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It’s not often that I’ll finish a book and hug it. Genuinely, that’s what I did with Devotion by Hannah Kent.
Devotion is set in the early 19th century in Prussia. Hanne, her family and friends are Old Lutherans, and must worship in secret in the woods. For Hanne, a child of nature, this is the ideal place of worship. But it is dangerous for them all.
Hanne doesn’t make friends easily, and so when Thea arrives in the village with her family, she unexpectedly finds her soul mate.
All the families in the village are given the opportunity to emigrate to Australia, where they will be able to worship their religion without the threat of violence. But the journey doesn’t go as planned. Too many people are packed in to too small a space. Disease is rife. And with disease, comes death.
This is a truly beautiful book. The descriptions of the landscapes and nature of both Prussia and Australia are evocative. The characters are fully rounded and easy to empathise with. In all, it’s my favourite kind of book: slow, quiet, gorgeous prose and imagery on every page.
The real surprise was the magical realism. If I’d known it was in this book, I wouldn’t have been put off one bit, and it really does add something extra special. Oh my god, I cried buckets. It’s just perfection.
Many thanks to Pan Macmillan for my copy of this wonderful book through NetGalley.
Devotion is set in the early 19th century in Prussia. Hanne, her family and friends are Old Lutherans, and must worship in secret in the woods. For Hanne, a child of nature, this is the ideal place of worship. But it is dangerous for them all.
Hanne doesn’t make friends easily, and so when Thea arrives in the village with her family, she unexpectedly finds her soul mate.
All the families in the village are given the opportunity to emigrate to Australia, where they will be able to worship their religion without the threat of violence. But the journey doesn’t go as planned. Too many people are packed in to too small a space. Disease is rife. And with disease, comes death.
This is a truly beautiful book. The descriptions of the landscapes and nature of both Prussia and Australia are evocative. The characters are fully rounded and easy to empathise with. In all, it’s my favourite kind of book: slow, quiet, gorgeous prose and imagery on every page.
The real surprise was the magical realism. If I’d known it was in this book, I wouldn’t have been put off one bit, and it really does add something extra special. Oh my god, I cried buckets. It’s just perfection.
Many thanks to Pan Macmillan for my copy of this wonderful book through NetGalley.
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Dean (6927 KP) rated The Shallows (2016) in Movies
Aug 4, 2017
Beautiful location (2 more)
Good Sfx
The Cgi for the Shark was great
A decent Shark thriller
A good film with a battle of wits and survival. The Beach location is beautiful, shot at Lord Howe Island off the coast of Australia, and the Sfx were good in most scenes. I was impressed with the Cgi for the Shark, it looked more realistic than many other Shark films over the past 20 years. It is one big mean Shark, although some of the action scenes are a bit over the top. Overall a good film for a simple premise. On the DVD you get extras on Shark attacks, the location for the Beach scenes, and how they designed the Shark.
Samantha (67 KP) rated Taking God to School in Books
Jul 7, 2017
Provides a great depth of research on the current educational system in Australia (1 more)
Acknowledges the validity of a plethora of religious traditions rather than just the prominent Christianity
Deepening understanding can never hurt
Overall, I found this book to be insightful not only in relation to the nations current educational situation but also in the way that we, as a society, tend to treat religion. I believe that this is a book that is better read a chapter or two at a time rather than in one sitting due to the depth of research contained within its pages.
b.Young (97 KP) rated Creeker by Ryan Upchurch in Music
May 2, 2018
One great song after another!!!
Ryan Upchurch is a Rap Country artist with amazing talent!
He can literally perform every genre. While typically known for his Rap Country hits, he decided to branch out and explore the Grunge/Rock genre and has turned the genre on it's ear.
This album dropped 4/20/2018 and, in less than an hour, was sitting pretty at #3 on the US iTunes Rock charts!
Within 3 days, it was sitting in the Top 10 iTunes Rock charts in Australia and Canada.
As of last week, it was Trending in iTunes at #3, whilst Cardi B sat at #7.
Everyone needs to check this guy out!
He can literally perform every genre. While typically known for his Rap Country hits, he decided to branch out and explore the Grunge/Rock genre and has turned the genre on it's ear.
This album dropped 4/20/2018 and, in less than an hour, was sitting pretty at #3 on the US iTunes Rock charts!
Within 3 days, it was sitting in the Top 10 iTunes Rock charts in Australia and Canada.
As of last week, it was Trending in iTunes at #3, whilst Cardi B sat at #7.
Everyone needs to check this guy out!
I really enjoyed this series and I feel like it was just the right length.
I liked the split between present day and their time in Australia as the left you trying to guess how they had got to the present day situation. At the start I did make a prediction that was right but only because it was obvious but it was the how they got to that point that was the reveal not the event itself.
My loyalties were switching between people as new bits of information and backstories were revealed.
I would recommend this series if you are looking for a short drama especially one with a bit of crime/ mystery.
I liked the split between present day and their time in Australia as the left you trying to guess how they had got to the present day situation. At the start I did make a prediction that was right but only because it was obvious but it was the how they got to that point that was the reveal not the event itself.
My loyalties were switching between people as new bits of information and backstories were revealed.
I would recommend this series if you are looking for a short drama especially one with a bit of crime/ mystery.
CKD (37 KP) rated Truly Madly Guilty in Books
Dec 7, 2018
This book centers around a group of 6 friends/neighbors in Australia. They all attend a barbecue at one of the neighbor's homes. There is an "accident" that occurs at the barbecue, but you do not find out what happens until about 3/4 of the way through the book. The chapters alternate between the day of the barbecue and weeks afterward but also provides the background on some of the characters.
The relationship between Erika and Clementine is difficult. When guilt gets thrown into the mix, it slowly fractures their friendship. Pack some patience when reading this book....it takes a while for the characters to develop and to get to the barbecue.
The relationship between Erika and Clementine is difficult. When guilt gets thrown into the mix, it slowly fractures their friendship. Pack some patience when reading this book....it takes a while for the characters to develop and to get to the barbecue.
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