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Deborah (162 KP) rated Mistress of My Fate; The Confessions of Henrietta Lightfoot in Books

Dec 21, 2018

Hallie Rubenhold's foray into the world of historical fiction brings us to Henrietta Lightfoot and the first volume of her memoirs. I confess that I didn't realise that this was the first book in a planned series and felt a bit frustrated at the end of the book as there were many unresolved questions I was dying to know the answer to!

Books written in the first person can sometimes feel a bit contrived, but that wasn't a problem here at all. An older Henrietta relates the 'true' story of her life, evidently in answer to some untruths put about by a character we have yet to properly meet in this first volume; I'm sure all will become apparent later on!

Many of the characters who weave their way through Rubenhold's tale are actually real, historical figures. Even her fictional characters owe something to the real life experiences of other Georgian inhabitants. This certainly isn't prettified historical fiction; we follow the initially very naive Henrietta through her ups and downs. The main action of the novel takes place over the space of about a year, when Henrietta is still only 17. I look forward to the next instalment!

Kudos

Sara Cox (1845 KP) rated The War of the Worlds in TV

Dec 3, 2019

The War of the Worlds

2019 | Drama, Sci-Fi

7.2

(36 Ratings)

TV Show Rating

Contains spoilers, click to show

I was really excited for this series. I have read the book a number of times and it is one of my favourites. I thought at first they were keeping very true to the book, although I have no idea why the writers decided to add an unnecessary love triangle into the mix which has no bearing on the story whatsoever. The filming and effects we good, I was really impressed with the tripods. However, when we finally saw the martians I was disappointed with the way they were portrayed, I was expecting tentacles and these beings (that I might add were meant to be of higher intelligence and based on the tripods have good dexterity) seemed a bit weak and useless. The acting on the whole was good, although at times it seemed people were unaware that the martians were terrifying and just seemed to be taking a leisure walk away rather than the chaos and fear driven manic you would expect. This is better than most adaptation of H.G.Wells's classic. The final episode was weak and didn't follow the storyline which was highly disappointing.

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Awix (3310 KP) rated A Hidden Life (2019) in Movies

Jan 22, 2020

A Hidden Life (2019)

2019 | Biography, Drama

7.3

(3 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

Based-on-a-true-story drama set during the Second World War. An Austrian farmer decides he does not agree with the actions of the Nazi government and refuses to swear an oath of loyalty to Hitler, regardless of the risks to himself or the effects this will have on his family's status in their village. Obviously a serious film dealing with an important topic, presented in a measured and very skillful way: this is a Terrence Malick movie, so obviously it's going to look tremendous.

On the other hand, it's a Terrence Malick film, and no-one's ever come out of one of those saying 'Yeah, I liked it, but it could have done with being a bit longer and slower' - this film is knocking on three hours in length, and I'm not really sure it needs it. There are probably several too many scenes of villagers scything the corn or digging up turnips as the wind whistles down the valley. Still, it handles a weighty topic with the proper respect, and stories like these deserve to be remembered. Worth watching, but probably best to take sandwiches.

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Merissa (12045 KP) rated The Swan's Road (The Atheling Chronicles #1) in Books

Feb 4, 2020

The Swan's Road (The Atheling Chronicles #1)

Garth Pettersen | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry, History & Politics

8.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

The Swan's Road is the first book in the The Atheling Chronicles, which details the life of Harald and his father, Cnute. If you have read any Viking literature then these names will sound familiar. This story may have a basis in truth or it may be completely made up by the author. Either way, you will have a great historical novel to read.

Harald is the main character and he is travelling with his father. Excitement, adventure, love and sorrow, all wait for him as by his choices, he becomes separated from the main group.

This is full of action and adventure, in a medieval fashion. The characters grow throughout the book and behave true to themselves. I loved how it all worked out together, whilst keeping the reader on tenterhooks at the same time.

A brilliant medieval read in a series I hope to continue with. Absolutely recommended by me.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!