My goodreads review:
My rating:
Disclaimer—Marie-Louise is a dear friend and one of the loveliest people I know. She's been a picture book artist and writer for many years, and this is her first junior novel. I'm not even going to pretend to be unbiased—I loved this book and read it in one sitting on a rainy Sunday afternoon with my cats playing tag-team on my lap and a couple of small squares of home-made chocolate fudge to hand. Perfect reading conditions, in other words.
But friendship and personal admiration aside, I really did love this book. It's a classic adventure novel, with ghosts and a type of time travel, but also with a slightly darker contemporary edge. Set in the old mill building where Marie-Louise had her artist's studio for many years, it's the story of 12 year old Jessie, recently moved to Dublin after the death of her father, who stumbles across a bead factory with her dress-designer/maker mother. The bead factory turns out to be a front for a couple of private detectives, who are actually investigating paranormal activity in the building in the shape of a mysterious portal at the top of four steps that lead to a brick wall—and a couple of ghosts.
One of these ghosts is the enormous Greenwood, who was hanged on the site of the building in 1201 and has been trying ever since to solve the riddle of the Timecatcher (a kind of vortex behind the portal where time past continues on), which he accidentally opened before his death.
The other ghost is that of G, a boy about Jessie's age, who died in an accident in the abandoned mill building some forgotten years earlier. G can't remember who he was, which he puts down to the head injury sustained in the accident. G quite likes being a ghost, but is frustrated by his inability to leave the confines of the mill, and remains angry with the friends who left him to die.
Add to the mix the evil spirit of a man hanged alongside Greenwood who is determined to re-enter the Timecatcher and steal the source of its power, chuck in a bit of Viking mythology, a great big whack of Irish history, all in the hands of a writer with great control over her narrative (voice and rather complicated plot) and you end up with a terrifically fast-paced but also intellectually challenging plot for smart kid readers (and others). Enjoy. And think of my friend M-L!
Phillip's calling it Wrestling with Crocs and here's everything you need to know. Contact information at the end. Have fun!________________________________________Wrestling
With Crocs is not a workshop, it is not a place to explore your
feelings in a group setting with writers at various stages in the
process. This is concentrated, intense one-on-one time with a published
and acclaimed author. It’s about getting your work to the stage where no editor can put it down. It’s about getting published yourself.As
a professional writer himself, Phillip takes a hard-nosed attitude to
his craft. To him writing is about getting words down on the page, and
then redrafting, redrafting and more redrafting. At Wrestling
with Crocs, Phillip will be present to mentor, to inspire, to edit and
to advise, making himself available to guests each morning and each
evening and with follow-up communication after departure.
He will be
tough, but honest, in his appraisal of your work. It’s constructive
criticism that moves a work forward not kind words from well-meaning
friends.Throughout the retreat guests will be accommodated at
Villa Kacang, an ideal location for writers,
providing a tranquil space
in a lush tropical surrounding whilst also being in walking distance to
great cafes. As you sit at your desk, wrestling with crocs, it is with
the knowledge that just over the wall there is somebody else doing
exactly the same thing.If you seriously want to write then work with a serious writer. In a seriously beautiful place.What Are The Costs?$1280 for a 7 day retreat.What Does the 7 day Wrestling with Crocs Retreat Include?5
days intensive writing workshops mentored by Phillip Gwynne including a
daily intense morning and evening session of approximately an hour
each. Plus follow up communication via email or phone should you
require. If the work is at a stage where it can be shown to publishers
Phillip will put you in touch with the right people.2 free days for sightseeing, shopping, day spa, surfing, yoga, or relaxation. Accommodation
at Villa Kacang, an inspiring and tranquil villa ideally suited for
(Though the villa has 2 bedrooms and can accommodate extra
guests, it’s important to remember that this is a rigorous writing
program so distractions should be kept to a minimum in order to benefit
fully from the workshop).Daily continental breakfast delivered to the Villa. Optional delicious lunch and dinners to be delivered to the Villa at an extra cost of $20 USD per day. Airport
transfers. The workshop does not include airfares however we look
forward to picking you up from the airport and taking you back again for
your return flight. What Do I Need To Do Before arrival?Email your idea/synopsis/manuscript to Phillip Gwynne so that the workshop process can begin immediately upon your arrival.Tell Me More About Villa Kacang?Villa Kacang is the Villa adjoining Philip’s home. You will share a common wall and a passion for writing. It has:2 air conditioned king-sized bedrooms both with ensuites with
indoor/outdoor showersspeedy
WiFi throughout the villa (though Phillip has some strong views on the
deleterious affect unfettered Internet access can have on the writing
process!)Indovision (cable service with news and movies)Flat screen TV & DVD player (with an excellent array of DVDs)writing desksafety deposit boxa tranquil water feature Buddha (perfect for staring at whilst thinking up plotlines!)swimming poolVisit the Villa Kacang facebook page at
for photos and other guest’s feedback.Additional
nights can be booked at the Villa should you wish to have a holiday
prior to your arrival or at the completion of the workshop.I Need More Information & How Can I book?Phillip
is based in Bali so workshops are being run throughout the year. To
find about availability or for more detailed information please send us a
message:Email: Phone: +62 81 999 88 6438
And it's a nonsense category anyway, made especially so as the term came quickly to be applied to pretty much any novel by a woman about women. And that's when it got REALLY irritating.It drives me insane.Women are not the other and their stories are not a &genre&.To call Leslie Cannold's novel &chick lit& is one of the poorest examples of critical writing I've ever come across. It's dismissive, marginalising, reductive
and lazy. It's not merely technically wrong—how does the book fit the classic chick lit model in any way, shape or form—except for the fact that there's a romance? Or is it just that it's written by a woman—therefore—chick lit! Simple equation. And that's what annoys me the most.
Chapman goes on to acknowledge that it's a book &about ideas&, arguing that characterisation is has been sacrificed to the narrative that explores those ideas. I don't agree with him, at least, not about all the characters—some are more fully drawn than others—but that's not really my point. I don't understand how a book can be tossed off as chick lit in one paragraph, and then criticised for perceived flaws because it's a book about ideas in another.The truth is, a good, well-written review is kind of hard to come by anywhere. The space given to book reviews in mainstream media the world over is shrinking. Maybe that is partly because of the rise of the book blogger—maybe editors think people are getting their information about new books from bloggers and GoodReads and social media. I don't know. Perhaps we just collectively don't care about culture and the exchange of ideas as much any more. What I do know is that if the space for paid/professional critical writing about books is shrinking, then the words in whatever space is left need to be thoughtful, informed and provocative in a meaningful way. And that means people being charged to write about books they have genuinely engaged with—whether or not they like them, at the least, say something about the quality of the writing, the intellectual content of the ideas, the research (where relevant), the beauty of the language. Don't just stick it in a convenient, if irrelevant box and hope no-one notices. And by the way? I've made a call.There's no such thing as chick lit. There are books by women, there are books about women, but a cohesive subset of literature they do not make, any more than books by and about men can be lumped together. So give it a rest. That's all. Oh! Except—this is what the book looks like. Read it yourself, make your own mind up. Cheers.EDITED TO NOTE: Theo Chapman is, apparently a woman (thanks, Angie)—which makes the chick lit comment even weirder, frankly!
Deprecated:
Assigning the return value of new by reference is deprecated in /home/misrule/public_html/s9y/include/plugin_api.inc.php on line 560
Deprecated:
Assigning the return value of new by reference is deprecated in /home/misrule/public_html/s9y/plugins/serendipity_event_spamblock/serendipity_event_spamblock.php on line 464
Deprecated:
Assigning the return value of new by reference is deprecated in /home/misrule/public_html/s9y/plugins/serendipity_event_spamblock/serendipity_event_spamblock.php on line 489
Deprecated:
Assigning the return value of new by reference is deprecated in /home/misrule/public_html/s9y/plugins/serendipity_event_spamblock/serendipity_event_spamblock.php on line 533
Deprecated:
Assigning the return value of new by reference is deprecated in /home/misrule/public_html/s9y/plugins/serendipity_event_spamblock/serendipity_event_spamblock.php on line 87058cv网址导航ISSUU - Mountain View Voice 07.22.2011 - Section 1 by Mountain View Voice
Mountain View Voice 07.22.2011 - Section 1
Mountain View Voice 07.22.2011 - Section 1
Section 1 of the July 22.2011 edition of the Mountain View VoiceISSUU - Voice Magazine 0213 by Voice Magazine For Women
Voice Magazine 0213
Voice Magazine 0213
Voice - magazine for women is the region's first magazine for women! Created for women, by women, about women, and to women! Delivered on the first Friday of each month, Voice Magazine can be found in over 600 places throughout Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia in areas frequented by women.ISSUU - The Tulsa Voice | Vol. 1 No. 2 by The Tulsa Voice
The Tulsa Voice | Vol. 1 No. 2
The Tulsa Voice | Vol. 1 No. 2