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Sarah (7800 KP) rated The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society in Books

May 2, 2018

Far too lighthearted & frilly

Considering this is centred around the German occupation of Guernsey and deals with details of prison/work camps, it's far too lighthearted a read.

It takes serious topics and although parts of the book do highlight the serious and disturbing topics of the war, it sandwiches them in between massive sections of saccharine sweet fluffy happiness. Its a bit much. Juliet and her friends are fairly endearing characters for the most part (except for the aforementioned fluffiness), and I did enjoy the way the book is written entirely in letters. Its just a shame it doesn't concentrate more on taking the story a little more seriously.

Although I haven't seen the film yet, I'd be surprised if it isn't slightly better than the book. And it's not often I say this!

Kudos

Caffeinated Fae (464 KP) rated The Book Thief in Books

Jul 10, 2018

The Book Thief

Markus Zusak | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry

8.8

(129 Ratings)

Book Rating

This novel was recommended to me by an old high school friend. This is definitely not my typical book. I like the fast paced suspense/romance and I tend to stick with those novels. I'm glad that I picked up this novel.

This novel was very interesting. It's a collection of short stories narrated by death. It follow the life of a young German girl during the time of world war 2. It's told in a different way by having "Death" as the narrator.

This was a pretty quick read. It makes you think too. It's one of those novels that will make you think about the depravity of human beings and give you some hope along side of it.

All in all, it was a good novel that deals with World War II.

Kudos

lurkykitty (3 KP) rated The Animals at Lockwood Manor in Books

Mar 26, 2020

The Animals at Lockwood Manor

Jane Healey | 2020 | LGBTQ+, Romance

10.0

(2 Ratings)

Book Rating

A tense, suspenseful debut historical novel

The Animals at Lockwood Manor is a debut historical fiction novel. It takes place in England during the second world war. Hetty Cartwright is tasked with moving animal specimens from the Natural History Museum collection to a manor in the countryside to protect them from the German air raids. Shortly after moving to Lockwood Manor, Hetty realizes all is not quite right with the inhabitants of the manor. The novel is well-written, tense, and atmospheric. The author skillfully builds the suspense, culminating in the motive for hosting the zoological collection and the revelation of multiple secrets. There is also a romance intertwined with the plot and, although important, is not the main focus of the story. It was highly readable and difficult to put down.

Kudos

Awix (3310 KP) rated The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943) in Movies

Apr 26, 2020

Classic drama from Powell and Pressburger. The life of a British army officer throughout the first part of the 20th century is explored, particularly his friendship with his German counterpart and the women he loves (all played by Deborah Kerr).

Typically inventive and imaginative stuff from the Archers, with bold and witty transitions across time and space, moving depictions of romance and friendship, and an understanding that you can deal with serious topics while remaining playful and creative. Terrific performances and direction: acknowledged as an influence by Scorsese and (less predictably) Tarantino. Churchill tried to have the production of the film halted, feeling it was unpatriotic, but as well as being one of the greatest British movies of all time, it is also one of the finest films about what it means to be British.