The Girl On The Train

On her daily commute into the city Rachel fantasises about a seemingly perfect couple who live in a house that her train passes every day. And then one day she sees something that upsets her perfect fantasy and her life begins to unravel.
Based on the novel by Paula Hawkins, this is a solid and satisfying thriller that keeps you guessing until the end.
The performances from all of the actors are solid and the twists and turns keep you engaged all through the movie.
Highly recommended.

Book Review - Notwithstanding

Notwithstanding

Louis de Bernieres

This collection of short stories is based on the author’s recollection of life growing up in an English village and of a way of life that has pretty much all but disappeared. It’s funny, quirky, eccentric as only the English can be and moving, often all at the same time.

To me it felt like the English weather, covering all the seasons of life. Permeating through all the stories, though, was this sense of loss, not innocence exactly, more of a way of life that was simpler, more connected to people, a community and the land.

A book that pushes the reader to reflect on the passage of their own life.

I highly recommend it.

Run All Night

English: Liam Neeson at the TIFF premiere of The Other Man. Sunday September 7, 2008. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra and stars Liam Neeson and Ed Harris.

Mobster and hit man Jimmy Conlon (Neeson) has one night to figure out where his loyalties lie: with his estranged son, Mike, whose life is in danger, or his long time best friend, mob boss Shawn Maguire (Harris), who wants Mike to pay for the death of his own son.

So, the plot is simplistic, the violence level is high and the two lead actors are pretty much reprising roles they have played several times before - Neeson especially who seems to be caught in this genre.

If you like gangster on gangster, high body count movies then this is great, otherwise it's missable.

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Dior And I

English: Model Chanel Iman on the runway during the Christian Dior Haute Couture fashion show for A/W 2009/10 on July 6, 2009 in Paris, France. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This documentary by Frederic Tcheng is a behind-the-seams glimpse at the making of Rafe Simon's first haute couture collection for Christian Dior in 2012.
Simon has just eight weeks to create his first collection for Dior and we follow him and the Dior team through the creative and 'manufacturing' process.We see how the internal workings of the shop floor operate and how much it is integrated into the creative process. We see the people who make the garments take ownership of the technical aspects of the design in order to make them work.
Interspersed are extracts from Dior's biography which helps bring an historical aspect to the movie as well as reveal the cyclical nature of fashion.
Overall an engaging movie that avoids the glamour in favour of the reality that goes into the fashion collection of the world's premier fashion icon.
Well worth a viewing.

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The Truth About The Harry Quebert Affair by Joel Dicker

English: the forests in new hampshire in autumn (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This is the author (and book) that has been touted as the new European bestseller in the vein of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. 

Written by Swiss author Dicker and set in America, it has garnered lots of accolades even before being translated into English. So what’s it all about?

Thirty-three years ago , fifteen-year-old Nola Kellergan is glimpsed fleeing through the woods, never to be heard from again. According to the plot that was the day Somerset, New Hampshire lost its innocence.

Today Marcus Goldman, successful young novelist is visiting Somerset to see his mentor, Harry Quebert, one of Americas most respected writers, to find a cure for his writers block. But Marcus’s plan ends when Harry is implicated in the cold case murder of Nola Kellergan.

As the national media  convicts Harry, Marcus launches his own investigation, following a trail of clues through Harry’s books, the backwoods and beaches of New Hampshire and the hidden history of Somerset.

I found his to be an interesting read and compelling as the various plot turns unfold using interesting and different ways of treating the storyline. For example scattered through the book are tips that Marcus received from his mentor about how to write – each of which gives a hint of how the next section of the story will unfold.

I did feel though that the author’s ‘voice’ was somewhat naive which maybe attributable to the translation.  Overall though an extremely readable and enjoyable book, one of those that you look for any excuse to pick up (hide to read, if you will!).

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God Is Not Great (How religion poisons everything) by Christopher Hitchens

Christopher Hitchens (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In this book Hitchens even-handedly skewers most of the major religions of the world and also many of the well known religious figures, contemporary as well historical.

To quote the Sydney Morning Herald “This easily the most impressive of the present crop of atheistic and anti-theistic books: clever, broad, witty and brilliantly argued”.

 His primary target are the three major mono-theistic religions in the world with the major target being Christianity. And just reading the chapter headings gives some insight into his arguments. (and I wish I could articulate an argument as succinctly as Hitchens does – any argument).

For example: Chapter Three - A Short Digression on the Pig; or, Why Heaven Hates Ham. Hitchens browses over fish on Fridays before moving onto Judaism and Islamic hatred of pigs and managed to bring in a discussion on Animal Farm and its banning in all Muslim countries and the irony thereof.

And; Chapter Nine – The Koran Is Borrowed from Both Jewish and Christian Myths

Then; Chapter Thirteen – Does Religion Make People Behave Better

 And lastly; Chapter Sixteen – Is Religion Child Abuse?

I think you get the idea.  Hitchens argues against religion and for a secular life based on science and  reason, and calls for a renewed enlightenment based on the proposition that the proper study of mankind is man, and woman. And further that we no longer depend on a few heroic souls but that today  it is within the reach of the average person.

Read this, or not, it’s your choice.

Highly recommended 

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Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

Thomas Cromwell, chancellor of Henry VIII (Photo credit: lisby1)

England in the 1520s is a heartbeat from disaster. If the king dies without a male heir the country could be destroyed by civil war. Henry VIII wants to annul his marriage of twenty years and marry Anne Boleyn. The pope and most of Europe oppose him. The quest for the petulant king’s freedom destroys his advisor, the brilliant Cardinal Wolsey and leaves a power vacuum and a deadlock.

Into this impasse steps Thomas Cromwell the son of a blacksmith, a political genius, a briber, a bully and a charmer. Cromwell has broken all the rules of a rigid society in his rise to power and is prepared to break some more as he picks his way deftly through a court where ‘man is wolf to man’. Pitting himself against parliament, the political establishment and the papacy he is prepared to reshape England to his own and Henry’s desires.

Mantel ‘s approach I found interesting as she delves into the thought processes of Cromwell as he copes with court intrigues, political manoeuvring and also personal disasters. We see through his eyes what life may have been like in Henry’s reign and also his thoughts about the part he played, his plans and schemes and his views on the historical figures of the time. I particularly liked his take on Anne Boleyn, who she was as person/character.

So it’s a large book and easy to read. If you are interested in history, politics and how life was lived in the time of Henry VIII this book is for you.

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