Thursday, November 7, 2013

Film review: Philomena

What a wonderful film. Powerful, funny, with a light touch on some very serious issues in all the right places. Add to this great characters who use the slightest movement to convey very weighty emotions and the use of silence where words were unnecessary. The result is a movie that  raises awareness of abuse without preaching or removing the authentic feelings of those involved. 

Monday, November 4, 2013

The November Moon has Risen

Wonderful to have a poem in The Moon Magazine, alongside lots of other wonderful pieces of poetry, prose and images ... moonshine to please everyone.

See http://moonmagazine.org/poetry/

I find it so motivating to see my work published, but of course that signals the need to return to the notebook for more words, lines and to the listings for places to send the next poems.

Friday, November 1, 2013

Review The Wasp Factory

A book group book, and our try at something different!Gothic horror as stated on the front cover is an accurate description. Iain Bank’s prose zips along but in a rather formulaic way, as if everything was aimed at the reader learning the reasons for the protagonist's way of life. The only small surprise comes very late and maybe has a hint of being of its time, so  reading it now one loses the edginess perhaps once there. After all, I was reading the 25th anniversary edition.

A slow reveal which I found rather tedious at times –not because of that gothic horror but more because there was such a lot of description  -good description I grant you. but even that can become boring! 

I won’t spoil the end for those who haven’t read the book: it is worth reading for its imaginative qualities, and the logical horror that unfolds 

My next book is a John le Carre  … I’m so looking forward to starting this!