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Hazel (2934 KP) rated A Nearly Normal Family in Books

Dec 13, 2019

A Nearly Normal Family

M.T. Edvardsson | 2019 | Mystery, Thriller

8.8

(5 Ratings)

Book Rating

A pretty good read

I don't read a lot of legal/courtroom stories and even less so-called Scandi-Noir type books but, for some reason, the blurb caught me and drew me in and, overall, I was pretty satisfied with "A Nearly Normal Family".

The book centres around a seemingly perfect family (they are anything but!) and is separated into three sections each told from the perspective of a family member following the arrest of the daughter for the murder of a man; each of these sections provided insight into each of the characters and a different take on the situation they find themselves in. What it also did was make this a slow burner with the tension mounting gradually towards the great ending which I found very satisfying.

I did have a couple of problems with this book though; one being that I couldn't connect with any of the main characters and struggled to empathise with any of them, the other being that I think there were times when things seem to have got lost in translation which made the story not flow quite as well as I was expecting.

Overall though a pretty good read and definitely worth the time I invested in reading it.

Thanks go to the good people of Pan Macmillan via NetGalley for my copy in return for an unbiased review.

Kudos

Kim Pook (101 KP) rated Rocketman (2019) in Movies

Mar 31, 2020

Rocketman (2019)

2019 | Biography, Drama

8.0

(59 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

Acting (1 more)

Musical numbers

Contains spoilers, click to show

The movie starts with Elton in an AA meeting, he is asked about his childhood and we're thrown in a toe tapping number of the bitch is back and I'm instantly aware that the movie is going to be a musical biopic. As a big fan of musicals I'm instantly drawn in.
It is obvious from the start that regi was talented from a young age. As he gets older he pursues his musical career and eventually Elton John is born. I'm not a great fan of Elton John so it came as no surprise that he was so much into drinks and drugs, however knowing his onstage personality was all an act to hide his problems was a bit of a shock and it just goes to show you never know what goes on behind closed doors even in the life of a celebrity.
The whole movie had its ups and downs, with a few emotional moments such as Elton trying to kill himself and singing with his younger self whilst drowning. But there was also parts where I wanted to smack him.
The movie was an interesting watch and because of the musical aspect I found it very entertaining, I do feel without this aspect though it may not have been as good.