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ClareR (5674 KP) rated The Pull of the Stars in Books
Nov 8, 2020
This book, and in particular the Audible version that I listened to, really pulled me into the world of 1918 Dublin. This isn’t a story for the faint-hearted. It’s really graphic and gory in a lot of places, and it portrayed just what life was like for women in Ireland at this time. Childbirth was portrayed as a punishment, babies being still born equally so. This was a time where it was normal for women in Ireland to birth baby after baby: on average ten.
Nurse Julia Power is unmarried at 30 and seems to be happy with that, as she sees women whose bodies are worn out from giving birth so many times and so closely together, women who have been abused by their fathers and forced to bear their children, women who have conceived their babies outside of marriage and will be forced to give them up - as well as young women who have been institutionalised from birth and forced to give up their lives to repay the nuns who raised them through free labour (Magdalene laundries). Like I said, this was no time to be a woman. The abuse and poor treatment of the women on the ward is alluded to, but never explicit.
Whilst most of the story takes place on the quarantined labour ward, we do get a glimpse in to the home life of Nurse Power, and it was interesting to see how the war had impacted on and affected her brother.
This is a beautifully told story packed full of heart. It may not have been my best move to read it during a pandemic, but nevertheless, I absolutely loved it.
Nurse Julia Power is unmarried at 30 and seems to be happy with that, as she sees women whose bodies are worn out from giving birth so many times and so closely together, women who have been abused by their fathers and forced to bear their children, women who have conceived their babies outside of marriage and will be forced to give them up - as well as young women who have been institutionalised from birth and forced to give up their lives to repay the nuns who raised them through free labour (Magdalene laundries). Like I said, this was no time to be a woman. The abuse and poor treatment of the women on the ward is alluded to, but never explicit.
Whilst most of the story takes place on the quarantined labour ward, we do get a glimpse in to the home life of Nurse Power, and it was interesting to see how the war had impacted on and affected her brother.
This is a beautifully told story packed full of heart. It may not have been my best move to read it during a pandemic, but nevertheless, I absolutely loved it.
Timothy Spall recommended Mary Poppins (1964) in Movies (curated)
Marc Riley recommended Hunky Dory by David Bowie in Music (curated)
Rachel Unthank recommended Frost and Fire by The Watersons in Music (curated)
Jonathan Higgs recommended Siamese Dream by The Smashing Pumpkins in Music (curated)
Justin Hawkins recommended A Little Man And A House And The Whole World Window by Cardiacs in Music (curated)
Dave Navarro recommended Ordinary People (1980) in Movies (curated)
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Summer of 84 (2018) in Movies
Sep 26, 2020 (Updated Sep 26, 2020)
Contains spoilers, click to show
I have mixed feelings about Summer of 84, another 80s love letter following in the wake of the cataclysmic popularity of Stranger Things. Probably easier to break this one down into bullet points.
- The four main characters are pretty hit and miss. The actors are all fine, but some of the dialogue and pop culture references seem very forced. They provide the movie with some funny moments for sure, but their characters are fairly cliché and the chemistry goes through some flat moments.
- The story is pretty straightforward and decent, and provides an entertaining mystery, but some of the plot points are odd and a lot of the characters are just insufferably stupid.
- The ending is conflicting as well. Considering the majority of the film is quite comedic and seems intended towards a family audience, the ending is pretty bleak. My initial thoughts were "fair enough, quite ballsy" but now I can't decide whether it was in fact just plain mean spirited. Either way, it left a nasty taste in my mouth, and I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing.
- A couple of positives - I really enjoyed the music score, and the cinematography. The film has a lovely aesthetic to it.
- Not sure how the babysitter character was supposed to be portrayed, but she seemed a bit too old for a love interest to the 15 year old protagonist. Made me feel uncomfortable...
Summer of 84 is an entertaining enough psuedo-slasher thriller, but it suffers from pacing issues amongst other things that stops it being as good is it could have been.
- The four main characters are pretty hit and miss. The actors are all fine, but some of the dialogue and pop culture references seem very forced. They provide the movie with some funny moments for sure, but their characters are fairly cliché and the chemistry goes through some flat moments.
- The story is pretty straightforward and decent, and provides an entertaining mystery, but some of the plot points are odd and a lot of the characters are just insufferably stupid.
- The ending is conflicting as well. Considering the majority of the film is quite comedic and seems intended towards a family audience, the ending is pretty bleak. My initial thoughts were "fair enough, quite ballsy" but now I can't decide whether it was in fact just plain mean spirited. Either way, it left a nasty taste in my mouth, and I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing.
- A couple of positives - I really enjoyed the music score, and the cinematography. The film has a lovely aesthetic to it.
- Not sure how the babysitter character was supposed to be portrayed, but she seemed a bit too old for a love interest to the 15 year old protagonist. Made me feel uncomfortable...
Summer of 84 is an entertaining enough psuedo-slasher thriller, but it suffers from pacing issues amongst other things that stops it being as good is it could have been.
Joe Goodhart (27 KP) rated Paper Girls: Volume 1 in Books
Nov 30, 2020
Okay, as I wrote in my Comments for Reading Progress, this was a re-read, as I recently purchased Vol 4 as part of the SDCC Sale this past weekend on Comixology. I may have run through it first time out, because so much of what I read seemed as if this were my beginning go-round instead of a re-read. Hmm.. Time Slip anyone?
So, yes, just as with other BKV-helmed series, the characters are well-defined, given depth that is a progressional unfolding. Each issue allowed for me to see each of the main characters - Erin, KJ. Tiffany and Mac - for who they were and some of their moral fibers, if you will.
As good as Vaughn was at the writing, equally impressive was Cliff Chiang's art. The muted colors (except where needed, as deep red for a wound) really helped the story, making me feel like it was really the eighties instead of 2018! From the cars driven to the newspaper headlines to the housing developments layouts, it felt just like the time frame as the setting!
The easiest way to sum up this series is it is like Netflix's STRANGER THINGS but with all-girl main characters. I recall the later volumes being more science fiction-y as the series progress, but, yeah, definitely like STRANGER THINGS.
All I can say in closing is this is an awesome series! It is a lot of fun, and it is clear during reading it that BKV and Chiang had as good a time making it as I did reading! DEFINITELY CHECK IT OUT!
So, yes, just as with other BKV-helmed series, the characters are well-defined, given depth that is a progressional unfolding. Each issue allowed for me to see each of the main characters - Erin, KJ. Tiffany and Mac - for who they were and some of their moral fibers, if you will.
As good as Vaughn was at the writing, equally impressive was Cliff Chiang's art. The muted colors (except where needed, as deep red for a wound) really helped the story, making me feel like it was really the eighties instead of 2018! From the cars driven to the newspaper headlines to the housing developments layouts, it felt just like the time frame as the setting!
The easiest way to sum up this series is it is like Netflix's STRANGER THINGS but with all-girl main characters. I recall the later volumes being more science fiction-y as the series progress, but, yeah, definitely like STRANGER THINGS.
All I can say in closing is this is an awesome series! It is a lot of fun, and it is clear during reading it that BKV and Chiang had as good a time making it as I did reading! DEFINITELY CHECK IT OUT!
Ross (3284 KP) rated Surprisingly Down to Earth, and Very Funny in Books
Oct 27, 2020
Funny but at times harrowing auto-biography
I wouldn't say I was a huge fan of Limmy's. I've seen a few of his sketches on youtube and have heard him interviewed on a few podcasts. He seems quite strange and a bit of an odd character. I have read his books of short stories and found them to be brilliantly well-written and original.
His auto-biography starts brilliantly, giving a great insight into the childhood that shaped the comedian. There are funny stories of growing up isolated and playing strange games with strange friends. This gets darker as Limmy ages, as he finds himself looking for danger and things to make him feel alive. This inevitably leads to trouble with the police, and on to drink and drugs and more police trouble.
He seems to have always been looking to try and find somewhere to fit in, a niche in the world where he can be himself and be otherwise left alone, though he is his own worst enemy along the way. Battles with depression, suicide and social issues hold him back at almost every stage. He finally finds his niche when he discovers flash programming. This gives him an avenue for his creativity and silliness, and leads to his genius being discovered, eventually leading to a successful podcast and TV shows - though even those weren't plain sailing.
This is the charming, though at times harrowing, story of a man with so many ideas in his head, but so many issues holding him back, and the battle to overcome demons to do what he wants to do, and to do it his way.
His auto-biography starts brilliantly, giving a great insight into the childhood that shaped the comedian. There are funny stories of growing up isolated and playing strange games with strange friends. This gets darker as Limmy ages, as he finds himself looking for danger and things to make him feel alive. This inevitably leads to trouble with the police, and on to drink and drugs and more police trouble.
He seems to have always been looking to try and find somewhere to fit in, a niche in the world where he can be himself and be otherwise left alone, though he is his own worst enemy along the way. Battles with depression, suicide and social issues hold him back at almost every stage. He finally finds his niche when he discovers flash programming. This gives him an avenue for his creativity and silliness, and leads to his genius being discovered, eventually leading to a successful podcast and TV shows - though even those weren't plain sailing.
This is the charming, though at times harrowing, story of a man with so many ideas in his head, but so many issues holding him back, and the battle to overcome demons to do what he wants to do, and to do it his way.