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Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)
Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)
1939 | Classics, Drama
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"Since my daughters were old enough to enjoy movies, I have been giving them an ongoing Film Appreciation course. The successes—Bringing Up Baby, Rio Bravo, Holiday, On the Waterfront, Rebel Without a Cause—outweigh the failures of Dr. Strangelove, Citizen Kane (“Yeah, Dad, it’s supposed to be great, but I didn’t like him at all. Kane deserved to die alone”). When my youngest was eight years old, she was learning about the Civil War. So one night we watched Young Mr. Lincoln. I prepped for the screening by watching all the extras and commentaries. After giving her the proper historical and cinematic introduction, we watched the movie. It was even better and more original than I remembered it. Jackie’s response put her at the head of my class. “It was really good, funny too. But at the end, when Abe Lincoln rides away, he says he’s just riding up the hill. I don’t think he is. It looked to me like he was riding into history.” I couldn’t have been prouder!"

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ClareR (6091 KP) rated The Leviathan in Books

Feb 3, 2023  
The Leviathan
The Leviathan
Rosie Andrews | 2022 | Fiction & Poetry, Horror, Mystery, Science Fiction/Fantasy
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
It’s 1643 and Thomas Treadwater has returned home injured from the Civil War. His father’s farm is in Norfolk, and his sister sent Thomas a letter, accusing their maidservant of bewitching their religious father. When Thomas arrives on the family land, it is to the sight of dead livestock, a sick father (a stroke), and a servant held responsible for both occurrences by way of witchcraft. Thomas doesn’t believe in witchcraft though, and decides to investigate what has happened for himself.

This beautiful story really does evoke the time: how women were regarded as witches if they knew too much, looked to beautiful, looked too ugly, or were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. I enjoyed reading about their thoughts on religion, philosophy and how the law worked. There was even a part for John Milton himself.

There are secrets galore, a shipwreck and a real leviathan. The menace seems to be constantly radiating off the page in this dark (and it felt to me) grey and damp time!

Recommended.
  
As a self-proclaimed ECW nerd, this is an unusual choice of setting for Michael Arnold: ancient Britain, just before the Roman Conquest, instead of (as in the Stryker series) during the 17th century period of the English Civil War.

It's been a while since I last read any by the author - indeed, a while since (I believe) he has published any - the last I read being, I believe, "Marston Moor", so I was a bit unsure if I would read this one or not.

In the end, I'm glad I did.

This is, largely, a 'coming of age' tale that sheds some light on the pre-Roman Britain and the culture therein, which modern evidence has shown to be more sophisticated than originally thought (after all, "history is written by the victors" and all that), following the main character of Cullen as his tribe (the Atrebates) is first destroyed by the Catuvellauni, and then finding himself fighting for the very same against the Roman invaders.

I reckon I'll pick up the inevitable sequel.