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Word Revel

Celebrate the love for books

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May 9, 2019

STEPSISTER by Jennifer Donnelly

May 9, 2019

Book cover & and 4.5-star rating for STEPSISTER by Jennifer DonnellyThe first time I heard the term “retelling,” I expected it to refer to reimagined fairytales. I didn’t exactly expect these to be simply be stories inspired by fairytales. Stepsister, however, is exactly that which I had originally expected of a retelling. It builds upon the well-loved fairytale of Ashputtel, blood and all. It was entertaining with its dark humour as it continued to tell the story of how it might have continued. Stepsister was more detailed since it’s a novel rather than a short story but stylistically, it still very much read like a fairytale.

· Categories: Fiction Keywords: abuse, ambition, american authors, betrayal, bravery, death, despair, fairies, family problems, fate, feminism, forgiveness, friendship, gender, grief, hardship, hope, horses, jealousy, life, loss, magic, on love, poverty, relationships, retellings, romance, royalty, self discovery, self-esteem, single parenthood, sisters, stepsiblings, villains, war

February 14, 2018

SUNFLOWERS IN FEBRUARY by Phyllida Shrimpton

February 14, 2018

Book cover & rating - SUNFLOWERS IN FEBRUARY by Phyllida ShrimptonSunflowers in February is at its core a morbid book. Lily was in a car accident and woke up dead. Death is never an easy topic to face. What comes after death though, is a question I’m sure many of us do wonder about. Sunflowers in February grappled with exactly that, as Lily was in limbo, unable to move on.

· Categories: Fiction Keywords: accidents, alcoholism, british authors, bullying, car accident, conduct of life, dating, death, despair, dreams, drink-driving, drug abuse, drugs, dysfunctional families, existentialism, family, family life, family problems, forgiveness, friendship, funerals, gratitude, grief, guilt, high school, hit-and-run, hope, life, life-after-death, on love, relationships, remorse, siblinghood

November 23, 2017

THE HONEY FARM ON THE HILL by Jo Thomas

November 23, 2017

Book cover & rating - The Honey Farm on the Hill by Jo ThomasAs much as I enjoy summer reads, predictability tends to be one strike against them. The Honey Farm on the Hill was no exception. I saw nearly every twist coming chapters ahead of them — from Nell’s discoveries about her long lost love to the mystery of disappearing bees to the resolution. Not much about the plot surprised me. Yet, I quite liked this book for the setting, the characters and the relationships.

· Categories: Fiction Keywords: accidents, cheating, death, deceit, disability, diverse books, divorce, family, farm life, forgiveness, friendship, guilt, hardship, hospitality-and-tourism, mothers and daughters, romance, secrets, single parenthood, summer, tourism, travel, weddings, work life

March 24, 2017

MARGOT & ME by Juno Dawson

March 24, 2017

Book cover & rating - MARGOT & ME by Juno DawsonMargot & Me, while set in contemporary times also grapples with the past set during World War II through a diary. What I loved about this book was how the stories of three generations knitted together. Fliss and her grandmother, Margot, were so at odds that Fliss’s mother was the only reason they put up with one another. Watching that relationship develop throughout the pages was immensely touching. Although, how Fliss came to read Margot’s diary didn’t entirely sit well with me. But you know, curiosity and what not…

· Categories: Fiction Keywords: cancer, dance, death, diaries, diverse authors, epistolary, family, family myth, forgiveness, friendship, grief, high school, inter-generations, lgbtq characters, mothers and daughters, on love, poc characters, race relations, racism, second world war, single parenthood, war

About

Joséphine. Word reveller. Loves books. Reads books. Talks about books. Photographs books. When she’s not blogging, she can be found on Instagram under @wordrevel.

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