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Axel Scheffler’s Flip Flap Pets
Book and Education
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What do you get when you cross a rabbit with a dog? Why, a Rog, of course! What about a snake with a...
Dental Appointment Manager - Schedule Appointments
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All professional, well-run dental offices provide their patients with exceptional quality and an...
The Bucket: Memories of an Inattentive Childhood
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The Bucket by Allan Ahlberg - the enthralling childhood story one of Britain's best-loved children's...
Look and Find® Elmo on Sesame Street for iPad
Games and Book
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This is an interactive games app, which will help teach your child observation and memory skills in...
ClareR (5726 KP) rated Dominicana in Books
Sep 8, 2020
Dominicana is the story of 15 year old Ana. Her parents forcibly (well, they don’t give her the option NOT to) marry her off to a much older man, Juan, and they move to New York where she knows no-one else and doesn’t speak any English. I can’t imagine how isolated this child must feel. Ana grows up during this coming of age story. She must learn how to ‘manage’ her husband, who hits her on more than one occasion. She is completely at his mercy, living in a run down flat, told not to let anyone in unless they have an appointment to buy knock-off suits (I tried to think of a better phrase for these suits, but this is all I’ve got!), not to go anywhere except the supermarket by herself, and she’s given no opportunity to learn English - isolating her further.
Probably the best thing that happens to her is when Juan returns to the Dominican Republic to see his brother and sort out family money and properties. Juan’s younger brother, Cesar, stays to look after her and encourages her independence. I wish this part could have been longer. She starts to learn English, makes her own money, and probably unwisely forms an attachment to Cesar. She finds out she’s pregnant just before Juan goes to the Dominican Republic, and seems reluctant to tell him. And I can’t blame her. He really has no place marrying a 15 year old child, least of all making her pregnant.
I liked the way that this story was set against real historical events: Malcolm Xs assassination, the US troops going into Vietnam, the immigration bill where Hispanic people began to migrate to the US in greater numbers, and even more pop-culture events like The Beatles playing for the first time in New York and Dominican players in baseball. These events really helped to paint a fuller picture of Ana’s life. It’s easy for me to sit at home reading a book in 2020, saying that a 14/15 year old should never be able to marry a man much older than she is and be taken to a foreign country, but this book is set in 1965-66. It was a different world then (although I should say that this does still happen in some countries). This is what makes Dominicana such an enthralling read.
Many thanks to the publisher, Flatiron Books, and NetGalley for my copy of this book.
Probably the best thing that happens to her is when Juan returns to the Dominican Republic to see his brother and sort out family money and properties. Juan’s younger brother, Cesar, stays to look after her and encourages her independence. I wish this part could have been longer. She starts to learn English, makes her own money, and probably unwisely forms an attachment to Cesar. She finds out she’s pregnant just before Juan goes to the Dominican Republic, and seems reluctant to tell him. And I can’t blame her. He really has no place marrying a 15 year old child, least of all making her pregnant.
I liked the way that this story was set against real historical events: Malcolm Xs assassination, the US troops going into Vietnam, the immigration bill where Hispanic people began to migrate to the US in greater numbers, and even more pop-culture events like The Beatles playing for the first time in New York and Dominican players in baseball. These events really helped to paint a fuller picture of Ana’s life. It’s easy for me to sit at home reading a book in 2020, saying that a 14/15 year old should never be able to marry a man much older than she is and be taken to a foreign country, but this book is set in 1965-66. It was a different world then (although I should say that this does still happen in some countries). This is what makes Dominicana such an enthralling read.
Many thanks to the publisher, Flatiron Books, and NetGalley for my copy of this book.
ClareR (5726 KP) rated The Tin Can Crucible in Books
Dec 29, 2020
It’s thanks to The Pigeonhole that I read this book - it’s not something that I would have normally considered. I’ll be honest, it was the cover that attracted me. The photo of the mountain with the tops of the trees peeking through the cloud: it’s a beautiful picture. And the tag line across the front of the front: ‘A firsthand account of modern day sorcery violence’. Well. I had to know what this was about. It had immediately intrigued me. I had had the impression that the Peace Corps was a religious organisation, and this book put that little piece of misinformation to rights (it’s not).
Even with all the detailed descriptions, I still felt it was difficult to imagine what life must have been like, living in one of these villages. It’s so far beyond my own experiences, that even with Christophers detailed explanations of village life, I couldn’t comprehend how these people lived. Huts with dirt on the floor, men and women aged before their time, no running water or, I assume, sewage systems. I’m a bit of a details person, and I’ve come to believe over the last 40 years or so, that toilets and running water are up there in my list of top priorities.
The real crux of this novel though, is the death of the elder - a man that Christopher gets along with very well, and had spoken to frequently. Then he dies. Whilst Christopher is sleeping, two women are imprisoned and accused of killing the elder using witchcraft. They are shut away together until one or the other turns the other woman in. If they don’t, then they both die. This was clearly a situation where someone was going to lose out. And by ‘lose out’, I mean ‘die’. Christopher is understandably upset by this - who can blame him? But at the same time, there’s nothing he can do. He’s in another country where this kind of behaviour, whilst not frequent, is accepted. You can feel his disappointment in his foster family radiating off the page, and also his helplessness. I couldn’t understand how he could stay with them though.
I think the real lesson for both the author and the reader, was that these were not people who could be changed. They were firmly entrenched in their own culture and beliefs.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole and Christopher Davenport for serialising this informative and emotional memoir. This is what reading is about: learning something new, completely out of your own sphere of knowledge. This book certainly delivers on that.
Even with all the detailed descriptions, I still felt it was difficult to imagine what life must have been like, living in one of these villages. It’s so far beyond my own experiences, that even with Christophers detailed explanations of village life, I couldn’t comprehend how these people lived. Huts with dirt on the floor, men and women aged before their time, no running water or, I assume, sewage systems. I’m a bit of a details person, and I’ve come to believe over the last 40 years or so, that toilets and running water are up there in my list of top priorities.
The real crux of this novel though, is the death of the elder - a man that Christopher gets along with very well, and had spoken to frequently. Then he dies. Whilst Christopher is sleeping, two women are imprisoned and accused of killing the elder using witchcraft. They are shut away together until one or the other turns the other woman in. If they don’t, then they both die. This was clearly a situation where someone was going to lose out. And by ‘lose out’, I mean ‘die’. Christopher is understandably upset by this - who can blame him? But at the same time, there’s nothing he can do. He’s in another country where this kind of behaviour, whilst not frequent, is accepted. You can feel his disappointment in his foster family radiating off the page, and also his helplessness. I couldn’t understand how he could stay with them though.
I think the real lesson for both the author and the reader, was that these were not people who could be changed. They were firmly entrenched in their own culture and beliefs.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole and Christopher Davenport for serialising this informative and emotional memoir. This is what reading is about: learning something new, completely out of your own sphere of knowledge. This book certainly delivers on that.
Look and Find® Elmo on Sesame Street
Games and Book
6.0
Rate It
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This is an interactive games app, which will help teach your child observation and memory skills in...
Debbiereadsbook (1202 KP) rated Sealed with a Curse in Books
Sep 24, 2022
beautifully written retell
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
If you follow my reviews, you'll know I love the books that are steamier and smexier and sometimes more violent. This book is neither, and I loved that fact that it wasn't!
I can't write a blurby bit, so not gonna bother, but I might rave a bit!
Selene is an old soul, I think, that she can, even when faced with the escalation of the bullying from the princes, NOT want them punished in the way they are. She wanted them to LEARN from it, yes, but not to the extent it was.
I loved that the Gods these people prayed to heard them, and stepped in. Loved that they had a voice too, even it was briefly! The bickering between the Sisters was wonderful to read.
Like it said, it's not steamy, there is the bullying in the beginning though, of Selene by the eldest brothers. It does get physical. Be mindful of that if you have triggers.
There is, though, MUCH love here. Selene loves her swans (as did I!) and the people around the castle. And in time, she does come to love Conway. Who, I thought, was a bit hedgey about why he came to the castle, and i thought there was more to him that there was, but it turns out I was reading between none-existent lines there!
It's full of description, in depth descriptions of people, places, flowers, even ribbons! I loved reading those. I could picture them, you know?
I loved all the supporting characters around the castle. I want to know what's got up a certain someone's behind, though, that was never made clear!
What I loved most though, was the interpretation of this tale. I never heard of this tale before, and at the end of this book, there is a bit about various versions and how they differ. I read that, and I loved that little bit of extra info.
There is also a bit that says we might hear from the brothers again, and I really want that! It would be nice to get into their heads, especially the eldest two, NOW rather than before. To see where they are at, and what they thought of their former selves.
All in all, a wonderful read, that kept me up way past my bedtime. I loved it, I really did. Bar Disjointed Lives, this is my favourite read by this author.
5 full and shiny, moon-touched stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
If you follow my reviews, you'll know I love the books that are steamier and smexier and sometimes more violent. This book is neither, and I loved that fact that it wasn't!
I can't write a blurby bit, so not gonna bother, but I might rave a bit!
Selene is an old soul, I think, that she can, even when faced with the escalation of the bullying from the princes, NOT want them punished in the way they are. She wanted them to LEARN from it, yes, but not to the extent it was.
I loved that the Gods these people prayed to heard them, and stepped in. Loved that they had a voice too, even it was briefly! The bickering between the Sisters was wonderful to read.
Like it said, it's not steamy, there is the bullying in the beginning though, of Selene by the eldest brothers. It does get physical. Be mindful of that if you have triggers.
There is, though, MUCH love here. Selene loves her swans (as did I!) and the people around the castle. And in time, she does come to love Conway. Who, I thought, was a bit hedgey about why he came to the castle, and i thought there was more to him that there was, but it turns out I was reading between none-existent lines there!
It's full of description, in depth descriptions of people, places, flowers, even ribbons! I loved reading those. I could picture them, you know?
I loved all the supporting characters around the castle. I want to know what's got up a certain someone's behind, though, that was never made clear!
What I loved most though, was the interpretation of this tale. I never heard of this tale before, and at the end of this book, there is a bit about various versions and how they differ. I read that, and I loved that little bit of extra info.
There is also a bit that says we might hear from the brothers again, and I really want that! It would be nice to get into their heads, especially the eldest two, NOW rather than before. To see where they are at, and what they thought of their former selves.
All in all, a wonderful read, that kept me up way past my bedtime. I loved it, I really did. Bar Disjointed Lives, this is my favourite read by this author.
5 full and shiny, moon-touched stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Andrea (28 KP) rated Mockingjay in Books
Aug 18, 2017
Takes the first two novels to a new level (1 more)
Interesting take on PTSD and mental illness
Needs more than one reading
This is a story about a traumatized girl suffering from PTSD as much as it is about war. She isn't the only one who suffer that diagnosis though as we see several aspects of the illness in various characters. All of it is handled fairly well and doesn't romanticize the distress.
Perhaps my favorite part of this book (and even through the series) is that we see "villains" who aren't wholly evil and "heros" who make inexcusable choices. Both do so because they feel they are doing the best thing for their cause, even if it ends up with a significant cost.
The ending is something that many hate, and I must admit that I didn't like it the first time either. I didn't feel happy or satisfied. It wasn't until I realized I wasn't SUPPOSED to feel happy and satisfied with the story's ending that I started to understand the depth. This isn't a pretty picture where people live happily ever after. Even when they get some happiness, if they get some happiness, there are scares that don't go away. This is the cost of war and drastic change. Sometimes all we can hope for is the ability to move on and find little joys in what comes next each and every day while we try to distance ourselves from the horrors of our past.
Perhaps my favorite part of this book (and even through the series) is that we see "villains" who aren't wholly evil and "heros" who make inexcusable choices. Both do so because they feel they are doing the best thing for their cause, even if it ends up with a significant cost.
The ending is something that many hate, and I must admit that I didn't like it the first time either. I didn't feel happy or satisfied. It wasn't until I realized I wasn't SUPPOSED to feel happy and satisfied with the story's ending that I started to understand the depth. This isn't a pretty picture where people live happily ever after. Even when they get some happiness, if they get some happiness, there are scares that don't go away. This is the cost of war and drastic change. Sometimes all we can hope for is the ability to move on and find little joys in what comes next each and every day while we try to distance ourselves from the horrors of our past.
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Far From the Tree in Books
May 10, 2018
I thoroughly enjoy the way, Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant capture the true essence of African American female relationships in their books. Far from the Tree was no exception.
Ronnie and Celeste are sisters that have never really gotten along. Odella, their mother is also not the easiest to get along with. When the three are brought together in the same house after many years of being apart, their relationships start to take on a whole new meaning. Following the death of Will, the husband and father who had always been around to love and support them, the women are forced to examine their lives and make some hard decisions in order to move forward and grow.
Celeste, married to Everett, who is a doctor, has never been satisfied with their simple lifestyle. She has always wanted more for them even though she has never had to want for anything.
Ronnie, who has been a struggling actress in New York and fools herself and her family into thinking that she has it all together and is doing great. She actually has had more addresses than acting roles.
Odella, who had run from her past for so long that when it comes rushing back at her, she is overwhelmed by it all.
Together these women learn to love themselves and one another again.
There are talks that this book may be made into a major motion picture. I would be the first in line for a ticket. I would love to see who they get to portray the characters.
Ronnie and Celeste are sisters that have never really gotten along. Odella, their mother is also not the easiest to get along with. When the three are brought together in the same house after many years of being apart, their relationships start to take on a whole new meaning. Following the death of Will, the husband and father who had always been around to love and support them, the women are forced to examine their lives and make some hard decisions in order to move forward and grow.
Celeste, married to Everett, who is a doctor, has never been satisfied with their simple lifestyle. She has always wanted more for them even though she has never had to want for anything.
Ronnie, who has been a struggling actress in New York and fools herself and her family into thinking that she has it all together and is doing great. She actually has had more addresses than acting roles.
Odella, who had run from her past for so long that when it comes rushing back at her, she is overwhelmed by it all.
Together these women learn to love themselves and one another again.
There are talks that this book may be made into a major motion picture. I would be the first in line for a ticket. I would love to see who they get to portray the characters.