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justmissash (21 KP) rated The Nightingale in Books
Jun 23, 2019
I had never heard of Kristin Hannah before, but will be looking for other books by her. Her writing is seamless and vivid and realistic. The Nightingale is a wonderful story of two sisters, far apart in body and mind, but still connected. They lose their mother and then experience the abandonment of their father. Both women are torn, but in their own way. The story takes place in France, in a small village until the women who realize they need something different, separate, with one sister in Paris and the other in the country, during WWII. The story is a bit dramatic, but I think it is fitting. Their feelings and emotions and experiences are so real and authentic. It is definitely an emotionally engaging read. Not only is the characters so vivid but it combines their story with an accuracy of the world history around them during that period and is interesting for people like myself, who are history buffs. Both women learn to live and learn to love. It is romantic and not just in a sexually intimate way. This story is complex, passionate, engaging and captivating and will make you think and feel along with them.
I received this book for free from SheSpeaks as part of the book club program, but the above review is based on my own opinions and thoughts.
I received this book for free from SheSpeaks as part of the book club program, but the above review is based on my own opinions and thoughts.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The Monuments Men (2014) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
As children, we all imagine going on a treasure hunt or adventure. In The Monuments Men, we bear witness to one of the greatest treasure hunts in recent history. The Monuments Men is based on the true story of a team of Art Historians and Architects who are tasked by President Roosevelt during WWII with locating and rescuing pieces of art from the Nazis. The challenge for these men is that they are put upon this task to search for these artifacts, many of which are trapped behind enemy lines.
It becomes a race not only to find the pieces but to prevent their destruction at the hands of the German Army under orders of Hitler himself. The film demonstrates that culture and history are vital to civilization’s memory. With a war of this scale, The Monuments Men demonstrates one of the many aspects of humanity that was endangered. It also reminds audiences that there are many stories still be told from the World War II era. The performances of Bill Murray, John Goodman, and Bob Balaban outshine that of George Clooney Matt Damon and Cate Blanchett. Despite this being an all-star cast, it does not detract from the story and the way that it is portrayed on screen. Audiences will find themselves emotionally connected to some of the characters, images, and the overall story.
It becomes a race not only to find the pieces but to prevent their destruction at the hands of the German Army under orders of Hitler himself. The film demonstrates that culture and history are vital to civilization’s memory. With a war of this scale, The Monuments Men demonstrates one of the many aspects of humanity that was endangered. It also reminds audiences that there are many stories still be told from the World War II era. The performances of Bill Murray, John Goodman, and Bob Balaban outshine that of George Clooney Matt Damon and Cate Blanchett. Despite this being an all-star cast, it does not detract from the story and the way that it is portrayed on screen. Audiences will find themselves emotionally connected to some of the characters, images, and the overall story.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Jojo Rabbit (2019) in Movies
Aug 17, 2020
Jojo Rabbit- alot of people told me that their liked this movie. From the trailer it looked reallly good. So when i watched it yesterday, i didnt love it, i liked it kinda. Let me explain...
The subject of Nazis and Hitler is a touchy one to say the least, but it's also a subject that is ripe for satire, and one of the many aspects that stands out here, is how Taika Waititi has managed to craft a film that is absolutely hilarious, but never undermines how horrible this part of history was. So the fact that Taika made Hitler funny was kinda weird, strange and also didnt feel right. But at the same time Taika did a excellent job playing Hitler. Its just strange and out of chacter to see hitler funny. Other than that the movie is good.
The plot: Jojo is a lonely German boy who discovers that his single mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their attic. Aided only by his imaginary friend -- Adolf Hitler -- Jojo must confront his blind nationalism as World War II continues to rage on.
The cast is good, the plot is good, like i said its just strange, wired, out of charcter to see hitler funny. The film never shows the darkside of WWII. So thats good. Jojo Rabbit is a good dark comedy film.
The subject of Nazis and Hitler is a touchy one to say the least, but it's also a subject that is ripe for satire, and one of the many aspects that stands out here, is how Taika Waititi has managed to craft a film that is absolutely hilarious, but never undermines how horrible this part of history was. So the fact that Taika made Hitler funny was kinda weird, strange and also didnt feel right. But at the same time Taika did a excellent job playing Hitler. Its just strange and out of chacter to see hitler funny. Other than that the movie is good.
The plot: Jojo is a lonely German boy who discovers that his single mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their attic. Aided only by his imaginary friend -- Adolf Hitler -- Jojo must confront his blind nationalism as World War II continues to rage on.
The cast is good, the plot is good, like i said its just strange, wired, out of charcter to see hitler funny. The film never shows the darkside of WWII. So thats good. Jojo Rabbit is a good dark comedy film.
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Silver Orphan in Books
May 10, 2018
I was sent this book in exchange for a review. It took me a long time to read this book. A lot longer than I thought. It was very hard to get through the first half especially. While this book was a great idea, the execution of it was not very good.
Brooke Blake is a young beautiful drug-rep, whose only concern is herself. One day when stopped to avoid an elderly man from stepping into traffic, he steps into her car. Thus begins a very unusual relationship between Brooke and Frank Moretti. As Brooke becomes Frank's personal assistant, Frank becomes Brooke's history teacher. Trips to the grocery store and the bank are what most of their days entail. Talks of Frank's past and Brooke's present dominate the conversation.
When Frank passes away, Brooke is left with the task of claiming his body from the morgue and finding his next of kin.
I think this book may have been better written as a memoir. I did learn a lot from this book about WWII history so in that regard I liked it. Before I started reading this book I recommended it to my mom's senior center book club. After reading, I'm not so sure. The book didn't flow very smoothly, at times it was wordy and the word, extirpate was used too many times. These things may all be corrected in editing and I'd be interested to skim through the finished published product.
Brooke Blake is a young beautiful drug-rep, whose only concern is herself. One day when stopped to avoid an elderly man from stepping into traffic, he steps into her car. Thus begins a very unusual relationship between Brooke and Frank Moretti. As Brooke becomes Frank's personal assistant, Frank becomes Brooke's history teacher. Trips to the grocery store and the bank are what most of their days entail. Talks of Frank's past and Brooke's present dominate the conversation.
When Frank passes away, Brooke is left with the task of claiming his body from the morgue and finding his next of kin.
I think this book may have been better written as a memoir. I did learn a lot from this book about WWII history so in that regard I liked it. Before I started reading this book I recommended it to my mom's senior center book club. After reading, I'm not so sure. The book didn't flow very smoothly, at times it was wordy and the word, extirpate was used too many times. These things may all be corrected in editing and I'd be interested to skim through the finished published product.
Booksnthreads (19 KP) rated Salt to the Sea in Books
Jun 4, 2018
So, I’ve just finished reading all three novels nominated for the YA category of the California Young Reader Medal. The first two I read kind of left me feeling “meh,” so I was all set to be unimpressed with this one as well. I’m so delighted to tell you that I was wrong.
The story is told from the perspectives of four different characters, and I loved how Sepetys begins the narrative by telling of the same opening event from each character’s view point. After that, things unfold a little slowly, but it is completely worth it as you approach the climax…by that time, I was completely invested in each of the characters and was absolutely riveted to what was happening to them.
I’m also terribly impressed that Sepetys tackles telling a story from the “wrong” side (Germans during WWII), painting the characters not as the accepted “evil” caricatures but as real human beings caught up in a horrific war. In doing so, she sheds light on a human tragedy that so few of us know anything about (myself included) because it happened to the Germans as they were losing the war.
I will warn potential readers that the end of this novel does get rather graphic and emotionally wrenching, as you would expect in a novel about war and death. Although writing for a young adult audience, Sepetys does not gloss over the terror, panic, and trauma of the events.
The story is told from the perspectives of four different characters, and I loved how Sepetys begins the narrative by telling of the same opening event from each character’s view point. After that, things unfold a little slowly, but it is completely worth it as you approach the climax…by that time, I was completely invested in each of the characters and was absolutely riveted to what was happening to them.
I’m also terribly impressed that Sepetys tackles telling a story from the “wrong” side (Germans during WWII), painting the characters not as the accepted “evil” caricatures but as real human beings caught up in a horrific war. In doing so, she sheds light on a human tragedy that so few of us know anything about (myself included) because it happened to the Germans as they were losing the war.
I will warn potential readers that the end of this novel does get rather graphic and emotionally wrenching, as you would expect in a novel about war and death. Although writing for a young adult audience, Sepetys does not gloss over the terror, panic, and trauma of the events.
Robert Englund recommended 1900 (Novecento) (1977) in Movies (curated)
BookInspector (124 KP) rated Hank Brodt Holocaust Memoirs: A Candle and a Promise in Books
Sep 24, 2020
For me, it is always incredibly sad to read holocaust memoirs or any memoirs related to concentration camps. The amount of suffering it has brought to the innocent people, it is hard to comprehend.
The description of this book is pretty accurate. This book is a story of a poor polish- Jewish boy called Hank, and how he survived the Holocaust. The story starts with Hank’s childhood to post survival activities. After being taken to the concentration camp, Hank did not stay for long in one place, he was transported many times to different camps, and he shared the events he had to endure and people he met.
The book is accompanied by plenty of photos of different events, different concentration camps which Hank was transported to, and also pictures of Hank’s family. I loved the short chapters, and I finished this memoir in one sitting. For me it was gripping and I really wanted to find out what happened next after each chapter. So, to conclude, I am very happy that Hank had a chance to survive and shared his experiences with all the readers. It was a horrible period in human history, and I believe that it should not be left forgotten. So, if you into WWII books, give this book a go, it is a chilling read, filled with pain and sorrow, but it shows, that even in the worst of times, some people can still keep their kindness.
The description of this book is pretty accurate. This book is a story of a poor polish- Jewish boy called Hank, and how he survived the Holocaust. The story starts with Hank’s childhood to post survival activities. After being taken to the concentration camp, Hank did not stay for long in one place, he was transported many times to different camps, and he shared the events he had to endure and people he met.
The book is accompanied by plenty of photos of different events, different concentration camps which Hank was transported to, and also pictures of Hank’s family. I loved the short chapters, and I finished this memoir in one sitting. For me it was gripping and I really wanted to find out what happened next after each chapter. So, to conclude, I am very happy that Hank had a chance to survive and shared his experiences with all the readers. It was a horrible period in human history, and I believe that it should not be left forgotten. So, if you into WWII books, give this book a go, it is a chilling read, filled with pain and sorrow, but it shows, that even in the worst of times, some people can still keep their kindness.
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated Ip Man (2010) in Movies
Sep 19, 2020
My undying love for martial arts films relinquishes me my right to justifiably dislike this rather disappointing experience. Don't get me wrong, it's a rock-solid actioner filled with crunchy, brute fight sequences that always left me with a big, dumb grin on my face - choreographed to blissful perfection. But I just can't with the rest of it man, I'd be lying if I said it didn't have its moments but does every one of these mopey WWI/WWII films have to be so lusterless and conventional? I found the melodrama here to be particularly dry, simple, and flat - seemingly inert - at *least* 17 minutes too long. Feels like a clunkier and cheaper riff of Jet Li's 𝘍𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 but more repetitive and way less exciting, even the fights start to wear as it continues to slug on. Donnie Yen carries it well and almost personally saves it from mediocrity, I'm really sure this means well but I feel like I've seen this film fifty times - thank Lord for the A-class martial arts because the war stuff has the same invasive yet stagnant existence as a much less visually accomplished 𝘔𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘪𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘎𝘦𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘢. To me this feels like an inexperienced director's first movie (even though it isn't, apparently) but then Yen comes in and beats the shit out of people with a hilariously long bamboo stick and everything is okay again.
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated The Guest (2014) in Movies
Sep 20, 2020
You'd believe this purposefully sidesteps its possible themes or commentary on the adverse effects on war and a government that will sooner do shady things to save a microscopic smidgen of face rather than its own supposed heroes (though it still does a vastly superior job of showcasing them than most autopilot, sleep-inducing, reductive, and recycled WWII movies as of late), hell it hardly even sets up its own backstory let alone the potential depth of it all... but also who *really* cares when the resulting product is a legitimately balls-to-the-wall, terminally fun blast of awesome sauce like this? Wingard is the fucking man, the amount of directors I'd excuse a plot execution as flawed as this for I could probably count on one hand but the sheer lunacy of this unrestrained pulp powerhouse is more than enough evidence of his gift for unforgettable roller coasters of trash. This all - of course - would be next to nothing if not fueled by Dan Stevens in one of my new favorite performances of all time as a re-educated government massacre machine who behaves more like an inherently hostile alien body snatcher than a human being. Pair it with some cerebral editing, point-blank violence, real propaganda era-esque nuclear camerawork, Lance Reddick, and one of the most euphorically implemented soundtracks in all of film and it was impossible for this to ever fail from the get-go. Loved every second of it.
BookInspector (124 KP) rated Berlin Calling in Books
Sep 24, 2020
I am quite a bit of a fan, when it comes to books about World War II, add women in it, and I’m intrigued. That was what drew me to this book, a woman figure in the context of war and not just woman, a foreigner. The description above, describes this novel quite well. It started with very romantic notes, how Maggie met Kurt, and how she ended up in Berlin, landing a job in Propaganda House. Maggie is very interesting character in this book, and I really loved her in this novel. She is beautiful, pleasant to be around, incredibly hard working and independent. I’m kind of used to these disturbed characters which are used in most of the books, and it was very refreshing to read about one, who is not mentally or emotionally messed up. Other characters were interesting to read about as well, and all of them where quite the personalities. I really enjoyed, that author did not make this book from one characters perspective, and included most of the characters by allowing them to speak. This made the book more pleasant to read, and more interesting.
The plot of this book was really absorbing, and different from most of the WWII books I read. Normally, I encountered the books, which used to describe the tragedy of war, such as concentration camps or Jew’s killings, and their fighting for survival. This book was softer on that part, it mentioned the cruelties’ which happened during the war, but never in so much detail to make it stomach turning. It was written more about the political aspects of it, and how German propaganda was used to influence people from other countries. It’s been a while since I studied history of WWII, and I studied from different countries’ perspective, so to see how it looked from Germany's perspective was quite appealing. I think that author was trying to show, how Germans thought about this war and why most of them supported what Hitler was doing.
I am a big fan of short chapters, and this book didn’t disappoint me with that. The chapters were divided into smaller parts, which made it more pleasant to read. Every chapter was quite detailed, but the meaning and the point of that chapter was very lovely opened, and concluded for the reader. The story was flowing nicely and smoothly. I believe Author has a great personal knowledge about war, and used it greatly in this book. There was a little bit of monotony while reading this book, and lack of twists and turns, that would’ve make it more exciting. The language used was not difficult and easy to read, but I had to look up some German terms used in this book, as I’m not familiar with the language. The ending of the book was really entertaining but not complete. I wished more conclusions, and to know what happened to Dieter. To conclude, it is a great book if you looking for World War II stories of war from German perspective, love, and survival.
The plot of this book was really absorbing, and different from most of the WWII books I read. Normally, I encountered the books, which used to describe the tragedy of war, such as concentration camps or Jew’s killings, and their fighting for survival. This book was softer on that part, it mentioned the cruelties’ which happened during the war, but never in so much detail to make it stomach turning. It was written more about the political aspects of it, and how German propaganda was used to influence people from other countries. It’s been a while since I studied history of WWII, and I studied from different countries’ perspective, so to see how it looked from Germany's perspective was quite appealing. I think that author was trying to show, how Germans thought about this war and why most of them supported what Hitler was doing.
I am a big fan of short chapters, and this book didn’t disappoint me with that. The chapters were divided into smaller parts, which made it more pleasant to read. Every chapter was quite detailed, but the meaning and the point of that chapter was very lovely opened, and concluded for the reader. The story was flowing nicely and smoothly. I believe Author has a great personal knowledge about war, and used it greatly in this book. There was a little bit of monotony while reading this book, and lack of twists and turns, that would’ve make it more exciting. The language used was not difficult and easy to read, but I had to look up some German terms used in this book, as I’m not familiar with the language. The ending of the book was really entertaining but not complete. I wished more conclusions, and to know what happened to Dieter. To conclude, it is a great book if you looking for World War II stories of war from German perspective, love, and survival.