Friends, Lovers, Chocolate by Alexander McCall Smith/ Book Review

Book Review

Friends, Lovers, Chocolate

by Alexander McCall Smith

Publication Date: 2004

Publisher: Anchor Books

Genre: Mystery (modern-day)

Rating (1-5): 4

This, which is book #2 in the series was the first one that I read (now I'm going back and reading the first one), and I enjoyed it very much. The character of Isabel is like-able and I quickly grew fond of her and appreciated the philosophical musings that are cropping up all the time, due to her being editor of the Review of Applied Ethics. 

The setting, in Edinburgh, Scotland, is a charming one, and it's fun to get to know the city through Isabel's comings and goings. (I have been to Edinburgh twice and recognize some of the places mentioned, which is nice.) 

I listened to this on audio, as I do many of the books I "read", and I must say that the Scottish accents were such a delight to listen to, the story could have been about anything and I'd have loved it!

While the plot in this particular mystery wasn't resolved to my satisfaction, I still enjoyed it and wasn't able to predict where it was going most of the time. A relaxing and refreshing read, I look forward to exploring the rest of this series.

Annie Hall (1977) Movie Review

MOVIE REVIEW

Annie Hall

Starring: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton
Director: Woody Allen
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Setting: New York City
Length: 93 minutes
Rating: ☆☆☆☆


I first saw this movie when it came out in 1977, so I figured that, as a 16 year old, there were probably a lot of the nuances of this film that I had missed. So I watched it again. I was right. Some of the funniest moments had totally escaped me the first time around. It is classic Woody with all its absurdities and subtleties combined into a very entertaining 93 minutes. Woody is... well, Woody and Diane Keaton is the flighty Annie in her offbeat and endearing counterbalance to Woody. If you haven't seen it for some reason, do it.

In the Company of the Courtesan by Sarah Dunant Book Review

BOOK REVIEW

In the Company of the Courtesan: A Novel

by Sarah Dunant

Publication Date: 2006
Publisher: Random House
Genre: Historical Fiction
# of pages: 320
Rating (1-5): 4.5


Having read and loved Sarah Dunant's The Birth of Venus, I was hoping against hope that this book would be as good. It was, perhaps even better! 

Dunant's novel takes place in 16th century Venice, after Fiametta, a courtesan, aka high-class whore, and her dwarf/servant/accountant Bucino escape from Rome during the sack of Rome in 1527. They have lost almost everything, but Bucino is resourceful and cunning and soon has them set up and in business again in the thriving, throbbing, seething and beautiful city of Venice. But as they make Venice their new home, they also become entangled with several of its citizens who come into their lives in varying ways as the story is expertly woven. 

I loved it because I was not able to tell where the story was going at any one point. The ending was bittersweet but satisfying, and with the final words of the novel I sighed deeply with sadness and wonder at the skill of the writer. If you enjoy historical fiction, take this voyage to the magical city of Venice at a turbulent and fascinating time period with Dunant's vibrant and touchable characters.

The Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamant Book Review

BOOK REVIEW

The Last Days of Dogtown: A Novel

by Anita Diamant

Publication Date: 2005
Most Recent Publisher: Scribner
Genre: Historical Fiction
# of Pages: 288
Rating(1-5): 4


Anita Diamant's The Red Tent was so spectacular, I was fearing this book would be a disappointment. While it didn't rise to the magnificence of that first novel, it was still well worth the read and highly entertaining. The story revolves around several diverse and marginal characters who are the last surviving residents of a dying town on New England's Cape Ann around 1800. Diamant does a wonderful job creating genuine people that I could easily relate to and like or dislike, though even the less appealing individuals had redeeming qualities, as in real life. 

The book transitions from the story of one Dogtown resident to another and doesn't present a main character or a chief challenge or dilemma to be resolved. If someone had described this to me I may have been put off reading the book, but Diamant manages to use this lack of traditional structure to add to the overall feel and theme of the story... the slow dwindling of the hardscrabble last inhabitants of a bleak little village. Nevertheless, the book has both heart-breaking and warm and fuzzy moments that combined to leave me with the feeling of attachment to the people in the story and a sadness for the dying village. 

I would recommend this read to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, particularly about New England, as this engaging book is spiced with the flavor of life in this region of the new nation.

Fiddler on the Roof (1971) Movie Review

Review by co-editor Carl Eastvold

MOVIE REVIEW

Fiddler on the Roof

Starring: Chaim Topol, Norma Crane, Leonard Frey

Director: Norman Jewison

Genre: Musical/Historical

Setting: Jewish Pale/ pre-revolutionary Russia

Length: 181 minutes

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

This movie, with its themes of family, love, and religious tradition, is a classic. Tevya, a small farmer and milkman has five daughters, three of an age to be married.  How the daughters find love is the backbone of the story, while Tevya's ongoing conversation with the Almighty is a close second.

The musical numbers in the movie are incredible and unforgettable.  The Sabbath Prayer will tug at the heart strings of people of any faith, and the bottle dance during the wedding sequence is powerful and unforgettable.  I would not hesitate to watch this movie again and again.  

White Oleander by Janet Fitch Book Review

BOOK REVIEW

White Oleander (Oprah's Book Club)

by Janet Fitch

Publication Date: 1999
Most Recent Publisher: Back Bay Books
Genre: Modern Fiction
# of pages: 480
Rating (1-5): 4

The main character of this unique and engaging story is Astrid Magnusen, a young girl whose disturbed poet mother murders a boyfriend who abandons her by poisoning him with Oleander flowers early in the book. She is sentenced to life in prison, and the fatherless Astrid begins a shuffle from foster home to foster home. In each home she learns difficult life lessons and slowly matures, growing away from the malignant influence of her  mother, year by year. 

In addition to her difficulties, Astrid finds love and caring which present their own problems to a sensitive young woman in search of herself. I listened to this book on audio in my car and found myself looking forward to my next errand so that I could follow the journey of Astrid and learn her ultimate fate. This book was unlike any other I have read and is certainly worth checking out. Pick it up!

Keeping Up Appearances BBC (1990's) Movie Review

MOVIE REVIEW

Keeping Up Appearances - Hyacinth in Full Bloom Set (Vol. 1-4)

Starring: Patricia Routledge, Clive Swift

Genre: TV Comedy
Setting: Suburban England/Contemporary
Rating: ☆☆☆1/2

All right, so I'm a sucker for Brit humor! If you've never seen this BBC television comedy series and you don't mind a bit of silliness, Keeping Up Appearances is worth it for the giggles. Patricia Routledge is uber-obnoxious as Hyacinth Bucket (which she insists is pronounced "bouquet"), and her hen-pecked husband Richard is a riot. This particular collection is one of several, and the whole series can be found on DVD. A good one when you just want to kick back and laugh at something ridiculous!