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ClareR (5885 KP) rated Soul Sisters in Books

Feb 25, 2022  
Soul Sisters
Soul Sisters
Lesley Lokko | 2021 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Romance
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Soul Sisters by Lesley Lokko is the story of Jen and Kemi. Jen is from a wealthy Sottish family, and Kemi comes to live with them as a child. She is from a political, black South African family, at a time when it was dangerous to be. Kemi has been sent to Edinburgh for her own safety.

Jen and Kemi become ‘soul sisters’, perhaps closer than real sisters would be. Even thought their lives are very different (Kemi becomes a surgeon, Jen works in the art world), they never lose that bond. Until, that is, a man comes between them.

Solam Rhoyi. He’s a black South African financier who wants to go into politics - and he wants to be really successful.

The feelings of Kemi and Solam were conveyed really well, and their need for identity as ‘exile kids’; the political aspect was interesting and it didn’t have too much romance (which is just how I like it: some, but not an overwhelming amount!). Other themes were family, secrets, race and power.

I really enjoyed the background to this story, and the hints as to why Kemi and Jen’s family had such a close bond. I loved the South African setting, and how, as the reader, I got to see a little of what goes on in hospitals and in politics. I wish we’d got to see a little more of the consequences of some of the huge events, both personal and political. There was a bit too much of jumping years ahead for me. Perhaps it would have been better as a duology (as some other reviewers have said). I absolutely would have read it!
  
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Books Editor (673 KP) shared own list

Oct 20, 2017 (Updated Oct 20, 2017)
Sixteen months after Britain voted to leave the European Union, the political debate over Brexit seems as intense as ever.

Publishers, writers and bloggers alike have not been slow to spot the market that the poison has created. Yet too many of the books and pamphlets that have been published since the vote amount to little more than a re-run of the same old arguments over whether to remain or leave.

Four recent works, though, do better than most at avoiding that trap.

All four books—written by economists, politicians and political scientists—largely avoid churning out the same old arguments:


Brexit and British Politics

Brexit and British Politics

Geoffrey Evans and Anand Menon

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Book

Brexit has changed everything - from our government, to our economy and principal trading...


politics
How to Stop Brexit (and Make Britain Great Again)

How to Stop Brexit (and Make Britain Great Again)

Nick Clegg

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Book

Keep calm – but do not carry on. There is nothing remotely inevitable about Brexit – except that...


politics
Making a Success of Brexit and Reforming the EU

Making a Success of Brexit and Reforming the EU

Roger Bootle

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Book

HOW BREXIT WILL WORK FOR BRITAIN AND EUROPE Making a Success of Brexit and Reforming the EU is...


politics
Clean Brexit: Why Leaving the EU Still Makes Sense

Clean Brexit: Why Leaving the EU Still Makes Sense

Gerard Lyons and Liam Halligan

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Book

In this optimistic and inclusive guide, Sunday Telegraph columnist Liam Halligan and renowned...


politics
     
     
The Handmaid's Tale  - Season 1
The Handmaid's Tale - Season 1
2017 | Drama
Fantastic adaptation of a great book (2 more)
Increasing parallels to current socio-political powers in the western world
Doesn't lose itself or its quality in the adaptation
Buckle up
One of the most intense and emotional TV shows I have watched, we managed to split it across two days just to get to the end but I reccommend pacing yourself as the content can be very confronting(as it intends to be). Fantastic social commentary once again by Margaret Atwood- a literary legend across genres and entertainment mediums.
  
I Am Not Your Negro (2017)
I Am Not Your Negro (2017)
2017 | Documentary
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Lyrical look at America's racialised society
James Baldwin was truly an inspirational artist and author in American history. He puts forward very bluntly the issues that the country faces in terms of it's attitude towards black bodies as the body is political. It's rather depressing that after 50 years the US still has not addressed these issues. It's a haunting and poetic documentary. His line about how black people are 'castrated' throughout the country just in different ways is deeply honest and deeply disturbing.
  
House Of Cards  - Season 1
House Of Cards - Season 1
2013 | Drama
Kevin Spacey (1 more)
Compares to Breaking bad
Beautifully sinister and dark as night.
Hard to watch political drama that is as smart as it is dark. My wife loves it, but I got depressed after watching it. There is no denying the quality of the show and the smart dialog. It's just not for me personally. Hence the 8, if it was my personal taste it would be a 10 no question. This is on par with Breaking Bad for me, both in darkness and intelligence.
  
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Booksnthreads (19 KP) rated Dune in Books

Jun 2, 2018  
Dune
Dune
Frank Herbert | 1965 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
8.7 (23 Ratings)
Book Rating
This book had such a huge impact on me as a young reader.

I had been introduced to sci-fi/fantasy via C.S. Lewis and Tolkien. I was accustomed to allegory and metaphor in storytelling.

Frank Herbert introudced my young mind to literature that could be an amazing example of world-building, character development, and storytelling, but also embody a political activism that, rather than feeling didactic, becomes an essential element of the plot.

Dune is still the gauge by which I judge all other science fiction.
  
AI
Alice in Tumblr-land
Tim Manley | 2013 | Humor & Comedy
10
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
"The prince and the pauper unfriended each other because neither could stand the other's political status updates."
I absolutely loved this book, and i think it came around at a perfect time in my life. Its a quick and easy read and kept me entertained the entire way through. This sharp, satirical, look at how modern twenty somethings are moving along through life, and especially with the use of social media, is hilariously accurate in a lot of ways.
5/5 would recommend to a friend!