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Hazel (1853 KP) rated Hearts of Stone in Books

Dec 17, 2018

Hearts of Stone

Simon Scarrow | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry

5.0

(2 Ratings)

Book Rating

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

Simon Scarrow brings to life the horrors of World War II in his latest novel Hearts of Stone. In 2013, Anna Thesskoudiss, a history teacher is contacted by a German research student, Dieter Muller who is interested in talking to her grandmother Eleni. He explains that he is the grandson of Peter Muller who was friends with her grandmother whilst staying on the Greek island of Lefkas until the war made them enemies.

Dieter Muller’s introduction implies that the story is going to be about the relationship between Eleni and Peter, which gets destroyed when Peter returns to the island as an enemy intelligence officer. The blurb for Hearts of Stone also implies this. However, the majority of the book focuses on their friend Andreas’ experience of the Navy and his role in the resistance. Scarrow goes into detail of every dangerous situation Andreas finds himself in, but this is not what the reader was expecting to learn about. Eventually the final chapters turn to Peter’s role in the war and the reason Eleni and he could no longer consider themselves friends.

Despite being full of action and war horrors, it gets a little boring reading about Andreas’ life. Although this narrative leads to what happens with Peter, it occasionally felt unnecessary, as it was the final stages that appeared to be the most important.

From an historical point of view it is refreshing to read a war story that is not focused on either Britain or Germany. Hearts of Stone reveals how Greece was affected even though they were not one of the main fighting bodies. It is shocking how many innocent people were killed purely for the Nazi’s to invoke fear in the hopes the natives would submit to their rule.

Hopefully the vast amount of mistakes and grammatical errors would have been corrected before the final – I read an uncorrected proof – publication. Admittedly Hearts of Stone was a bit of a disappointment as it was not exactly what it appeared to be. However it has educational value as well as entertainment for readers who enjoy war stories. Scarrow has also included maps of the Greek island of Lefkas and the Mediterranean during WWII as well as a character list to benefit readers as they take in the story.

Kudos

Bong Mines Entertainment (15 KP) rated T.I.M.E by Kelvyn Boy in Music

Aug 8, 2019

Kelvyn Boy is a fast-rising artist from Accra, Ghana. Not too long ago, he released a music video for his “Mea” single featuring Joey B.

Kelvyn Boy – “Mea” featuring Joey B

“‘Mea’ is a big tune for me and one of the EP’s highlights I’d say. It has a Highlife flair which I love. It came together really quickly in the studio. When I heard my producer playing something he’d been working on, I was like, ‘I love that beat, let’s put some guitar on this and start working on it’. So we put some guitar lines down and I just started to freestyle over the beat. My producer said, ‘Yo we need to record this now!’ So we put down the vocal there and then. I just needed someone who can rap and sing at the same to finish it off, so I had Joey B in mind. We sent him the song and he linked us and the next day we finished it in the studio.” – Kelvyn Boy

‘Mea’ contains a relatable storyline, harmonious vocals, and melodic instrumentation flavored with tropical, afrobeat, and afro-dance elements.

The likable tune tells an interesting tale of a young guy who adores a special woman in his life. Apparently, she’s a boss in the bedroom and she possesses a Coca-Cola shaped body.

‘Mea’ is featured on Kelvyn Boy’s debut EP, entitled, “T.I.M.E”.

Kelvyn – “T.I.M.E” EP

“‘T.I.M.E’, my debut EP, is an abbreviation for The Inspirational Moment Ever. From the production to lyrics, it’s strictly Afro-beats. I wanted to represent this sound and Ghana’s sound to a global market.” – Kelvyn Boy

The 8-track project features Medikal, Joey B, and Stonebwoy. Also, it incorporates other musical genres such as reggae, dancehall, and highlife.
Kelvyn Boy
Kelvyn Boy award photo
In the Summer of 2018, Kelvyn Boy accompanied his mentor Stonebwoy on a 9-city European Tour. They graced stages at Reggae Geel (Belgium), Summer Jam (Germany), Enter The Dancehall (Switzerland) and many more.

Later that year, Kelvyn won the Unsung Artiste of the Year and was later nominated as Best New Artiste of the Year at the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (2019).

This summer, he will embark on a European tour which includes Bomboclat Festival in Belgium (other dates tbc).