Once upon a time, I didn’t really “get” the women’s suffrage movement until my history professor from years ago shared a quote by a militant Suffragette:
“Our hearts burn within us when we read the great mottoes which celebrate the liberty of your country; when we go to France and we read the words, liberty, fraternity, and equality, don’t you think that we appreciate the meaning of those words? And when we wake to the knowledge that these things are not for us, they are only for our brothers, then there comes a sense of bitterness into the hearts of some women, and they say to themselves, “Will men never understand?” – Emmeline Pankhurst (1858-1928)
I love it when the things I studied at university come to life on screen.
The foot soldiers of the early feminist movement, women who were forced underground to pursue a dangerous game of cat and mouse with an increasingly brutal State..
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TESTAMENT OF YOUTH (2015)
During World War I, a young English woman named Vera Brittain, postpones her studies at Oxford University to serve as a Voluntary Aid Detachment nurse in London and abroad. After the war she returns to Oxford to read history and later becomes a writer, feminist and pacifist.
Summary: In late 18th-century, Ross Poldark returns to his Cornish tin mines after spending three years in the army to avoid charges of smuggling, leaving behind his sweetheart Elizabeth. On his return, having fought in the American War of Independence, he finds his father dead, his estate in ruins and Elizabeth engaged to his cousin Francis. In need of help he takes on a new kitchen maid, Demelza, after rescuing her from a beating bringing him into conflict with hostile locals.
Episode 1 Recap:
The episode opens with Ross Poldark fighting a losing battle in the American Revolution. When the war ends, he returns to Cornwall, England, with a scar on his face and a wounded leg.
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During the journey home, he pretends to be asleep while he listens to the whispers among people who have recognized him. Ross learns that his father–the libertine–is dead, and that he has inherited the ancient Poldark land. Continue reading →
I’m going to try to finish reading 30 books by the end of 2015 (rather than reading the first chapter of each before tossing ’em aside, which has become my bad reading habit).
With this in mind, I picked up Joseph Boyden’s THROUGH BLACK SPRUCE and finished it a few days ago.
(1 book down, 29 more to go)
Summary:This is the story of two immensely compelling characters: Will Bird, a legendary Cree bush pilot who lies comatose in a remote Ontario hospital; and Annie Bird, Will’s niece, a beautiful loner and trapper who has come to sit beside her uncle’s bed.
Broken in different ways, the two take silent communion in their unspoken kinship, revealing a story rife with heartbreak, fierce love, ancient feuds, mysterious disappearances, murders, and the bonds that hold a family, and a people, together.
What I disliked: Throughout the first 80 pages or so, I set the book aside several times, my heart wandering to other books. Those 80-ish pages…I found to be really draggy. The plot didn’t seem to be going anywhere. But I read on because I enjoyed the writing style.
What I liked: Once I reached the second quarter of the book, the story picked up and packed some really good emotional punches.
As I read on, the two narrative voices that initially seemed unrelated started intersecting together into a poignant tale of family, love and healing. From page 80 onwards, I found myself furiously underlining the many beautiful passages.
Favorite Passage: “When I die, nieces, I want to be cremated, my ashes taken up in a bush plane and sprinkled onto the people in town below. Let them think my body is snowflakes, sticking in their hair and on their shoulders like dandruff.”
I recommend this book if you’re:
into stories about family healing
into books that give a sense of community
interested in magical realism
have a thing for indigenous literature
tired of the city and want to escape into the haunting & majestic wilderness of Canada
LOVED this book, and now I’m leaving it for Kate Morton’s THE FORGOTTEN GARDEN or Ha Jin’s MAP OF BETRAYAL while I wait for The Book (Winston Graham’s ROSS POLDARK) to arrive in the mail (I want to read the book before watching the BBC adaptation!).
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On a different note, I discovered the TV series ANNO 1790. I really want to watch it but can’t find a subtitled version *le sigh*
Based on the literary classic by Thomas Hardy, FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD is the story of independent, beautiful and headstrong Bathsheba Everdene (Carey Mulligan), who attracts three very different suitors: Gabriel Oak (Matthias Schoenaerts), a sheep farmer, captivated by her fetching willfulness; Frank Troy (Tom Sturridge), a handsome and reckless Sergeant; and William Boldwood (Michael Sheen), a prosperous and mature bachelor. This timeless story of Bathsheba’s choices and passions explores the nature of relationships and love – as well as the human ability to overcome hardships through resilience and perseverance.
PAN (2015)
Offering a new take on the origin of the classic characters created by J.M. Barrie, the action adventure follows the story of an orphan who is spirited away to the magical Neverland. There, he finds both fun and dangers, and ultimately discovers his destiny—to become the hero who will be forever known as Peter Pan.
IN THE HEART OF THE SEA (2015)
In the winter of 1820, the New England whaling ship Essex was assaulted by something no one could believe: a whale of mammoth size and will, and an almost human sense of vengeance. The real-life maritime disaster would inspire Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick. But that told only half the story. “In the Heart of the Sea” reveals the encounter’s harrowing aftermath, as the ship’s surviving crew is pushed to their limits and forced to do the unthinkable to stay alive. Braving storms, starvation, panic and despair, the men will call into question their deepest beliefs, from the value of their lives to the morality of their trade, as their captain searches for direction on the open sea and his first mate still seeks to bring the great whale down. Based on the book In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick.
BELOVED SISTERS (2014)
n 18th century Weimar, devoted aristocratic sisters Caroline and Charlotte fall in love with Friedrich Schiller, a rebellious poet taking the literary world by storm. Soon their journey of shared passion and creativity inspires a ménage-a-trois that invigorates and complicates their entire world. Germany’s official Oscar submission, this sweeping yet intimate romantic drama illuminates two bold women and one of classical literature’s most celebrated figures with charm and contemporary energy.
The drama unfolds over four consecutive days as the fire indiscriminately takes hold of the city and the people desperately attempt to overcome the flames, as no matter what your path in life or status all human life is vulnerable. The fire consumes homes and lives as loyalties and friendships are tested and passions come to the fore. As the greatest city of the 17th century is destroyed, the fire is a catalyst to acts of forbidden love, deceit and despair (synopsis).
THE KNICK (TV series 2014)
….Also called the “gilded age gore.”
I’m currently watching this show. So far so good!
Medical drama set in the 1900s charts the exploits of the staff and patients at a New York hospital, where they try to maintain their reputation for quality care while struggling to keep the doors open (Rottentomatoes).
P.S. I finished watching AMC’s TURN a few days ago. The series was preeetttyyyy darn good, though a little slow at first. I might write a quick review for it. And it’s been renewed for a second season, so hurrah!
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June Hur 