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Zoe Nock (13 KP) rated The Confessions of Frannie Langton in Books
Jun 26, 2019
“My trial starts the way my life did: a squall of elbows and shoving and spit.”
Sometimes a book just grabs you from the beginning, something tells you that treasure lies here. I felt that within a few paragraphs of The Confessions of Frannie Langton. Sara Collins prefaced the novel with an explanation of her enjoyment of stories from Georgian/Victorian era but also her disappoint that she didn’t feel represented in the literature from that time. Her love of literature and that lack of inclusion drove her to write a novel that filled a gap, filled a need for women like Frances Langton to have a voice.
And what a voice! The author embodies Frannie so well. The first thing that struck me was that Frannie’s voice shone through immediately. She sounds so authentic, within a few lines you are engaged and intrigued. So much of the prose is beautiful and evocative, truly poetic. Sara Collins describes the people and places so deftly, you sense the weight of a sultry Jamaican plantation and the drabness of a grey London suburb. You can almost taste the boiling sugar cane and fall under the sway of the delicious, devilish ‘Black Drop’. It’s difficult to read this book without imagining a BBC period drama, it really would make a good screen adaptation. There is no doubt that Collins is a gifted and accomplished writer, a weaver of words both seductive and threatening. I really enjoyed this novel and would like to read anything new from Sara Collins.
Sometimes a book just grabs you from the beginning, something tells you that treasure lies here. I felt that within a few paragraphs of The Confessions of Frannie Langton. Sara Collins prefaced the novel with an explanation of her enjoyment of stories from Georgian/Victorian era but also her disappoint that she didn’t feel represented in the literature from that time. Her love of literature and that lack of inclusion drove her to write a novel that filled a gap, filled a need for women like Frances Langton to have a voice.
And what a voice! The author embodies Frannie so well. The first thing that struck me was that Frannie’s voice shone through immediately. She sounds so authentic, within a few lines you are engaged and intrigued. So much of the prose is beautiful and evocative, truly poetic. Sara Collins describes the people and places so deftly, you sense the weight of a sultry Jamaican plantation and the drabness of a grey London suburb. You can almost taste the boiling sugar cane and fall under the sway of the delicious, devilish ‘Black Drop’. It’s difficult to read this book without imagining a BBC period drama, it really would make a good screen adaptation. There is no doubt that Collins is a gifted and accomplished writer, a weaver of words both seductive and threatening. I really enjoyed this novel and would like to read anything new from Sara Collins.
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In many senses the ostrich looms large - the tallest and heaviest of any living bird, a fully grown...
The Nowhere Child
8.8
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Winner of the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award, The Nowhere Child is screenwriter Christian...
Little Dorrit
10.0
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A novel of serendipity, of fortunes won and lost, and of the spectre of imprisonment that hangs over...
Merissa (12330 KP) rated Love Potions (Warlocks MacGregor #1) in Books
Jul 5, 2023
LOVE POTIONS is the first book in the Warlocks MacGregor series and we are introduced to a whole clan of Scots, soon to be living in Wisconsin. They buy a big house on a hill, but there is a small Victorian property within their boundary that is occupied by Lydia. Her grandmother left her the house when she died, and she runs her business from there, having no intention of leaving. There is insta-lust between the two of them from the very beginning. With outside forces and the clan to contend with, will Lydia cope?
Well, she did, but I didn't. I love this author but I only found this book to be okay. Whether it was the whiplash changes of feelings, to the "I'm looking in his eyes so I can't think," or the multitude of clan members that seemed to roll into one, or even stupid behaviour. It was just too much crazy chaos for me.
The world-building was good, giving the reader insight into how the warlocks 'paid' for their magic. I didn't really see much character-building though. They just... were, and that was that.
If you like Urban Fantasy and/or Rom-Com, then you will probably love this book. For me, I enjoyed it but I won't be continuing with the series.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jul 5, 2023
Well, she did, but I didn't. I love this author but I only found this book to be okay. Whether it was the whiplash changes of feelings, to the "I'm looking in his eyes so I can't think," or the multitude of clan members that seemed to roll into one, or even stupid behaviour. It was just too much crazy chaos for me.
The world-building was good, giving the reader insight into how the warlocks 'paid' for their magic. I didn't really see much character-building though. They just... were, and that was that.
If you like Urban Fantasy and/or Rom-Com, then you will probably love this book. For me, I enjoyed it but I won't be continuing with the series.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jul 5, 2023
Hazel (1853 KP) rated Clover Moon in Books
Dec 7, 2018
<i>This eBook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review </i>
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.
<i>Clover Moon</i> 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 <i>Clover Moon</i>, 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, <i>Clover Moon</i> 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 <i>Clover Moon</i> 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, <i>Clover Moon</i> 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.
<i>Clover Moon</i> 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 <i>Clover Moon</i>, 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, <i>Clover Moon</i> 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 <i>Clover Moon</i> 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, <i>Clover Moon</i> is a great place to start.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated the Xbox One version of Layers of Fear in Video Games
Oct 26, 2019
Psychological Paintings
Contains spoilers, click to show
Layers of Fear- is scary, horrorfying, spooky, creepy, terrorfying, psychologically thrilling and more.
In Layers of Fear, the player controls a psychologically disturbed painter who is trying to complete his magnum opus, as he navigates through a Victorian mansion, with disturbing secrets about the painter being discovered. The gameplay, presented in first person perspective, is heavily story driven and often revolves mostly around puzzle-solving and exploration, as the game intensifies after each level while jump scares occur often.
The game is divided into six chapters with various items for the player to find in order to complete his work. The game is heavily dimmed, and there are objects that uncover certain aspects of the painter's history. While completing the painting, there is a letter that is slowly pieced together, which shows the origin of his masterpiece, and objects which explain the secret of the painter through dialogue flashbacks.
Lets talk about the plot and the three different endings.
Set in the 1920s United States, the unnamed protagonist returns home from a court hearing. After briefly exploring his empty house, he goes to his workshop to start working on his "magnum opus". After he adds the first layer, he starts having hallucinations about his past encounters.
There are three different endings featured in the game, each depending on the player's actions during the course of the game.
Ending 1 - The endless loop ending shows that the artist was working on a portrait of his wife as the masterpiece. He seemingly succeeds in creating the painting, and steps back to admire it only to see the figure of his wife devolve into a mutilated figure that proceeds to taunt him. Horrified, he grabs the painting and hurls it into a room full of identical paintings, all of which begin to laugh. It is revealed that the painter spent years shut in his house working on the same picture multiple times trying to perfect it in a cycle of obsessive mental deterioration. If the player enters the room where the artist threw the painting into, it is revealed that all the portraits are well made and resemble the artist's wife, but he can only see them as a disfigured mess. Returning to the studio, he unveils a blank canvas and begins working on the next painting, further continuing his self-destructive cycle as the screen fades to black.
Ending 2- The family ending is much the same, but this time he puts his child in the painting too. He then realizes the horrible mistakes he has made, and that he can never bring them back, no matter how many times he tries. He goes to the room upstairs and burns all his previous paintings along with his finished work before laying down and dying in the fire.
Ending 3- The selfish ending ends with a portrait of himself as his final attempt. Being finally satisfied, he decides to hang it in the room upstairs. The next shot goes to his painting on a display at a museum among other famous Victorian artists.
Their is also dlc for this game called Inheritance, which also has a good ending, bad ending and the true ending. I havent played the DLC so i wont spoil it because i havent played it.
Anways Layers of Fear is a grear game and I can't not wait until I play the DLC and Layers of Fear 2.
In Layers of Fear, the player controls a psychologically disturbed painter who is trying to complete his magnum opus, as he navigates through a Victorian mansion, with disturbing secrets about the painter being discovered. The gameplay, presented in first person perspective, is heavily story driven and often revolves mostly around puzzle-solving and exploration, as the game intensifies after each level while jump scares occur often.
The game is divided into six chapters with various items for the player to find in order to complete his work. The game is heavily dimmed, and there are objects that uncover certain aspects of the painter's history. While completing the painting, there is a letter that is slowly pieced together, which shows the origin of his masterpiece, and objects which explain the secret of the painter through dialogue flashbacks.
Lets talk about the plot and the three different endings.
Set in the 1920s United States, the unnamed protagonist returns home from a court hearing. After briefly exploring his empty house, he goes to his workshop to start working on his "magnum opus". After he adds the first layer, he starts having hallucinations about his past encounters.
There are three different endings featured in the game, each depending on the player's actions during the course of the game.
Ending 1 - The endless loop ending shows that the artist was working on a portrait of his wife as the masterpiece. He seemingly succeeds in creating the painting, and steps back to admire it only to see the figure of his wife devolve into a mutilated figure that proceeds to taunt him. Horrified, he grabs the painting and hurls it into a room full of identical paintings, all of which begin to laugh. It is revealed that the painter spent years shut in his house working on the same picture multiple times trying to perfect it in a cycle of obsessive mental deterioration. If the player enters the room where the artist threw the painting into, it is revealed that all the portraits are well made and resemble the artist's wife, but he can only see them as a disfigured mess. Returning to the studio, he unveils a blank canvas and begins working on the next painting, further continuing his self-destructive cycle as the screen fades to black.
Ending 2- The family ending is much the same, but this time he puts his child in the painting too. He then realizes the horrible mistakes he has made, and that he can never bring them back, no matter how many times he tries. He goes to the room upstairs and burns all his previous paintings along with his finished work before laying down and dying in the fire.
Ending 3- The selfish ending ends with a portrait of himself as his final attempt. Being finally satisfied, he decides to hang it in the room upstairs. The next shot goes to his painting on a display at a museum among other famous Victorian artists.
Their is also dlc for this game called Inheritance, which also has a good ending, bad ending and the true ending. I havent played the DLC so i wont spoil it because i havent played it.
Anways Layers of Fear is a grear game and I can't not wait until I play the DLC and Layers of Fear 2.
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated Beatrice: The Untold Story of a Legendary Woman of Mystery in Books
Feb 15, 2019
Beatrice Turner was an enigma. Brought up in polite society by strict parents, she spent her life painting, writing in her journal, and watching the world change while she still wore Victorian garb. Considered an eccentric by her peers and then again by future generations, not many really knew who she was until after her death. In this slim volume, Beatrice's story is told through her surviving journals, self-portraits, sketches and other paintings. But through it all, there are still unanswered questions, so she remains a mystery to this day.
The book itself is basically good, Beatrice must have been a fascinating woman. She kept to herself but her journal reveals that she was a woman ahead of her time and I wish they hadn't burned her works, even if there were thousands of them. I guess it's a sign of the times, no one appreciated her or considered her a real artist, they just decided that because she was different, she's an outcast. The author writes well, but my biggest complaint was that there were too many unnecessary backgrounds told of people who didn't really matter to the story. Some of them I can see how it was needed but other than those few exceptions, it was just padding. Not that it's completely surprising since little is known about Beatrice, but those parts were pointless to the book as a whole. I'd stil say this is a worthwhile book that is fascinating, quick to read, and features many of Beatrice's paintings.
5 stars for Beatrice herself, 3 stars for the book, so a 4 average.
The book itself is basically good, Beatrice must have been a fascinating woman. She kept to herself but her journal reveals that she was a woman ahead of her time and I wish they hadn't burned her works, even if there were thousands of them. I guess it's a sign of the times, no one appreciated her or considered her a real artist, they just decided that because she was different, she's an outcast. The author writes well, but my biggest complaint was that there were too many unnecessary backgrounds told of people who didn't really matter to the story. Some of them I can see how it was needed but other than those few exceptions, it was just padding. Not that it's completely surprising since little is known about Beatrice, but those parts were pointless to the book as a whole. I'd stil say this is a worthwhile book that is fascinating, quick to read, and features many of Beatrice's paintings.
5 stars for Beatrice herself, 3 stars for the book, so a 4 average.
MaryAnn (14 KP) rated Where We Belong in Books
Mar 5, 2019
In the year 1892, the principles; that is the manners and customs for Victorian women were strict and their roles were limited. It was frowned upon for ladies to further their education but for the Hawes sisters, things were different. Their love for adventure and their search for God's purpose in their lives leads them on an adventure of a lifetime to the Sinai Desert.
On a quest to find an important biblical manuscript, joined by their butler and ladies maid Kate, the four find themselves on a journey that is dangerous and uncertain; the four travelers find themselves looking back at their past and the events that help shape them into who they are and what brought them to this point in their lives.
Author Lynn Austin has done a wonderful job of research. She has written this novel from the inspiration taken from the true story of twin sisters Agnes and Margret Smith; who were born in Scotland in 1843.
This novel was a joy to read and hard to put down. The characters were very easy to relate to and the storyline was fascinating.
I truly enjoyed every aspect of this story, the determination of the ladies, to the principles they stood up for and their love for God.
This is an exceptional read and anyone who loves historical fiction will truly enjoy this.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
On a quest to find an important biblical manuscript, joined by their butler and ladies maid Kate, the four find themselves on a journey that is dangerous and uncertain; the four travelers find themselves looking back at their past and the events that help shape them into who they are and what brought them to this point in their lives.
Author Lynn Austin has done a wonderful job of research. She has written this novel from the inspiration taken from the true story of twin sisters Agnes and Margret Smith; who were born in Scotland in 1843.
This novel was a joy to read and hard to put down. The characters were very easy to relate to and the storyline was fascinating.
I truly enjoyed every aspect of this story, the determination of the ladies, to the principles they stood up for and their love for God.
This is an exceptional read and anyone who loves historical fiction will truly enjoy this.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”