Search
Search results
Humbug: Scrooge Before the Ghosts
8.0
Rate It
Book
A Christmas Carol shows us one terrible day in Ebenezer Scrooge’s life, but have you ever wondered...
Historical MM Forbidden Love
Hazel (1853 KP) rated Clover Moon in Books
May 24, 2017
A Victorian Story
This eBook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Although now in her seventies, the Nation’s favourite children’s author, Dame Jacqueline Wilson, is continuing to write after surpassing one hundred novels. Many children (mostly girls) grow up reading her stories, myself being amongst that number. Even my sister, who hated reading, purchased a number of her books. It has been well over a decade since I last read a Jacqueline Wilson, however after seeing her latest novel was available for review, I thought I would give it a go.
Clover Moon is set in poverty-stricken Victorian London, where eleven-year-old Clover, the eldest of six siblings, lives with her father and stepmother. Like many stepmother’s in children’s literature, Clover’s treats her like a slave – a position she is destined to stay in unless she gets a job in a factory. With no school to attend, Clover becomes a second mother to her younger brother’s and sisters, yet nothing can prepare her for the devastating impact a wave of Scarlet Fever brings. With only an old doll maker who cares about her, Clover is desperate to get out of her situation; so after a chance meeting with an artist who tells her about a home for destitute girls, Clover decides to seek out the help and life she deserves.
Although only eleven, Clover has the responsibilities of someone of a more mature age. It is hard to imagine sending a child out to work, or trusting them to look after a newborn baby. Children reading this book will learn the difference between their lives and the life of a child in the 1800s.
As always, Jacqueline Wilson gives her main character a happy ending – although in this instance it still remains a bit uncertain. Despite the horrible circumstances, Wilson manages to pump her story full of enthusiastic optimism, thus portraying Clover as a strong, determined heroine.
Most of Jacqueline Wilson’s earlier books were set in the present day; there were still unhappy situations, but the settings were based on ideas the reader would be familiar with. In the case of Clover Moon, unless children have been educated about the poor in Victorian England, it is unlikely that they will be able to fully comprehend Clover’s predicament. As a result, the book is more suitable for young teenagers than the usual target audience of eight to twelve year olds.
Comparing my memories of Jacqueline Wilson books I read as a child with her latest publication, Clover Moon felt like something different; a new direction. As I have not read any of her work between the early 2000s and now, I am not sure when this change occurred, but it feels as though Wilson is delving deeper into her main character’s thoughts and feelings, and creating a more insightful storyline. On the other hand, I may simply be more intuitive as an adult than I was a child.
Although Clover Moon did not turn out to be the style of writing I was expecting I thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact, this difference made it possible to distance myself from the author’s renown, and treat it as an individual story. Clover is an admirable character who, through her narration, provides both an entertaining story and brief historical education. Fans of Jacqueline Wilson will not be disappointed with this latest publication; and if you are a new reader, Clover Moon is a great place to start.
Although now in her seventies, the Nation’s favourite children’s author, Dame Jacqueline Wilson, is continuing to write after surpassing one hundred novels. Many children (mostly girls) grow up reading her stories, myself being amongst that number. Even my sister, who hated reading, purchased a number of her books. It has been well over a decade since I last read a Jacqueline Wilson, however after seeing her latest novel was available for review, I thought I would give it a go.
Clover Moon is set in poverty-stricken Victorian London, where eleven-year-old Clover, the eldest of six siblings, lives with her father and stepmother. Like many stepmother’s in children’s literature, Clover’s treats her like a slave – a position she is destined to stay in unless she gets a job in a factory. With no school to attend, Clover becomes a second mother to her younger brother’s and sisters, yet nothing can prepare her for the devastating impact a wave of Scarlet Fever brings. With only an old doll maker who cares about her, Clover is desperate to get out of her situation; so after a chance meeting with an artist who tells her about a home for destitute girls, Clover decides to seek out the help and life she deserves.
Although only eleven, Clover has the responsibilities of someone of a more mature age. It is hard to imagine sending a child out to work, or trusting them to look after a newborn baby. Children reading this book will learn the difference between their lives and the life of a child in the 1800s.
As always, Jacqueline Wilson gives her main character a happy ending – although in this instance it still remains a bit uncertain. Despite the horrible circumstances, Wilson manages to pump her story full of enthusiastic optimism, thus portraying Clover as a strong, determined heroine.
Most of Jacqueline Wilson’s earlier books were set in the present day; there were still unhappy situations, but the settings were based on ideas the reader would be familiar with. In the case of Clover Moon, unless children have been educated about the poor in Victorian England, it is unlikely that they will be able to fully comprehend Clover’s predicament. As a result, the book is more suitable for young teenagers than the usual target audience of eight to twelve year olds.
Comparing my memories of Jacqueline Wilson books I read as a child with her latest publication, Clover Moon felt like something different; a new direction. As I have not read any of her work between the early 2000s and now, I am not sure when this change occurred, but it feels as though Wilson is delving deeper into her main character’s thoughts and feelings, and creating a more insightful storyline. On the other hand, I may simply be more intuitive as an adult than I was a child.
Although Clover Moon did not turn out to be the style of writing I was expecting I thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact, this difference made it possible to distance myself from the author’s renown, and treat it as an individual story. Clover is an admirable character who, through her narration, provides both an entertaining story and brief historical education. Fans of Jacqueline Wilson will not be disappointed with this latest publication; and if you are a new reader, Clover Moon is a great place to start.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Tussie Mussie in Tabletop Games
Jun 13, 2019
It is the Victorian Age. Music is getting better. Wardrobes are getting frillier. Friendships are getting… confusing. How do you tell your dear friend that they have upset you but you still very much care for them? By giving them a carefully crafted bouquet of flowers, with each bloom symbolizing a snippet of information you wish to relay. Thus is the story of Tussie-Mussies, the texting of the Victorian Age.
OK, I am not really a flower guy. My wife can attest to that. I like them. I think they are great outside in the landscaping. I just do not have an eye for combining them into intricate, meaningful bunches that really state my feelings. So when we received Tussie-Mussie from Button Shy Games, I was hopeful that I would not need to draw upon my severely-lacking knowledge of beautiful blossoms.
Thankfully, the game we received is a quick filler card game in Button Shy’s Wallet line, and it’s delightful. On your turn you will draw two cards from the deck and decide which you would like to offer to your neighbor face-up and which will be offered face-down (similar to the card assignments in Biblios). Your neighbor will then decide which card they will take, with the other card being returned to you for your collection. All players will offer cards to their neighbors and once the players each have four cards in front of them you may complete any card-driven actions. Once all players have had their chance to complete the printed actions the bouquets will be scored. Add your scores over three rounds of play to determine the winner of Tussie-Mussie.
Components. This is an 18-card micro-game that comes in the typical Button Shy Wallet. The wallet is fine and does what it sets out to do – protect the cards during transport. The cards themselves are of good quality, though I know not whether the quality of cards will be adjusted once the game completes its Kickstarter campaign upgrades through any planned stretch goals. The art is what really makes this game impressive. Beth Sobel knocks it out of the park again with the art here. The colors are vibrant, the flowers look amazing, and the layout is great. I have no complaints on components and art at all.
Is the game good? Yes! I think the game is very solid for what it is. I caution you not to go into this game with strategies devised and tactics you would like to try. This is not that kind of game. Since you never know the types of cards you will be receiving from your neighbors, your best strategy is trying to bluff and manipulate your neighbors into passing you the cards you really want. And isn’t that what the Victorian Age was really about, anyway? When you just cannot put together a winning collection of cards, just laugh it off and appreciate your gorgeous bouquet that you have assembled.
In the end, this game is really good for a quick light filler with amazing art that you will want to keep playing. The components are excellent, the game play is fun and light, and it helps to finish a game night or palette cleanse for the next game. Quite enjoyable! Here here!
OK, I am not really a flower guy. My wife can attest to that. I like them. I think they are great outside in the landscaping. I just do not have an eye for combining them into intricate, meaningful bunches that really state my feelings. So when we received Tussie-Mussie from Button Shy Games, I was hopeful that I would not need to draw upon my severely-lacking knowledge of beautiful blossoms.
Thankfully, the game we received is a quick filler card game in Button Shy’s Wallet line, and it’s delightful. On your turn you will draw two cards from the deck and decide which you would like to offer to your neighbor face-up and which will be offered face-down (similar to the card assignments in Biblios). Your neighbor will then decide which card they will take, with the other card being returned to you for your collection. All players will offer cards to their neighbors and once the players each have four cards in front of them you may complete any card-driven actions. Once all players have had their chance to complete the printed actions the bouquets will be scored. Add your scores over three rounds of play to determine the winner of Tussie-Mussie.
Components. This is an 18-card micro-game that comes in the typical Button Shy Wallet. The wallet is fine and does what it sets out to do – protect the cards during transport. The cards themselves are of good quality, though I know not whether the quality of cards will be adjusted once the game completes its Kickstarter campaign upgrades through any planned stretch goals. The art is what really makes this game impressive. Beth Sobel knocks it out of the park again with the art here. The colors are vibrant, the flowers look amazing, and the layout is great. I have no complaints on components and art at all.
Is the game good? Yes! I think the game is very solid for what it is. I caution you not to go into this game with strategies devised and tactics you would like to try. This is not that kind of game. Since you never know the types of cards you will be receiving from your neighbors, your best strategy is trying to bluff and manipulate your neighbors into passing you the cards you really want. And isn’t that what the Victorian Age was really about, anyway? When you just cannot put together a winning collection of cards, just laugh it off and appreciate your gorgeous bouquet that you have assembled.
In the end, this game is really good for a quick light filler with amazing art that you will want to keep playing. The components are excellent, the game play is fun and light, and it helps to finish a game night or palette cleanse for the next game. Quite enjoyable! Here here!
Hadley (567 KP) rated Ghostly Tales: Spine-Chilling Stories of the Victorian Age in Books
Jan 20, 2021
Ghost stories (1 more)
Well-written
This collection of tales will transport you to a time when staircases creaked in old manor houses, and a candle could be blown out by a gust of wind, or by a passing ghost. Penned by some of the greatest Victorian novelists and masters of the ghost story genre, these stories come alive alongside exquisitely eerie art in this special illustrated edition.
Since this is a short story collection, I will list the stories with a short synopsis and what I liked and disliked about them.
"Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad" by M.R. James
A professor decides to go on vacation to work on his golf game while doing a little side work in the town's archaeology, but when he digs up an old whistle and blows into it, he instantly regrets what the whistle brings.
Liked: the buildup to the climax was done masterfully, and the superstition that was used as the premise of the story
Disliked: that the ending is never explained
"The Old Nurse's Story" by Elizabeth Gaskell
When a governess and her ward are taken to a haunted house, they found out that everyone has to pay for their misdeeds.
Liked: the perfect example of what Victorian ghost stories were
Disliked: Nothing; I really enjoyed this one
"The Signalman" by Charles Dickens
A railroad signalman tells a co-worker that he is seeing a ghost that warns him of future accidents, but his co-worker can't tell if he's telling the truth or losing his mind.
Liked: an excellent ghost story; I wish it were an entire novel
Disliked: nothing
"The Body-Snatcher" by Robert Louis Stevenson
When a medical student realizes that the 'donated' bodies are murder victims, he's not so sure he can live with the consequences.
Liked: the ending wasn't predictable
Disliked: at the start, there's a little confusion among who is who
" The Captain of the Pole-Star" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
A group of whalers are stuck in the middle of the ocean because of ice burgs, but the ice is the least of their problems when they begin to hear and see supernatural things out on the ice.
Liked: the plot of the story was really good
Disliked: the run-on sentences, some of the accents were hard to decipher, and the ending wasn't explained
"The Phantom Coach" by Amelia B. Edwards
A young man loses his way while on a hunt, but soon finds help with an old man that is convinced the supernatural is real, and when he senses the young man does not, he puts him up against forces from the other side.
Liked: the story never lulled, and the descriptions of the undead were amazing
Disliked: nothing, I thought the story was really good
"The Screaming Skull" by F. Marion Crawford
When the friend of a family finds a skull in the latter's home, he begins to question whether or not the husband murdered his wife.
Liked: I love that this story is actually based off an urban legend
Disliked: the way the author kept breaking away from the story to talk to the audience; it caused the flow of the story to stop
Overall, the Victorian-era authors knew how to write a ghost story. I absolutely loved this collection of short stories. I highly recommend this book to people who love a good 'ol fashioned ghost story (not the gory ones we have today).
Since this is a short story collection, I will list the stories with a short synopsis and what I liked and disliked about them.
"Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad" by M.R. James
A professor decides to go on vacation to work on his golf game while doing a little side work in the town's archaeology, but when he digs up an old whistle and blows into it, he instantly regrets what the whistle brings.
Liked: the buildup to the climax was done masterfully, and the superstition that was used as the premise of the story
Disliked: that the ending is never explained
"The Old Nurse's Story" by Elizabeth Gaskell
When a governess and her ward are taken to a haunted house, they found out that everyone has to pay for their misdeeds.
Liked: the perfect example of what Victorian ghost stories were
Disliked: Nothing; I really enjoyed this one
"The Signalman" by Charles Dickens
A railroad signalman tells a co-worker that he is seeing a ghost that warns him of future accidents, but his co-worker can't tell if he's telling the truth or losing his mind.
Liked: an excellent ghost story; I wish it were an entire novel
Disliked: nothing
"The Body-Snatcher" by Robert Louis Stevenson
When a medical student realizes that the 'donated' bodies are murder victims, he's not so sure he can live with the consequences.
Liked: the ending wasn't predictable
Disliked: at the start, there's a little confusion among who is who
" The Captain of the Pole-Star" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
A group of whalers are stuck in the middle of the ocean because of ice burgs, but the ice is the least of their problems when they begin to hear and see supernatural things out on the ice.
Liked: the plot of the story was really good
Disliked: the run-on sentences, some of the accents were hard to decipher, and the ending wasn't explained
"The Phantom Coach" by Amelia B. Edwards
A young man loses his way while on a hunt, but soon finds help with an old man that is convinced the supernatural is real, and when he senses the young man does not, he puts him up against forces from the other side.
Liked: the story never lulled, and the descriptions of the undead were amazing
Disliked: nothing, I thought the story was really good
"The Screaming Skull" by F. Marion Crawford
When the friend of a family finds a skull in the latter's home, he begins to question whether or not the husband murdered his wife.
Liked: I love that this story is actually based off an urban legend
Disliked: the way the author kept breaking away from the story to talk to the audience; it caused the flow of the story to stop
Overall, the Victorian-era authors knew how to write a ghost story. I absolutely loved this collection of short stories. I highly recommend this book to people who love a good 'ol fashioned ghost story (not the gory ones we have today).
Churchill and Empire
Book
A genuinely new biography of Churchill, focusing on his contradictory and lifelong relationship with...
ClareR (5991 KP) rated The Wisdom Of Sally Red Shoes in Books
Apr 24, 2018
A book full of hope.
Masha has never got over the death of her infant son, who drowned at the age of two - even twelve years later she struggles daily. She finds comfort in the local victorian graveyard, and swims every day at her local lido. She has the most fascinating friends: Kitty Muriel, a woman who is so comfortable in her own skin that Masha clearly admires her greatly; Sally Red Shoes, who is portrayed as a crazy old bag lady, who feeds the crows at the cemetery, sings opera amongst the grave stones, and has great taste in shoes; Edwar, her best friend , who has seen her through so much hardship. There are others, but these characters really stood out for me.
This is a beautiful story about grief, death, and learning to live and love again. It sounds as though it will be 'cheesy', and I was apprehensive to begin with, but it is really such a lovely book. I laughed, I cried, and I enjoyed it enormously.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book.
This is a beautiful story about grief, death, and learning to live and love again. It sounds as though it will be 'cheesy', and I was apprehensive to begin with, but it is really such a lovely book. I laughed, I cried, and I enjoyed it enormously.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book.
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.
Stranger Than Fiction: The Life of Edgar Wallace, the Man Who Created King Kong
Book
He was the author of over 170 books, translated into more than thirty languages. More films were...
Manchester's Radical Mayor: Abel Heywood, the Man Who Built the Town Hall
Book
KNOWN in his day as the man who built the Town Hall, Abel Heywood was a leading Manchester publisher...
My Family and Other Strangers: Adventures in Family History
Book
When Jeremy Hardy decided to explore his ancestry it was, in part, to get to the bottom of his...