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BookInspector (124 KP) rated Zenka in Books

Sep 24, 2020  
Zenka
Zenka
Alison Brodie | 2020 | Crime, Fiction & Poetry, Humor & Comedy
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
More reviews can be found at https://bbookinspector.wordpress.com

Even though the name of this book is Zenka, she is not the main character in this book. The main character in this novel was Nicholas, a very good-hearted nurse, who works with old people and is a coward. He is scared of any conflict and does everything to please people. Jack is a mob boss with principles, and when he finds out that he has a son, Zenka and him, decide to make Nicholas a “real man”, and that is where all the fun begins. I really liked, that A. Brodie chose to tell this story through Nicholas’s and Trevor’s (Jack’s Lawyer) perspectives, it has a fresh and different approach to the characters and I really enjoyed how the story was told. I really liked, that there was a wide variety of characters and that the mob gang was not very cruel, they had class in what they did. My favourite of all was Nicholas, first of all, I love his name, secondly, I really enjoyed his journey to “manhood” in this novel.

The beginning went a little bit slow for me, but when I was about halfway through, I could not put it down. The turns and twists in this novel left me very surprised and pleasantly baffled. I really enjoyed A. Brodie’s sense of humour, and I was laughing out loud while reading this novel.

The writing style of this book was very creative, I liked that Zenka’s thoughts were written through the letters to her friend Olga, using a different accent. That accent, as well as the slang used, made this book more lively and believable. I am grateful, that author gave a slang explanation page at the beginning, for me it was really helpful. The chapters were a decent length and it did not drag to me. I really really enjoyed the ending, it rounded up the whole story very nicely and at the same time gave a tight slap of surprise. Great way to finish the story! So to conclude, it is a very funny comedy with a dash of romance, crime and Christmas spirit, filled with very statuesque, charming and charismatic characters, which won’t leave u bored. I do strongly recommend to read this book, and like always, don’t forget to Enjoy!
  
The Flatshare
The Flatshare
Beth O'Leary | 2019 | Contemporary, Romance
10
8.7 (9 Ratings)
Book Rating
The protagonists of this story are Tiffy and Leon. Tiffy works in publishing is an absolute extrovert who needs people in her life even to help with simple decisions, and she is coming to terms that her ex-boyfriend was an emotional abuser. Leon is a night nurse in the hospice, an absolute introvert, who needs money to help his wrongly imprisoned brother. So, yes, this book seems to be a cute rom-com, but it carries way deeper issues within itself. The book is told from a dual perspective, and I loved to find out more about each and every character. I really loved all the characters in this book, they are unique, very realistic and truly charming. Author picked the protagonists very well as well, everyone can relate either to Tiffy or Leon, and I am definitely a house Leon, I really liked his personality and his determination.

The plot of this novel is very unique and original. The whole flat-sharing thing is very intriguing, and I was dying to know when and how are the characters going to meet. There are a lot of things going on in this novel, it has rich but at the same time an easy-going story to tell. I was simply glued to this book because I needed to know how the story will end. The topics discussed in this book were property crisis, failed justice system, emotional abuse in the relationships, friendships, personal development, Love and many more.

The writing style of this book is very masterful, the author took serious topics, and covered it in funny, enjoyable, and easy to digest coating. The language used was easy to read and understandable. The chapters are short and sweet, and I didn’t even notice how the pages flew by. The ending rounded up this book perfectly and left me very satisfied with the outcome.

So, to conclude, this book deserves all the praise it gets, it is witty, enjoyable but at the same time has a punch to it. I loved the diverse and well-developed characters and the unique narrative, and I strongly recommend it to everyone. Please do give this book a go, and I hope you will like it as much as I did. Can’t wait for more books from this author.
  
My Sister, the Serial Killer
My Sister, the Serial Killer
Oyinkan Braithwaite | 2018 | Crime, Thriller
8
7.8 (12 Ratings)
Book Rating
This novel is not very long, but every short chapter carries a lot of important information. The protagonist in this novel is Korede, a nurse in a hospital in Lagos, Nigeria. Korede likes everything neat, tidy and according to the rules. Her younger sister Ayoola, on the other hand, is an absolute brat, who has no cares in her life. She is addicted to male attention, good life, and I could not stand her. Ayoola is a horrible person, and I don’t see a justification for any of her actions. :/ I really liked Korede in this book, I think she is kind and strong at the same time, but even her decisions left me confused sometimes.

The narrative is told from a single (Korede’s) perspective, even though it was enough to grasp the storyline, I would’ve loved to read Ayoola’s thoughts as well. The plot is very compressed in this novel, I liked the way Korede talks not only about the present events, but brings the reader back to the past, to show what events shaped her to be the way she is today. This book analyses such topics as beauty and it’s influence, strong sisterly bond, abusive father, etc. This novel takes you on a journey, there is not many twists or turns, but it is a very enjoyable read.

Kudos to the author for her original writing style, I see it as minimalistic, It has the information I needed to fully understand the story, and spared me the details of unimportant things. I really liked the setting of this novel, I have never been to Lagos, so the atmosphere and the language used was very exotic for me. I loved the short chapters, and it was a really quick read for me. I liked the ending of this book, I think it is quite challenging and allows the reader to think of what would they have done in Korede’s situation.

To conclude, it is a very original book about an incredibly strong sisterly bond, which can withstand even murders. It is filled with very believable and interesting characters and a very creatively written plot. I truly enjoyed it, and I do strongly recommend to give this book a try if you looking for something different and fresh. I hope you will like it as much as I did. 🙂
  
Saint Maud (2020)
Saint Maud (2020)
2020 | Drama, Horror
4
7.4 (7 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Saint Maud is a psychological horror about a young nurse (Morfydd Clark) who, following ‘an incident’ while working for the NHS, something horrific that is alluded to in the opening scene, now finds herself working in palliative care.

Maud is a lonely, isolated, and very religious young woman, and as she sits in her sparse little bedsit, she prays to God in the hopes that he will guide her as she begins her new role. That new role sees her taking over as carer for Amanda (Jennifer Ehle), an ex-dancer whose body is now succumbing to terminal cancer. As Maud feeds, bathes and generally does everything for Amanda, her obsession with her faith and religion begins to send her into a downward spiral, becoming increasingly convinced that her personal mission from God is to save Amanda's soul. Amanda’s lifestyle choices and love-life are often at odds with Maud’s beliefs, eventually resulting in tensions between them.

'In my head, she's very much this person who has felt really alienated her entire life and has always found it really difficult to connect with other people,' explains British director Rose Glass about the lead character of her feature-length debut. Morfydd Clark fills that role brilliantly, with her calm and innocent voice narrating much of the film through her prayers, and we experience her failed attempts at connecting with others while on a rather heavy and eventful night out on the town. An ominous score also helps to set the tone, along with a rather gloomy colour palette, and there is a general feeling of dread throughout.

Aside from that, it’s fair to say that Saint Maud really didn’t work for me at all. I was fully invested in the character of Maud, how faith was shaping her, and how her relationship with Amanda was affected. But two thirds into this slow-burn character study of a young woman essentially going through a breakdown, I was bored and desperate for something to happen. Considering the runtime is only 84 minutes long, that’s not good.

A last-minute burst of chaos and horror provided a glimmer of hope but was very short-lived. And an attempt to deliver powerfully, memorable imagery only resulted in laughs from my cinema audience the likes of which I haven’t experienced since the ending of Hereditary.
  
Everything, Everything (2017)
Everything, Everything (2017)
2017 | Drama
Eighteen-year-old Maddy's world is small. It's the size of a house.

Maddy has a rare form of SCID, an immuno-deficiency disease that means she can't leave the house because a chance encounter could kill her. The only people she sees are her mother, her nurse Carla, Carla's daughter Rosa and members of an online support group.

When as family move in next door, Maddy is bewitched by the son. He's friendly, he's funny, and he's handsome. Communicating through their bedroom windows, they exchange numbers and start texting. Carla notices the difference in Maddy, and is persuaded to let Olly in the house, but only under her condition that they stay on opposite sides of the room.

Maddy wants to see the ocean more than anything else in the world. She has to see what's out there to truly know she's alive, even if it kills her. But when she buys two plane tickets to Hawaii for herself and Olly, she doesn't realise how much it will change her life.



This one is based on the YA novel Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon... you guessed it, haven't read this one either. I didn't know anything about it when I went to see it, mainly picked this one up because of the fact it was book related.

This was a beautiful film. (Yes, of course I cried) There's friendship, love, heartache. One of the problems was that there were really only two ways this film was going, and writers/movie makers aren't quite a cynical about things as I am when it comes to endings, so there wasn't really much chance that she was going to die for love.

Amandla Stenberg in the lead also wasn't quite my cup of tea. She played the naive side of the character well, but at the beginning when she was narrating... I just didn't find her a very good orator.

The subject matter was very different, and I really think the diversity in YA books has taken a massive step in that respect. It's touching on topics that very rarely see mainstream attention and that's a great thing. It also does one of my favourite things, which is enticing people to pick up books, so this one is a winner all round for me.
  
Love you to death (2019)
Love you to death (2019)
2019 |
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Police arrive at a house in 2013, The door is unlocked so they enter to find a dead body on the bed. We are shown a montage of pictures of a sick teen girl called Esme and her mum, it seems they had been raising a lot of money because of her illness.
Rewind to a few months before the death, it's Esmes 16th birthday and then her routine appointment, but sadly she is showing no signs of improving. During a shopping trip they bump into Esmes estranged dad, and it's clear there is hostility between him and Esmes mum. We soon discover that Esme has had the illness since she was 4 years old and also has a learning disability which just adds to the sadness of her illness.
It soon becomes evident how controlling her mother is though, she refuses to let anyone take Esme anywhere, controls what she eats as well as which doctors are allowed to treat her. After Esme is attacked at a gaming convention, the mother purchases a gun for protection and it isn't long before she's using it against an intruder.
About half an hour into the movie, we are thrown back to 2005, and we see Esmes side of the story. Esmes mum has a conversation with a nurse who confirms that Esme was misdiagnosed and she was fine, I won't go into that too much incase you want to watch it, but basically Esmes mum continues to fake Esmes illness. You will have to watch the movie to see how she achieves this, by tricking everyone including medical staff.
I enjoyed the movie but I was so shocked to find out it was based on a true story, I immediately went on to watch the documentary to compare and I felt they did do the true story justice, they included Esmes mum always holding her hand and hitting her if she didn't do as she was expected to do. The way Esme (gypsy rose) meets her boyfriend was different in real life, I felt the movie made him out to be this sweet guy trying to save Esme but in real life he was very disturbed, but then again it was told through Esmes eyes, so it was probably to show what she saw at the time.
  
Just Right is the first book in the Bradford series by Erin Nicholas. Nurse Jessica Bradford has loved looking at Dr Ben Torres these past 6 months in the ER Department. Tonight’s tragedy has them all on edge, when Ben enters the ER and strikes a patient, Jessica doesn’t know how to help him. It becomes her duty to keep an eye on him during his suspension and keep him on the straight and narrow to be able to return to the ER Department. She doesn’t count on falling for him quite so easily and quickly.

Dr Ben Torres is having a hell of a night in the ER. He’s lost 2 young patients and their mother is looking to be next all because a guy he put back together on the operating table a few months back decided to drink and drive. He can’t stand by anymore while people take advantage of each other anymore. Why doesn’t anyone appreciate the life they are living any longer? When he sees that patient put his hands on Jessica he loses control. He has kept his distance from Jessica for 6 months, he has to keep his eyes off the prize, but he won’t stand by while someone hurts her. He has tossed around the idea of quitting for a while and this tips the scale big time.

When both Jessica’s brother Sam and boss Russ ask her to keep an eye on Ben until he can return to the ER she does so eagerly. She grows closer to him while he tags along with her in everyday life. He helps her at her family’s youth center, she helps him at his new barrista job. Their adventures together have quite a few funny situations and of course the secondary characters help the humor move along.

Ben and Jessica both have tragedy in their pasts, both have a self doubt they are working to erase from their beings. Even though they think they’ve taken different roads to end up where they are now, they are actually quite similar.

I read this authors Counting on Love series first, which is a spin off of this series, so I was already pretty familiar with all the main and secondary characters in this book. Erin Nicholas is a wonderful writer with a style I love to follow along with. I have no idea how I ended up reading her first to me novel but I am so glad I did. Now on to the next Bradford book…..
  
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Hazel (1853 KP) rated Oh Dear Silvia in Books

Dec 14, 2018  
Oh Dear Silvia
Oh Dear Silvia
Dawn French | 2012 | Fiction & Poetry
6
5.5 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
<i>Oh Dear Silvia</i> is a contemporary, somewhat humorous, novel by British comedian, Dawn French. Set in England it focuses on a sixty-year-old woman, Silvia Shute, who has fallen from a balcony, sustaining a serious head injury that has left her in a coma.

Knowing this you cannot help wondering how you do write a book where the main character is unconscious and how would this affect the narrative? This is how. Although Silvia is indeed the main character, the tale is actually told through observing family members and friends when they visit her in hospital. The entire book plays out in Silvia’s hospital room, Suite 5, but each character brings something else to story through their thoughts, feelings and actions.

Ed, Silvia’s ex husband, provides details of what has happened since their divorce. Jo, her older sister, reminisces about their childhood whist trying and failing to use a number of New Age ideas to wake Silvia up. There is Cat, her best friend, through who we discover what actually happened to Silvia, whilst, Tia, her cleaner is bringing in her favourite foods and updating her on the various goings on in the celebrity world. Cassie, her daughter however, portrays Silvia in a different light that makes us question what kind of person Silvia really was. And finally there is Winnie, a nurse at the hospital. Winnie’s accounts provide the reader with an extra storyline that is nothing to do with Silvia and her accident.

The story being told in this way gives the reader a chance to learn about who Silvia was which causes us to think different things about her which we would not have had the opportunity to feel had Silvia been able to tell the story herself. Firstly we feel worry for her, but then we begin to hate her particularly with the help of Cassie as well as Ed, who admits that had Silvia been conscious he would not have been visiting. Finally we get to a stage of understanding. Understanding who Silvia was, understanding why she did what she did, understanding what has happened to her.

The book takes on many themes: drama, mystery… and humour. Well, it is meant to be humour. I can understand the funny parts but personally it was not my type of humour. Too much swearing in my opinion. But then if you enjoy that type of thing, <i>Oh Dear Silvia</i> has the potential to be a really funny book.