The Golden Rose

I just love this painting by Donato Giancola

The Little Friend- Book Review

THE LITTLE FRIEND

By Donna Tartt

Yesterday I finished my second Donna Tartt book, ‘The little friend’. This book made a great read and I would've rated it higher, only the ending left me feeling a bit let down. Tartt's writing takes me easily to a place and time that consists of Mississippi heat, chattering old ladies and a sadness that lingers after a child’s death years ago. The rich, captivating writing quickly summoned me into the characters worlds in the same way Tartt did in her first novel ‘The Secret History’. However, with ‘The secret history’ I knew where the book was heading. I didn’t know how it would end, but I felt the build up throughout and eventually when the climax reached its height. With ‘The little friend’ I thought I knew where the book was headed but instead of a climax, I was brought down and left perplexed; was the crime not to be solved after all? I read a lot of reviews on Goodreads and it could be argued I missed the actual point of the book. Though the book expresses itself as a murder mystery/thriller, the actual crime that takes place is not the issue to be resolved. I found this very hard to get my head around because when a book opens with a murder and unfolds itself as subject waiting to be resolved, naturally I want a resolve by the ending. Actually I was reminded of the recent film ‘Prisoners’ when reading this book. Firstly because of the horrific subject of child abuse/murder and secondly because of the sequences involving snakes. Both film and book left me in a very similar resolve and though I enjoyed them, I felt unsure where to place my emotions (which is rare for me). Am I being challenged in a new way because I am watching/reading new types of thrillers? Or is the nature of these books and films to feel numb by the finish? I will read Donna Tartt’s ‘The Goldfinch’ because though ‘The little friend’ disappointed me a little, I still felt very connected to the narratives and characters. There were some beautiful sequences, particularly those involving Harriet and her quest to become like the Great Houdini. Whilst training to hold her breath for 3 minutes, Harriet embarked on a fantastic vision/hallucination that took her body from conscious space to bizarre theatre hall with animal audiences and magician illusionist. The main aspects of character and human behaviour were explored in a plentiful way that contrasted noise with silence. A chorus of sound was conveyed through the warmth and fussiness of the aunts and the constant hum of Ida Rhew. This was then met with an extended interval of silence that found Harriet bleakly alone with her own thoughts in a silent house. Everything constant about the house slowly glided away until only a drifting mother remained, like a ghost in her sadness. I can only guess that the ending felt the way it did, because it was mimicking the unresolved feelings and limp emotions an unexplained death will bring. Like Harriet, we are left in the same indefinite void.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

3 Days in Dublin

 My mum and I spent 3 lovely days in Dublin in October. For mum, she was returning home. 

For me, a place I had spent many summers as a child. Only now, I was fully able to appreciate the charm and beauty of  Dublin city and the people who inhabit it.  

Ireland has a certain magic, rooted in its legends and tales. A certain quality of the delightfully odd and eccentric .... in Ireland you get a feeling anything could happen! 

Valley of the Dolls

Valley of the Dolls

This book is still relevant in 2013, wonderfully scandalous and incredibly theatrical.
I'm always interested in books that give insight into woman's affairs, especially ones
that date back, and I can imagine how extravagant this book was percieved when it
was released in the 60's. Scandelous, yes, but also incredibly insightful, considering
Susann herself had been in the movie industry. Told from the point of view of three
beautiful women living in New York, you get a real insight into the bitchy,
glamorous and often tragic life of movie stars and women. A woman must chose
to sacrifice her integrity and morals for the money and fame, or try to stay grounded.

Staying grounded however, proves harder than one would think.
 Slick, savvy and an enjoyable read

Grouse Mountain

 I visited Grouse Mountain and took loads of wonderful photos which I have yet to upload on here! I did several drawings of the day I'd had and only recently did I finish painting one of them. I like the finished piece alot because it reminds me of the lumberjack show and how funny yet impressive that show was. With me being English also, Ive never seen a lumberjack show so the whole event felt very Canadian! Photos of the bears and bird show to follow soon!

Marky

I lost someone very special... 

but she has remained in my heart and dreams and recently I tried to make an illustration of this darling woman. The drawing did not turn out how I was imagining. Really, it was impossible to capture the magic of her smile and the cluttered but brilliant kitchen. I tried and in some ways its nice because this picture reminds me of some of the things I miss. But I will try again and hope I can keep her memory alive with such illustrations xxx

Vulcan

 The town of Vulcan is a vibrant and proud community situated in rural Alberta which we visited.

Even though I have never seen Star Trek, I could still appreciate the bizarre little town and could only imagine how much joy it would bring to a visiting 'Trekkie'.

'Capitalizing on this coincidence, the town has built a Star Trek–themed tourist station (the Tourism and Trek Station), which provides tourist information, displays Star Trek memorabilia, provides unique photo opportunities. The town has also created space-themed murals and signs, and hosts an annual community-wide Star Trek convention known as "Spock Days". This convention attracts hundreds of Star Trek fans from around the world^'

Summer in Alberta part 2

 Alberta felt like everything I had been expecting. The largest railway stretched across Lethbridge and a rare glimpse of an old train chugging across it made this impressive landmark even more so. 

 We visited the largest tepee in Medicine Hat and took in the badlands and rising hills (coolies) that surrounded us. Natasha and Mitch lived in a darling house with a red door. their basement film room made a perfect setting for watching films, two we watched were 'a time to kill' and 'patch adams' (both which Id never seen previously but enjoyed). 

The stretch of bars along lethbridge make a great night out. the smokie stand for late night snacks attracted alot of visitors as did the Top Hat club.

Unfortunately I saw less cowboys than Id hoped for but I did get to visit a cowboy bar and saw many horses grazing. 

we made lots of new acquaintances in Alberta and loved seeing our halloween buddies once more!!

September in Alberta part 1

We met Mitch and Natasha in B.C on Halloween. Ever since, we have been friends and on Sept 11th we went to visit them in Alberta. Alberta is known for its cattle industry, farming and oil. The place we visited was called Lethbridge. Jack rented a car and we drove 14 hours through the Canadian rockies. they were breathtaking! 

 We drove through Banff on the way and I felt very close to it since I had seen so many photos of Marilyn Monroe there in August 1953. 

 We arrived in Alberta at 10pm. We had set out around 4.30am that morning so we felt great to finally be able to stretch our legs and be off the road. We had taken many stops ofcourse (plenty of tim hortons). 

The next day, we went to Medicine Hat to meet Mitch. It was here we saw the largest ever tepee!

we also saw the pinto potato man or bean man (whoever he is??)

 

Mitch and Natasha have 3 cats, but this is Mr.Buttons and I loved how fixed he was on this special lookout post. Dreamily, looking out of the window of his new house... watching the world go by

 

We visited beautiful Waterton with Its rich mountains and fresh sea air. We stood by the river and watched as the glistening blue water travelled by off into the distant mountains.

12 Monkeys

I just watched ’12 Monkeys’ the other night, but had to post here how good it was.

Knowing this was a Terry Gilliam film and expecting a visual treat, I went into the film a little skeptical about how much Id enjoy the action/sci fi aspect of the plot. Turns out I loved the plot; it was engrossing, intelligent and unpredictable (for me anyway). The film felt familiar, which was the perfect atmosphere for a story about memory, repetition and time. Brad Pitt’s jittery mental patient was impressively thrilling. The crazy eyes were amazing!

I have to watch the film again to fully understand the story and see little bits I missed on my first watch- but I’m excited to do so.

 

Being There

After enjoying the film ‘Harold and Maude’ so much, I promised myself to see more films by Hal Ashby. Nearly 2 years later, and I managed to see my second Ashby film ‘Being There’. 

‘Being there’ stars the comical Peter Sellers, who works as a gardener in a big house. When the owner of the house dies, Seller’s character ‘Chaucy’ is forced to leave and find a new place to stay/work. We relise, Chaucy is a bit strange and socially awkward at this point, but it is not clear just how much so.

Chaucy Gardener is a man of few words. He is completely content with a quiet fondness for everything and everyone. It is the simple pleasures that occupy this kind mans life. I don’t want to give anything away, but I think this film is very clever and hints throughout at Chacy’s role. The woman Eve who tempts him in the bedroom and the way he is connected to nature. Innocence is definitely a key theme in this film and it is beautifully communicated!

I love slow films that inhabit a placid pace throughout and this film defiantly had this composition. 

(It was actually my third Ashby film as I recently found out he directed the film ‘shampoo’ that Id seen many years ago. Sadly, ‘Shampoo’ proved to be a great disappointment actually, which was surprising considering it stared the brilliant Goldie Hawn!)