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Day Of The Accident
Day Of The Accident
Nuala Ellwood | 2019 | Mystery, Philosophy, Psychology & Social Sciences, Thriller
10
9.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Full review can be found on my blog: www.diaryofdifference.com

When Maggie wakes up from a coma, her whole life has changed. The nurse tells her that she has been in an accident, her little daughter is dead, and her husband sold the house and left her.
Maggie doesn’t remember a thing.

With no home, no family, and no memory, she has to find a way and discover what happened that day.

A thriller that will uncover the greatest of secrets everyone could have. A nail-biter, this one, I tell you.

The character of Maggie was so well formed, that love between a mother and her little daughter is expressed in such a lovely and caring way. A book that will be definitely hard to read for all the parents out there, but a very good one.

I especially loved the part with the letters – it was such a unique way to present …
… present what?
I am not telling you. Go and read it, duhh!

The scenes are so vivid and realistic and the little Virginia Woolf Easter eggs thrown across the pages of this book were so precious. Thrilling story and plot that keeps you on your toes. I haven’t read anything this good in a while!

If you are looking for a book to keep you up at night – this is the one.
If you are looking for the great plot twist – there isn’t only one plot twist…

I highly recommend it to all of the mystery lovers that are reading my review.

A masterpiece.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Books UK, for providing me with an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
  
Man Down (2016)
Man Down (2016)
2016 | Drama
2
4.5 (2 Ratings)
Movie Rating
This Dito Montiel (Fighting, The Son of No One) directed film is a look at mental health and how soldiers returning from war can be affected by the tragedy of war and life.

This film tries to put us inside the mind of a soldier and they lead up to his deployment to war, the trauma that can be suffered at war and the result of seeing things that can’t be unseen. It begins with U.S. Marine Gabriel Drummer (Shia LaBeouf) searching for his son, Johnathan (Charlie Shotwell), and wife, Natalie (Kate Mara), in a post-apocalyptic America.

His only company is his best friend and fellow war veteran Devin Roberts (Jai Courtney). We then flash back to a counseling session between Gabriel and Counselor Peyton (Gary Oldman). They are recounting an incident that happened while Gabriel and Devin were in the field as well as talk about the relationship between the two brothers in arms. Peyton probes Gabriel for answers to what happened in the field and what his life at home will be like when he returns. The story takes us through Gabriel’s journey from boot camp to his search to be reunited with his wife and child.

The beginning of the film is so scattered with flash backs and flash forwards it is not the easiest story to follow. Montiel tries to tie the story all together at the end but it really done quickly and sloppily. There was no really good flow to the film.

The message at the end was really powerful but there execution to get there really didn’t work for me. The cast individual performances were good but I thought that as a whole there was not cohesion.

The relationships between all the characters seemed forced and it was hard to get emotionally invested in what should have been and emotionally compelling story. LaBeouf does commit and his performance I would say the bright spot. I think the intention was that the end of the movie should be a surprise or twist but the ending for me was never really in doubt.

There were points when the film seemed to have momentum but that was stopped by a flash back or forward that would take you out of the moment. All trying to set up a conclusion that seemed inevitable.

The idea of bringing awareness to a real issue in our country, of returning veterans suffering from PTSD, is a noble one and I applaud them for trying. I just wish the execution would have been better overall.
  
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Sarah (7800 KP) rated The Bone Clocks in Books

Dec 29, 2017  
The Bone Clocks
The Bone Clocks
David Mitchell | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry
7
7.3 (6 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is a very unusual book. Not quite in the realms of Cloud Atlas, but it’s still a strange and interesting read.

This is unusual because it starts off as a character driven life story, and a very good one at that, with a few odd snippets of a underlying fantasy subplot that create quite a lot of intrigue. Even when the focus of a chapter shifts to a different main character, it doesn’t lose the interest and great writing. It shows a great take on a dystopian future and it’s almost disturbing to read as it’s a future most of us could imagine coming true.


It’s also unusual as the main fantasy subplot isn’t fully revealed until well over two thirds of the way through the book. But for me, this is where the problem starts as the fantasy strands turn out to be the main plot and it’s a bit of a letdown. It isn’t complete nonsense, it just seems very overcomplicated and out of place with the rest of the novel. Parts of it could have worked well, but it has perhaps been a little overthought.
  
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Lenard (726 KP) rated Shazam! (2019) in Movies

May 8, 2019 (Updated Jun 15, 2019)  
Shazam! (2019)
Shazam! (2019)
2019 | Action, Sci-Fi
Did you ever dream of becoming a superhero? Thaddeus Sivana does. Bullied by his father and older brother because they think he is weak, Thaddeus dreams of becoming the most powerful being in the world. However, Wizard, the last remaining guardian of the secrets of the universe, doesn't think he is pure of heart and worthy of being a superhero. Thaddeus decides to become a supervillain and waits for a champion of the downtrodden, Captain Marvel (I refuse to call him Shazam since he IS Captain Marvel unlike Carol Danvers who got a promotion to Captain after being Ms Marvel for decades). A couple decades later, Billy Batson who was abandoned by his mother at a state fair spends his day researching and looking for the woman who abandoned him while running away from various foster homes. That is, until he is placed in a foster home full of damaged children. He learns the value of family while learning how to be a hero. I watched the TV series every Saturday growing up and while the movie is good, the show remains a pivotal time in my life.