lory_enterenchanted's Reviews (582)

A flood disrupts life in Moominvalley, but brings along an intriguing new home for them -- which turns out to be a theatre. Of course they have to put on a show, which does not turn out as planned but is enjoyed by everybody anyway. A pleasant little diversion.

I came across this during my month of Reading the Theatre on my blog -- it was a good way to learn more about these giants of the musical theatre and about a whole era during which that world completely changed, along with the outer world in which it was embedded. The author did a good job of describing what made the shows special, as well as detailing some flops that we don't hear so much about, and in the end explaining what causes R&H to become a byword for schmaltz and sentimental drivel -- unfairly, he convincingly argues. 

The end of the men's lives was sad cut short as they were by illness, especially for Rodgers, who was an alcoholic and whose personal life was very ethically questionable. The partnership was more of a parallel working than a real co-creation; the two worked largely separately and would make some comments on each other's work, cordial to each other in public but not exactly friends. They seem to have greatly admired each other while neither was sure whether the other really liked him. The details of all the characters behind the scenes was fascinating -- orchestrators really should be given more credit, among others.

A broadly painted Broadway history that gives an excellent overview, even as one feels a bit held at a distance from the subjects. Also made me want to see really good productions of the shows, especially Carousel and South Pacific.

I am sure I had not read this one before, and it was diverting enough, but not particularly distinctive in any way. The inspector getting, uh, up close and personal with a suspect was a bit weird.

Another cute, feel-good YA romance. Millie is an over-the-top and yet believable and relatable character. Her antics are the front for some real emotional work that gets done in the course of the book. I thought her enemy-to-lover foil was a bit too good to be true, but it's a nice dream to have. I only wish there had been some actual theatrical events as part of the story, instead of only talking about putting on her school shows.

Reviews and more on my blog: Entering the Enchanted Castle

Wow. Devastating and so important. This is not just a relational trauma memoir but a record of a spiritual battle, a fight for the grounds of reality itself. A fight in which we will all, at some point, have to make our own stand.

Let me never, never, never try to hold someone hostage to my own world view. That is the genesis of evil.

"I could have my mother's love, but there were terms, the same terms they had offered me three years before: that I trade my reality for theirs, that I take my own understanding and bury it, leave it to rot in the earth." Ch 39

THIS is what the struggle of the “end times” is about, not owning stupid hoards of food and gasoline and guns, but the ability to own your own thoughts, your own understanding, and through them to connect freely with others, not walled off in fearful isolation. The “end” refers to the end of the era when this was not fully in our own hands. Now it is. A terrifying, amazing prospect. And some have made it through, but many others are falling to the temptation to give themselves up, to bury themselves and remain dead rather than risk true life. 

"Once justified, I thought the strangling guilt would release me and I could catch my breath. But vindication has no power over guilt. No amount of anger or rage directed at others can subdue it, because guilt is never about them. Guilt is the fear of one's own wretchedness. It has nothing to do with other people." Ch 40

Book version of Crystal's long-running stage show. Of course it would be more dynamic in action ... but it was a pleasant read, aside from some groan-worthy off-color jokes (but I guess that was the point). Interesting story of Crystal's family background as supporters of jazz musicians and recording artists, who knew? And the comedy was mixed with the moving and tragic, with his father's early death.

Much more personal than the McGrath biography and with lots of interesting quotes and anecdotes. Each view on Lewis gives a different perspective and I think it's necessary to compare several in order to get a picture of this complex man.

Frequently when I read a Golden Age mystery I find myself partway through wondering if I have read it before. I don't know is this is because: A. I have actually read it before, or B. These books tend to be predictable and samey, so that one reminds me of others that I have read and I can't keep them straight. 

I definitely had the feeling with this one; I didn't think I had read it before, but once the denouement began to unfold it began to feel so familiar.

This was a fluently told but rather lightweight biography. It focuses on Lewis's literary life and influence, helpfully placing this in context of outer life events but leaving me feeling as though something was missing. McGrath points out Lewis's strengths, clearly a devoted fan, but is reluctant to dig into his weak points. There is also little real material about many of Lewis's important relationships. It's a short book, so perhaps McGrath felt he didn't have time to go into these details. On the other hand there is a good deal of repetition that could have been pared down, and the Narnia books get two whole chapters without leaving me feeling that much of interest had been said. 

The lengthy discussion of the date of Lewis's conversion gives a plausible alternative date, but in the end it does not seem to matter much. It is interesting that Lewis places this event before his father's death, while McGrath asserts it must have been after, but the impact of that can only be speculative because Lewis apparently did not talk or write about it. When biographers get too much into pet theories that are pure speculation (like Lewis's father's death having been a catalyst for his conversion), it greatly weakens their credibility.

Then Warnie just fades out of the narrative, ending up drunk in Ireland while Lewis is dying...surely there must be more evidence of Lewis's feelings about his brother? The more I think about it, the more unsatisfactory this biography is. It's the biography of a bibliography, rather than of a person.

Can I also express here my annoyance with books that incorporate tons of random quotes from irrelevant sources, as if to assert the author's literacy -- "As Oscar Wilde said..." Why? Just say it yourself, you don't have to include quotations to back up general statements. Learn how to write beautifully yourself, like C.S. Lewis, rather than depending on writers of the past to do it for you. Meanwhile, much more from the source material would have been welcome, Lewis's own letters and the statements of those who knew him.

This was a sweet 1950s high school romance, very G-rated and reminiscent of the Deep Valley books (but even slighter). It was fascinating to read following Cleary's memoirs, as one can see the experiences in her own life that she reworked - going to stay with another family to attend school in California, being unsure how to deal with a boy who pursued but bored her, difficulties in her relationship with her mother. However, Cleary's life was much darker and sadder than this cheerful, sunny book, in which difficulties are quickly overcome and the protagonist ends up feeling like "the luckiest girl" just for having had a chance to love and be loved. She is not a particularly deep or complex character, but her small trials and successes are very human and still relevant even though so much has changed. I think I would have enjoyed this book as a teenager and I'm sorry I never encountered it till now.