Book and Movie Reviews
The Other
Boleyn Girl, by Philippa Gregory
Heroines and
Harlots by David Cordingly
A
Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens
Pirates of
the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
The Other Boleyn Girl, by Philippa Gregory
The Other Boleyn Girl, by Philippa Gregory, is one of the best historical novels I have read for quite some time.
It follows the story of Mary Boleyn, the
sister of Anne Boleyn. Some people may
not realize that Anne Boleyn’s sister had an affair with King Henry VIII before
Anne married him. I have often wondered
what she thought during Anne’s marriage and eventual beheading. The novel is told in the first-person and it
provides one possibility for what Mary Boleyn may have thought and done during
this time.
The book is very well-researched and it
gives us many details about life in the court of King Henry VIII. I hope that it will encourage readers to find
out more about King Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and King Henry VIII’s
court.
Philippa Gregory is a very gifted writer. She brings history to life, but does it
through very well-written and interesting stories.
Because the story was told from the point of
view of Mary Boleyn, it offered a different perspective on King Henry VIII and
Anne Boleyn. King Henry VIII is often
shown as a tyrant, but Gregory presents him more as a spoilt child. Anne Boleyn is presented as selfish and ambitious
and a very disagreeable character. I
quite liked seeing this representation of Anne.
It is nice to read a work of fiction that presents her as something
other than a victim of fate.
I think it was also nice to have a happy
ending to an otherwise bleak story.
Although Anne still died, Mary Boleyn had her happy ending. I won’t say why it was happy, because that
would give away the story.
The only thing I would change about this
book is that I would have liked to have seen more of Mary’s thoughts when Anne
died.
I recommend this book to everyone who likes
historical fiction, particularly to those people who are interested in King
Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn or anyone who enjoys a good historical read.
Buy
this book from Amazon: The Other Boleyn Girl, by Philippa Gregory
Other
books by Philippa Gregory
Books
about Anne Boleyn and King Henry VIII at Amazon
Henry VIII And
Anne Boleyn Observed By Queen Katherine, 1870
Stone, Marcus
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Heroines and Harlots: Women at Sea in the Great Age of Sails, by David Cordingly
Heroines and Harlots, by David Cordingly, is an interesting book that discusses women and
the sea in the 17th and 18th centuries.
It discusses women who posed as
boys to go to sea (including a great tale about two women posing as boys on the
same pirate ship) and women who went to sea with their husbands (including some
who took command of the ship when their husband was unable to command). But it also goes further than this. The book looks at women on land whose
husbands were at sea, women who worked in lighthouses and sailors who had many
affairs with women. There is a wonderful
section on Lady Emma Hamilton and Nelson, too.
The book discusses these topics
in general terms, but also goes deeper by discussing certain people and
incidences in greater detail. It are these individual stories that really make the book come
alive.
Heroines and Harlots was a joy
to read. It is written in simple
language and does not get bogged down in too much detail (so that you don’t
need to be a historian to appreciate the book).
It was a wonderful easy read that I found hard to put down.
Buy
this book from Amazon: Heroines and Harlots, by David Cordingly
Other
books by David Cordingly
Venus Anadyomene,
or Venus of the Sea, 1838
Chasseriau,
Theodore
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Anne Bonny Pirate Action Figure
Every Christmas I say I will
reread A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, and this past Christmas I
actually did it.
Nobody needs reminding of the
story of A Christmas Carol. We all know
the tale of Scrooge and his visits by the Ghost of Christmas Present, the Ghost
of Christmas Past and the Ghost of Christmas Future. Even for those who have never read the book,
the story has been retold in many different forms and at least three versions
make their appearance on our television screens each Christmas.
So why has this little tale
proved to be so popular? I think it’s
because Scrooge is such a memorable character and we all know someone we like
to think of as a Scrooge. And, let’s be
honest, we would like them to change. A
Christmas Carol touches the desires of all of us to show people what they are really
like and have them change for the better.
And Scrooge is also one of those characters that seem to be likeable
even when they’re easy to dislike.
I think this book is still worth
reading, even though we know the story.
It is a very small book. I read
it in its entirety on Christmas Eve. It
is also very easy to read. Some
classics, I feel, are difficult for the modern reader because our tastes and
expectations are different from those of the past. But because A Christmas Carol was written
quickly by Dickens, and kept short, it will pose no problems to readers of
today.
Besides being a great tale, A
Christmas Carol also gives us an insight into the way Christmas was celebrated
in Victorian society. Don’t wait until
Christmas to read it!
Buy
this book from Amazon: A Christmas Carol, by Charles
Dickens
Books
by and about Charles Dickens
Mr Fezziwig's
Ball, from 'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens (1812-70) 1843
Leech, John
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this Giclee Print at AllPosters.com
There are three words for
Pirates of the
The movie is about the pirate
ship, The Black Pearl, which suffers from a curse after stealing some Aztec
gold. The curse will be lifted when all
the gold is returned and some Turner blood is spilled. Meanwhile, Jack Sparrow (who used to command
the Black Pearl) wants to get his ship back and Will Turner (who has the Turner
blood in him) wants to rescue Elizabeth Swann, who has been taken by The Black
Pearl. There are many twists and turns
and minor storylines that keep this movie entertaining.
The characters are all
interesting and entertaining (and even the baddies are likeable). Keira Knightly
plays the beautiful Elizabeth Swann, and I can’t think of anyone who would have
suited this role better. Orlando Bloom
plays Will Turner. Jack Davenport plays Norrington, who wants
But in my opinion the character
that makes this movie extra special is Jack Sparrow, played by Johnny Depp. Jack Sparrow
is a pirate, but he has to be the most likeable pirate I have ever seen in any
movie. He is entertaining and funny and
it is a joy to watch him.
Pirates of the
See my Pirates of the
Caribbean Links Page
Buy
this DVD from Amazon: Pirates of the Caribbean, The
Curse of the Black Pearl
Pirates of The
Buy
this Poster at AllPosters.com
Pirates of the Caribbean 7-inch Action Figure Set
It stars Brad Pitt as Achilles,
Eric Bana as Hector and Orlando Bloom as
Although I had heard of the
Trojan war, I didn’t know too much about it. I spent a lot of time during the movie saying
“Of course, that’s where we get that saying from”. However, I did spend the whole movie wondering
where Achilles heel came into play. I
came up with some very crazy ideas before I saw what happened.
All in all, it was a good movie,
but not great. I found the characters of
Paris, Achilles and Helen of Troy very hard to like. And, in my opinion, none of the characters
were particularly enjoyable to watch.
I was also quite disappointed,
while watching the special features on the DVD, to hear that they are made
everything in bigger proportions than it would have appeared in real life. For instance, the Trojans had 10 foot statues,
but they made 40 foot statues. I would
prefer to see more attention to historical accuracy.
Buy
this DVD from Amazon: Troy
Buy
Homer's The Iliad from Amazon
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Little House on the
Prairie (2004 Mini-series)
Little House on the
Prairie (2004 Mini Series)
I was a child in the
1980s, and by then I already loved history, so Little House on the Prairie
quickly became one of my favourite shows. It
was interesting to see this 2004 version of a story that I had loved as a
child.
I can't say that it
touched me in quite the same way as the original television series, starring
Melissa Gilbert, did. Perhaps that is also because I am a little
older. But I also think it's because the time and the format did not
allow me to become as engaged with the characters.
I thought Kyle Chavarria made a great Laura Ingalls.
She had that wonderful cheeky, but adorable, look that Melissa Gilbert
also had when she played Laura in the original television series.
And Danielle Chuchran had that 'good and sweet' look
that you expect from someone playing Mary. I did not think Cameron
Bancroft, playing Charles Ingalls, and Erin Cottrall, playing Caroline Ingalls,
were quite so well casted. But that may be
because I expected them to look like the actors in the original television
series.
I have never read
the books by Laura Ingalls Wilder and so I cannot
compare the television series with the books. I have been meaning to read
them for quite some time, but somehow never got around to it.
One scene that
always stuck in my mind from the original television series,
was when Mr Edwards taught Laura how to spit. I
am so glad they kept that in.
I found some of the
cinematography a bit annoying. It would frequently focus on one thing,
and then move to the focus to another thing, and then blur everything and play
some really moving music. I almost felt as if the director was trying to
hard to create a film, instead of just telling a story. I think when the
filming of a movie makes you think about the cameras and the directors, then it is not really doing its job. I prefer movies
and television series (especially one about characters that we already know and
love) to sweep you up in the story and make you forget that you are sitting in
front of a television screen. I could never do that with the miniseries.
I do think it was a
good mini-series, and I would gladly watch it again. But I am afraid I
still prefer the original television series. I have already made plans to
borrow it on DVD.
