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Little Ray Of Sunshine (41 KP) rated It’s a Wonderful Life in Books
Jan 11, 2019 (Updated Feb 10, 2019)
Book Review | It's a Wonderful by Julia Williams
Before I opened the book I was amazed by the beautiful cover. I loved I received this right before the Christmas holidays.
This book is set from 3 characters point of view Beth, Beth’s Sister Lou, and Beth’s Husband Daniel.
Beth as everything she wants a perfect life, perfect job and a perfect husband and 2 children, Sam and Megan. But not everything is perfect as Beth doesn’t feel that her husband Daniel doesn’t support her job picture-book artist. But when she is struggling to get the ideas flowing and she doesn’t get along with her editor Vanessa. Vanessa brings in help has the new art director and old flame of Beth called Jack Stevens. When she sees him she is transported back to when they were in college and she starts to contemplate if she was still with Jack what her life would be like, she can’t get Jack out her mind. Will Beth be tempted to have an affair with Jack? When he tells her that he made mistake in the past.
While Beth is struggling to get inspiration on her book and her mind is on Jack her husband is struggling with his new job as a head teacher for a school want needs help as they had bad results from Ofsted. Daniel is struggling to balance school and handle his children he hardly sees as they have grown up, Sam keeps getting drunk hanging out with his friends and doesn’t care about his GCSE’s and Megan is also hanging out with the wrong people. He just wants a better life with them than he did with his father. Daniel’s father Reggie comes back into his life trying to build bridges but he doesn’t want anything to do with him. But Reggie wants to see his grandchildren. So when Sam and Megan meet him they want him to be back in their dad’s life and Sam starts to bond and they have a lot in common as they both creative and love music. This is where it breaks the family apart as Sam, Megan and Beth want Daniel to hear his dad out and see why he left him when he was younger. You see Daniel’s past and how he feels toward his dad and he wants to build bridges with his dad but he's scared that he will walk out of all their lives. Will he forgive his dad and find out what truly happened and why he left?
Beth’s sister Lou is going through a bad patch in her life and her also as a big secret from her family. She just feels that her family especially her mum and dad wouldn’t like that she feels attraction to other women. She feels that she's the black sheep of the family as Beth is the ‘perfect’ one and their brother Ged is the ‘golden’ boy and never does anything wrong. She's going through a break up from her Girlfriend Jo as she felt that their relationship was one way as Jo never had time for her. Lou also lost her job so she had to move back in with her mum and dad. But when she moved in she notices something wrong with their mum and dad. It turned out that their dad was having an affair with women from an art class. Lou felt her life and her parent's lives are falling apart. You feel sorry for her as you want her to have a happy life. Will their parents accept that she feels more attractive to women?
As you can see the book is based around Christmas and being with their family but everything seems perfect on the outside but once you get reading into the book you see that be careful what you wish for.
This book was a heartwarming book and I can’t wait to read more of Julia Williams books. She really grabbed me into their world and it shows me that all families aren’t perfect. I felt their mum is like mine as my mum always plans in advance for Christmas.
I will make sure to purchase more of her books as she grabbed me from the first page and it made me feel all warm inside.
Thanks, Julia x
This book is set from 3 characters point of view Beth, Beth’s Sister Lou, and Beth’s Husband Daniel.
Beth as everything she wants a perfect life, perfect job and a perfect husband and 2 children, Sam and Megan. But not everything is perfect as Beth doesn’t feel that her husband Daniel doesn’t support her job picture-book artist. But when she is struggling to get the ideas flowing and she doesn’t get along with her editor Vanessa. Vanessa brings in help has the new art director and old flame of Beth called Jack Stevens. When she sees him she is transported back to when they were in college and she starts to contemplate if she was still with Jack what her life would be like, she can’t get Jack out her mind. Will Beth be tempted to have an affair with Jack? When he tells her that he made mistake in the past.
While Beth is struggling to get inspiration on her book and her mind is on Jack her husband is struggling with his new job as a head teacher for a school want needs help as they had bad results from Ofsted. Daniel is struggling to balance school and handle his children he hardly sees as they have grown up, Sam keeps getting drunk hanging out with his friends and doesn’t care about his GCSE’s and Megan is also hanging out with the wrong people. He just wants a better life with them than he did with his father. Daniel’s father Reggie comes back into his life trying to build bridges but he doesn’t want anything to do with him. But Reggie wants to see his grandchildren. So when Sam and Megan meet him they want him to be back in their dad’s life and Sam starts to bond and they have a lot in common as they both creative and love music. This is where it breaks the family apart as Sam, Megan and Beth want Daniel to hear his dad out and see why he left him when he was younger. You see Daniel’s past and how he feels toward his dad and he wants to build bridges with his dad but he's scared that he will walk out of all their lives. Will he forgive his dad and find out what truly happened and why he left?
Beth’s sister Lou is going through a bad patch in her life and her also as a big secret from her family. She just feels that her family especially her mum and dad wouldn’t like that she feels attraction to other women. She feels that she's the black sheep of the family as Beth is the ‘perfect’ one and their brother Ged is the ‘golden’ boy and never does anything wrong. She's going through a break up from her Girlfriend Jo as she felt that their relationship was one way as Jo never had time for her. Lou also lost her job so she had to move back in with her mum and dad. But when she moved in she notices something wrong with their mum and dad. It turned out that their dad was having an affair with women from an art class. Lou felt her life and her parent's lives are falling apart. You feel sorry for her as you want her to have a happy life. Will their parents accept that she feels more attractive to women?
As you can see the book is based around Christmas and being with their family but everything seems perfect on the outside but once you get reading into the book you see that be careful what you wish for.
This book was a heartwarming book and I can’t wait to read more of Julia Williams books. She really grabbed me into their world and it shows me that all families aren’t perfect. I felt their mum is like mine as my mum always plans in advance for Christmas.
I will make sure to purchase more of her books as she grabbed me from the first page and it made me feel all warm inside.
Thanks, Julia x
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RəX Regent (349 KP) rated Pandora's Box (1929) in Movies
Feb 18, 2019
Pandora’s Box was one of the last films of the silent era, a period of transition to sound which I believe set the art of cinematography back a decade.
In short. Pandora’s Box looks stunning! Using the frame to its fullest, with a combination of wide framing and exploiting the art of the close up as Lulu herself, would the men around her, as well as driven by brilliant performances by most of the cast. But kudos needs to go to the star, Louise Brooks, as she portrays Lulu, the alluring flapper girl who can work her innocent, secutive magic on anyone, men and women alike.
But this is not limited to the narrative’s characters as her performance is subtle and underplayed, oozing out the silver screen and seducing the audience with same allure. If looks could kill, then this movie has them all.
With a sparse use of inter-titles, the film relies on both the physicality of the cast and imaginative cinematography to convey the seductive and danger of the events as they unfold over the two and bit hour runtime. Fritz Korner in particular rivals Brooks with the intensity of his performance as the ill fated husband of the girl about town.
And then there’s Alice Roberts, the Countess, who is widely thought to have the first lesbian to be seen on screen. Only Belgian actress’s second film in her short career, is played very Germanic, yet sympathetic as she too, has been drawn under Lulu’s spell.
This was made during the period in which German cinema was ruling, driving the art form from the nickelodeon to the theatre, but this was about to change in the 1930’s with advent of the sound and the golden age of American cinema. But as this film proves, you do not need sound to tell or show a good story.
Granted, the central story is pretty mediocre; a simple tale of a damaged woman who instinctively uses her allure to get her own way yet not as a diva, just an instinctive manipulator, casting her spell far and wide until that spell leads her into the hands London serial killer, Jack The Ripper (Gustav Diessl). But she is never portrayed as evil or scheming, just as herself as those around her are drawn to her aide.
There is little of the pantamine action or motives that you can expect from this genre even now, 90 years on.
But German director G.W. Pabst manages to create a multi-layered tale, deepened by psychological and social subtext, achieved as much because of the relationship he garnered with the star, Brookes, as he played on her natural talents to bring one of cinemas most defining roles to the screen. This would be the first of two collaborations between the director and the wayward starlet that year.
Pandora’s Box is yet another example of how German Cinema was leading the world back in the 1920’s; and even though the second world war may have brought this golden era to an abrupt end, it’s legacy lives on today with the styles, both in front and behind the camera, still being honoured by entire film industry now and hopefully for decades to come.
In short. Pandora’s Box looks stunning! Using the frame to its fullest, with a combination of wide framing and exploiting the art of the close up as Lulu herself, would the men around her, as well as driven by brilliant performances by most of the cast. But kudos needs to go to the star, Louise Brooks, as she portrays Lulu, the alluring flapper girl who can work her innocent, secutive magic on anyone, men and women alike.
But this is not limited to the narrative’s characters as her performance is subtle and underplayed, oozing out the silver screen and seducing the audience with same allure. If looks could kill, then this movie has them all.
With a sparse use of inter-titles, the film relies on both the physicality of the cast and imaginative cinematography to convey the seductive and danger of the events as they unfold over the two and bit hour runtime. Fritz Korner in particular rivals Brooks with the intensity of his performance as the ill fated husband of the girl about town.
And then there’s Alice Roberts, the Countess, who is widely thought to have the first lesbian to be seen on screen. Only Belgian actress’s second film in her short career, is played very Germanic, yet sympathetic as she too, has been drawn under Lulu’s spell.
This was made during the period in which German cinema was ruling, driving the art form from the nickelodeon to the theatre, but this was about to change in the 1930’s with advent of the sound and the golden age of American cinema. But as this film proves, you do not need sound to tell or show a good story.
Granted, the central story is pretty mediocre; a simple tale of a damaged woman who instinctively uses her allure to get her own way yet not as a diva, just an instinctive manipulator, casting her spell far and wide until that spell leads her into the hands London serial killer, Jack The Ripper (Gustav Diessl). But she is never portrayed as evil or scheming, just as herself as those around her are drawn to her aide.
There is little of the pantamine action or motives that you can expect from this genre even now, 90 years on.
But German director G.W. Pabst manages to create a multi-layered tale, deepened by psychological and social subtext, achieved as much because of the relationship he garnered with the star, Brookes, as he played on her natural talents to bring one of cinemas most defining roles to the screen. This would be the first of two collaborations between the director and the wayward starlet that year.
Pandora’s Box is yet another example of how German Cinema was leading the world back in the 1920’s; and even though the second world war may have brought this golden era to an abrupt end, it’s legacy lives on today with the styles, both in front and behind the camera, still being honoured by entire film industry now and hopefully for decades to come.
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Lottie disney bookworm (1056 KP) rated The Once and Future Witches in Books
Sep 20, 2020
Thank you to Netgalley for luring me in with this recommendation and the gorgeous cover art. Thank you to Alix E Harrow for providing such an amazing story for this ARC review. All the opinions expressed below are my own.
"Witches and women's rights. Suffrage and spells. They're both...a kind of power...the kind we're not allowed to have."
I'm not often drawn to books involving witches to be honest. I love an annual viewing of Hocus Pocus (who doesn't?!) but that is usually where the affinity ends.
If anything can change my nonchalance, I suspect it may be Alix E. Harrow. This is the first piece of work I have read by the Hugo award winning writer and I don’t need any tarot cards to predict it will not be the last. From the outset of The Once and Future Witches I was hooked: the worldbuilding alone is amazing; you can immediately picture the mills, avenues, squares and slums of New Salem as well as the mysterious tower that pulls our three main characters together.
The three Eastwood sisters themselves are another work of art. Juniper, Agnes and Bella are fierce, formidable women in wildly different ways. They are also flawed, stubborn and quite frankly, inspirational: by linking women’s rights and witchcraft this fantasy novel suddenly becomes more real and relatable to the modern female reader, despite being set in 1893. We empathise, sympathise and rage right alongside the Eastwood sisters on their quest for equality in a male-controlled world.
However, not even witches can act alone and the Eastwood sisters have an amazing cast of supporting characters surrounding them. Impressively, not a single one of these characters can be accused of being two-dimensional: the character development that Harrow has invested into this novel is incredible and must have taken so much work! From the Suffragette’s secretary to the skin-crawling villain to the women and men fighting (and witching) side by side; every single character is substantial and memorable. The sarcasm within Juniper for example is hilarious and even the traditional figures of the Maiden, the Mother and the Crone refuse to conform to stereotypes: I LOVED it!
The format of this novel is very clever and practically forbids you from becoming too comfortable by peppering the main story with “witch-tales”. These complement rather than distract from the storyline and also provide small changes that make you smile – such as the tales of the Sisters Grimm.
Do not be fooled though: the use of witch-tales does not prevent The Once and Future Witches from being an incredibly modern piece of writing. Topics covered include sexuality, gender identity, feminism, race as well as smashing the patriarchy: all interspersed with magic, betrayal and a hell of a lot of emotion.
I would however argue that some topics are slightly too mature for the novel to be considered YA, the description of torture and suggestions of sexual abuse probably push this book firmly into general/adult fantasy fiction novels.
The Once and Future Witches is a future bestseller in my opinion. This unique, powerful novel provides characters that you can’t help but empathise with; slow-burning, intense relationships; the trials and tribulations that come with sisterhood and plot twists at every turn.
This book will swallow you heart and soul, make you laugh, make you cry and leave you bereft at the end.
It is a must read!
"Witches and women's rights. Suffrage and spells. They're both...a kind of power...the kind we're not allowed to have."
I'm not often drawn to books involving witches to be honest. I love an annual viewing of Hocus Pocus (who doesn't?!) but that is usually where the affinity ends.
If anything can change my nonchalance, I suspect it may be Alix E. Harrow. This is the first piece of work I have read by the Hugo award winning writer and I don’t need any tarot cards to predict it will not be the last. From the outset of The Once and Future Witches I was hooked: the worldbuilding alone is amazing; you can immediately picture the mills, avenues, squares and slums of New Salem as well as the mysterious tower that pulls our three main characters together.
The three Eastwood sisters themselves are another work of art. Juniper, Agnes and Bella are fierce, formidable women in wildly different ways. They are also flawed, stubborn and quite frankly, inspirational: by linking women’s rights and witchcraft this fantasy novel suddenly becomes more real and relatable to the modern female reader, despite being set in 1893. We empathise, sympathise and rage right alongside the Eastwood sisters on their quest for equality in a male-controlled world.
However, not even witches can act alone and the Eastwood sisters have an amazing cast of supporting characters surrounding them. Impressively, not a single one of these characters can be accused of being two-dimensional: the character development that Harrow has invested into this novel is incredible and must have taken so much work! From the Suffragette’s secretary to the skin-crawling villain to the women and men fighting (and witching) side by side; every single character is substantial and memorable. The sarcasm within Juniper for example is hilarious and even the traditional figures of the Maiden, the Mother and the Crone refuse to conform to stereotypes: I LOVED it!
The format of this novel is very clever and practically forbids you from becoming too comfortable by peppering the main story with “witch-tales”. These complement rather than distract from the storyline and also provide small changes that make you smile – such as the tales of the Sisters Grimm.
Do not be fooled though: the use of witch-tales does not prevent The Once and Future Witches from being an incredibly modern piece of writing. Topics covered include sexuality, gender identity, feminism, race as well as smashing the patriarchy: all interspersed with magic, betrayal and a hell of a lot of emotion.
I would however argue that some topics are slightly too mature for the novel to be considered YA, the description of torture and suggestions of sexual abuse probably push this book firmly into general/adult fantasy fiction novels.
The Once and Future Witches is a future bestseller in my opinion. This unique, powerful novel provides characters that you can’t help but empathise with; slow-burning, intense relationships; the trials and tribulations that come with sisterhood and plot twists at every turn.
This book will swallow you heart and soul, make you laugh, make you cry and leave you bereft at the end.
It is a must read!