Sign up
Search
Advanced search settings

Search only in certain items:

Search results
All (879)
Content
People
Apps
Books
Orbs
Movies
Music
Podcasts
Shows
Tabletop Games
Tech
TV
Video Games
YouTube Channels
Videos
    Angry Birds

    Angry Birds

    Games and Entertainment

    7.3 (6 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    Use the unique powers of the Angry Birds to destroy the greedy pigs' defenses!

 The survival...

40x40

ClareR (6101 KP) rated Dominicana in Books

Sep 8, 2020  
Dominicana
Dominicana
Angie Cruz | 2019 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Dominicana is the story of 15 year old Ana. Her parents forcibly (well, they don’t give her the option NOT to) marry her off to a much older man, Juan, and they move to New York where she knows no-one else and doesn’t speak any English. I can’t imagine how isolated this child must feel. Ana grows up during this coming of age story. She must learn how to ‘manage’ her husband, who hits her on more than one occasion. She is completely at his mercy, living in a run down flat, told not to let anyone in unless they have an appointment to buy knock-off suits (I tried to think of a better phrase for these suits, but this is all I’ve got!), not to go anywhere except the supermarket by herself, and she’s given no opportunity to learn English - isolating her further.

Probably the best thing that happens to her is when Juan returns to the Dominican Republic to see his brother and sort out family money and properties. Juan’s younger brother, Cesar, stays to look after her and encourages her independence. I wish this part could have been longer. She starts to learn English, makes her own money, and probably unwisely forms an attachment to Cesar. She finds out she’s pregnant just before Juan goes to the Dominican Republic, and seems reluctant to tell him. And I can’t blame her. He really has no place marrying a 15 year old child, least of all making her pregnant.

I liked the way that this story was set against real historical events: Malcolm Xs assassination, the US troops going into Vietnam, the immigration bill where Hispanic people began to migrate to the US in greater numbers, and even more pop-culture events like The Beatles playing for the first time in New York and Dominican players in baseball. These events really helped to paint a fuller picture of Ana’s life. It’s easy for me to sit at home reading a book in 2020, saying that a 14/15 year old should never be able to marry a man much older than she is and be taken to a foreign country, but this book is set in 1965-66. It was a different world then (although I should say that this does still happen in some countries). This is what makes Dominicana such an enthralling read.

Many thanks to the publisher, Flatiron Books, and NetGalley for my copy of this book.
  
40x40

Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Summer of '69 in Books

Aug 23, 2019  
Summer of '69
Summer of '69
Elin Hilderbrand | 2019 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry
8
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Every year Kate Levin and her family spend the summer on Nantucket with Kate's mother, Exalta. But this summer is different. Kate's eldest, Blair, 24, is now married to a MIT professor named Angus Whalen and they're expecting their first baby in August. As such, Blair won't be on Nantucket this summer. Middle sister, Kirby, is a junior in college and spending the summer on Martha's Vineyard. Her only son, Tiger, recently deployed to Vietnam, which has left Kate feeling completely panicked and lost. Only her youngest, thirteen-year-old, Jessie, makes the trip. But without her siblings, Jessie feels overlooked and ignored. It's the historic summer of '69--and Levin family will have some memorable experiences of their own, too.

I just love Elin Hilderbrand's books and this was a really fun one. It didn't feel that much like "historical fiction," despite the 1969 setting, but it was fascinating to get a glimpse of how the late 1960s affected the family and their decisions--especially the females. The time period affects each woman, even Jessie, in their own way. Mom Kate was a tough one to love, at times, ignoring her poor daughter and moaning about Tiger and her own past. But, man, Hilderbrand just comes up with the best family dynamics. She sets an amazing scene, aided by her beloved Nantucket, and before you know it, you are there with her characters, immersed in their drama and daily lives.

For me, the star of this one was young Jessie. I loved how much of the book revolved around her--the points of view vary, but we hear from her a lot, and I couldn't help but love the kid. Nothing like growing up with a slightly absent mom, domineering grandmother, and a bunch of way older siblings, one of whom is at war. She was a breath of fresh air, and of course, Hilderbrand wrote from a teenage point of view perfectly. She gives all Kate's daughters their own unique voice, and it's amazing how each character stands out easily as distinct from one another.

This is not "simply" a tale of a family over a summer, it's captivating and engaging look at a family shaped by historical and domestic circumstances. I certainly enjoyed this novel and would definitely recommend it. I usually shy away from historical fiction, but I found it quite interesting--great characters and family dynamics as always from our summer novel queen. 4 stars.
  
    WorldStock for iPad

    WorldStock for iPad

    Finance and Business

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    “WorldStock” provides a summary of global markets performance. At a glance you can see what's...