captivating and enjoyed the character driven style, so it may work better for you. 2 stars.