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Lee (2222 KP) rated Murder on the Orient Express (2017) in Movies
Nov 6, 2017 (Updated Nov 9, 2017)
Kenneth Branagh (1 more)
Stunning cinematography
Wasted all-star cast (1 more)
Not very interesting
All style, no substance
This review is possibly a little unfair, as I actually managed to fall asleep watching Murder On The Orient Express. In a busy cinema, early evening on a Sunday. I've only ever managed to do this a couple of times previously - once, while watching a midnight screening of Star Wars: The Force Awakens (I'm an old man, it was way past my bedtime). Another occasion was during the last Alvin and the Chipmunks movie while watching with my daughter (and I quite rightly got a dig in the ribs from her when she caught me out).
Unfortunately for me though, Kenneth Branaghs lavish retelling of this classic murder mystery is all style and no substance. Branagh himself is actually very good, and hugely entertaining as the worlds greatest detective, Hercule Poirot. However, most of the remaining all star cast just seem wasted in their roles and I just felt like I was watching a big, glossy BBC detective drama on a Sunday evening rather than a thrilling cinematic experience.
I made it through the setup and the murder itself. I also made it through some of the questioning of the many suspects too. But I think that's where my body gave up. I don't think I missed much though, and I was awake again in time for the ridiculous reveal and the explanation as to why whodunit actually dunit, but overall this was just a pretty big disappointment for me.
Unfortunately for me though, Kenneth Branaghs lavish retelling of this classic murder mystery is all style and no substance. Branagh himself is actually very good, and hugely entertaining as the worlds greatest detective, Hercule Poirot. However, most of the remaining all star cast just seem wasted in their roles and I just felt like I was watching a big, glossy BBC detective drama on a Sunday evening rather than a thrilling cinematic experience.
I made it through the setup and the murder itself. I also made it through some of the questioning of the many suspects too. But I think that's where my body gave up. I don't think I missed much though, and I was awake again in time for the ridiculous reveal and the explanation as to why whodunit actually dunit, but overall this was just a pretty big disappointment for me.
An intriguing retelling.
A modern reimagining of Shakespeare's Othello, this sees a Ghanaian diplomats son, Osei, on his first day at a new school in an American suburb of Washington DC in the 1970's. Dee quickly befriends him, and Ian decides that he doesn't like this. He decides to undermine this friendship and dispose of O. Yes, racism comes in to play here. Both the learnt racism of the children (from their parents), and that of the teachers.
This is all squeezed in to a very Shakespearian time frame of a day: we all know that in a Shakespearian play, people fall in and out of love, get marries and murder one another within 24 hours. For this reason, I can forgive the more mature behaviour and plotting of the 11 year old children. It seems unlikely to me as a mother of an 11 year old, that real 11 year olds would necessarily behave in this way; but this is literature and an author can bend their story and their characters to however they want them to behave. The changeability of the children's affections ARE more realistic, however.
I think this would probably be a great book for students to read at school before they access the original Othello. It would have made a great 'compare and contrast' exercise for me when I studied Othello (many years ago!).
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and the ending is a real 'heart in mouth' moment!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Hogarth for my copy of this book.
This is all squeezed in to a very Shakespearian time frame of a day: we all know that in a Shakespearian play, people fall in and out of love, get marries and murder one another within 24 hours. For this reason, I can forgive the more mature behaviour and plotting of the 11 year old children. It seems unlikely to me as a mother of an 11 year old, that real 11 year olds would necessarily behave in this way; but this is literature and an author can bend their story and their characters to however they want them to behave. The changeability of the children's affections ARE more realistic, however.
I think this would probably be a great book for students to read at school before they access the original Othello. It would have made a great 'compare and contrast' exercise for me when I studied Othello (many years ago!).
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and the ending is a real 'heart in mouth' moment!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Hogarth for my copy of this book.
Lou Grande (148 KP) rated Her Body and Other Parties: Stories in Books
Jul 17, 2018
Short fiction is hit or miss for me. I think it's actually a harder genre to write than long, sprawling novels. You have to be concise and hard-hitting, and Machado certainly achieves that in her collection here. Her stories are lush with description, beautifully vague and precise at the same time. These stories hit me on a visceral level. And they really span run the gamut: from a retelling of an urban legend ("The Husband Stitch," which plays off of the story about the little girl with a green ribbon around her neck--you know the one), to the centerpiece of the collection, an offbeat, surreal "parody" of Law & Order: SVU entitled "Especially Heinous: 272 Views of Law & Order: SVU"). Each one had me stopping after I finished, rereading certain passages, and pouring over the text again. I never do that! I'm a speed reader! But these stories demand that you take your time.
At its heart, Her Body and Other Parties is about women--especially queer women. Machado brings something of herself into each of these stories, or so she has said. The storytellers are often unreliable, but never in a degrading or dismissive way. We see stories overlapped with stories, creating intricate layers of narrative. This is not a book for a casual experience. It demands your attention, and it's good enough to deserve it. A masterful blending of prose, horror, comedy, and magic realism, Her Body and Other Parties will be read in universities for years to come. Mark my words!
At its heart, Her Body and Other Parties is about women--especially queer women. Machado brings something of herself into each of these stories, or so she has said. The storytellers are often unreliable, but never in a degrading or dismissive way. We see stories overlapped with stories, creating intricate layers of narrative. This is not a book for a casual experience. It demands your attention, and it's good enough to deserve it. A masterful blending of prose, horror, comedy, and magic realism, Her Body and Other Parties will be read in universities for years to come. Mark my words!
Louise (64 KP) rated After Alice in Books
Jul 2, 2018
After Alice by Gregory Maguire is told from two alternating point of views, we hear from Ada who is briefly mentioned in Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll as one of Alice’s friends and from her older sister Lydia. Ada is setting off to deliver a package to her neighbours when she manages to escape the clutches of her housekeeper and accidentally falls into the world of Wonderland, and so, begins her mission to find Alice.
I thought this was going to be more of a retelling when I requested it, but it’s more of a sequel from other perspectives. Lydia’s point of view gives more of a background into their family life and the Victorian society, with even some famous names added into the mix.
I wasn’t the biggest fan of the Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll and was hoping this would have a bit of a spin on it. The writing is very ‘Wordy’ so be prepared to get a dictionary out and the world building was a bit wishy washy, some bits were good and others I just couldn’t imagine. As well as the normal characters like the White Rabbit and the Cheshire Cat there were additional characters added, which was interesting and they felt right in the world of Wonderland.
I was very bored reading this book and it seemed all a bit pointless,I was expecting so much more from the man who created Wicked!
I rated this 2 out of 5 stars
I thought this was going to be more of a retelling when I requested it, but it’s more of a sequel from other perspectives. Lydia’s point of view gives more of a background into their family life and the Victorian society, with even some famous names added into the mix.
I wasn’t the biggest fan of the Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll and was hoping this would have a bit of a spin on it. The writing is very ‘Wordy’ so be prepared to get a dictionary out and the world building was a bit wishy washy, some bits were good and others I just couldn’t imagine. As well as the normal characters like the White Rabbit and the Cheshire Cat there were additional characters added, which was interesting and they felt right in the world of Wonderland.
I was very bored reading this book and it seemed all a bit pointless,I was expecting so much more from the man who created Wicked!
I rated this 2 out of 5 stars
BookwormMama14 (18 KP) rated The Healer's Apprentice (Hagenheim, #1) in Books
Jan 2, 2019
It was a little over a year ago that I first read a Melanie Dickerson book. I fell instantly in love with her gift for stories! This year I have resolved to read more of the books that have piled up on my To-Be-Read pile (island...OK, it's a planet!) and I am making good progress so far. The Healer's Apprentice is a retelling of The Sleeping Beauty, which is my ALL TIME favorite fairy tale.
Rose is a kind and gentle young woman with a gift for storytelling, and a passion for life and Lord Hamlin, however, he is already betrothed. She struggles find her destiny. She thinks she knows what she wants in life, but it isn't until she lets go and hands her future path over to God that she begins to feel peace. Wilhelm, Lord Hamlin, has never had a problem fulfilling his duty as the future Duke. But when he meets Rose his life is turned upside down and he is conflicted by the pull of his heart and his responsibility as his father's heir.
A sweet romance and a life lesson, that when we follow God's calling and do the right thing, He will bless our path. Although it may be in a way we least expect.
I am so glad I finally read this story and look forward on catching up on the rest of the Hagenheim series in the near future. Don't miss A Noble Servant, book 3 of the THornbeck series, releasing in May!
Rose is a kind and gentle young woman with a gift for storytelling, and a passion for life and Lord Hamlin, however, he is already betrothed. She struggles find her destiny. She thinks she knows what she wants in life, but it isn't until she lets go and hands her future path over to God that she begins to feel peace. Wilhelm, Lord Hamlin, has never had a problem fulfilling his duty as the future Duke. But when he meets Rose his life is turned upside down and he is conflicted by the pull of his heart and his responsibility as his father's heir.
A sweet romance and a life lesson, that when we follow God's calling and do the right thing, He will bless our path. Although it may be in a way we least expect.
I am so glad I finally read this story and look forward on catching up on the rest of the Hagenheim series in the near future. Don't miss A Noble Servant, book 3 of the THornbeck series, releasing in May!
Deborah (162 KP) rated Devil's Consort in Books
Dec 21, 2018
This is the third book by Anne O'Brien I have read recently, and I have found her to be a very readable author - far better that the dull Gregory, if you want my opinion! All three of the novels I have read have been written in the first person, which is a narrative technique that I don't generally care for as it often feels too contrived and limits the point of view (see Philippa Gregory!). However, O'Brien, for me, has managed to pull this off and the first person narrative works for her and gives you a real empathy with her protagonists.
This was a good read and a good piece of historical Fiction, with perhaps a bit more emphasis on the Fiction element, as a few incidents I'm not convinced actually happened, or have been embroidered in the retelling. This deals with Eleanor's earlier life, from just before she becomes Queen of France to just after she becomes Queen of England. There could be a whole other book to be written on her life after the end of this book!
O'Brien made Eleanor come alive for me as a person, even if, as I have already said, I did have some reservations on historical accuracy. I think that if an historical novelist gives you a real feel for a person and makes you want to know more, then they have certainly done their job. There are some good biographies on Eleanor out there, so hopefully readers of this novel will feel inspired to seek them out.
This was a good read and a good piece of historical Fiction, with perhaps a bit more emphasis on the Fiction element, as a few incidents I'm not convinced actually happened, or have been embroidered in the retelling. This deals with Eleanor's earlier life, from just before she becomes Queen of France to just after she becomes Queen of England. There could be a whole other book to be written on her life after the end of this book!
O'Brien made Eleanor come alive for me as a person, even if, as I have already said, I did have some reservations on historical accuracy. I think that if an historical novelist gives you a real feel for a person and makes you want to know more, then they have certainly done their job. There are some good biographies on Eleanor out there, so hopefully readers of this novel will feel inspired to seek them out.
Anne (15130 KP) rated Stolen Enchantress (Forbidden Forest, #1) in Books
Nov 4, 2019
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via Voracious Readers Only. It was a retelling - from the blurb it mentions the story being a cross between Beauty and the Beast and The Pied Piper. It definitely was a cross between those two stories too.
It took me a little longer to read because I had a hard time getting into the book at first. It seemed like it was a bit slow for the first part, then it got interesting and picked up quite a bit. But then when I was very engrossed into the story, the end came rather suddenly and I felt like it was a bit abrupt and needed more closure.
It was also a bit more difficult for me getting through some of this book because it was quite dark and heavy in parts. It was a good book overall, but a bit more on the dark, heavy side of things that leaves you searching out for the spark of hope, which there is some, but not as much as Id like.
I was very interested in parts of the book and the different aspects and unique perspectives, but I wish there had been a bit more to the story with a little more hope. I was a bit like huh? when the book ended cause its taken me a bit to process it.
I would read another book by this author especially if it was a continuation of this story.
It took me a little longer to read because I had a hard time getting into the book at first. It seemed like it was a bit slow for the first part, then it got interesting and picked up quite a bit. But then when I was very engrossed into the story, the end came rather suddenly and I felt like it was a bit abrupt and needed more closure.
It was also a bit more difficult for me getting through some of this book because it was quite dark and heavy in parts. It was a good book overall, but a bit more on the dark, heavy side of things that leaves you searching out for the spark of hope, which there is some, but not as much as Id like.
I was very interested in parts of the book and the different aspects and unique perspectives, but I wish there had been a bit more to the story with a little more hope. I was a bit like huh? when the book ended cause its taken me a bit to process it.
I would read another book by this author especially if it was a continuation of this story.
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