Books

Follows you (block)

Requested to follow you (accept | block)

Blocked (unblock)

Kate / Lady Lucy Hampton-Wentworth

Kate / Lady Lucy Hampton-Wentworth

has 72 followers and is following 67 people

You may have tangible wealth untold;
Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.
Richer than I you can never be -
I had a mother who read to me.
- Strickland Gillilan (1869-1954)
  • Br, Australia
  • member since September 1, 2008

Reviews

  • Sort by:
 
1 2 3 4  | Next »
Displaying 1-10 of 39 reviews
  • The Scarlet Pimpernel
    • Rated 5 stars

    Literary merit aside, this story is enchanting. It's a swashbuckler of a romance, swirling with mystery and glorious foppery to boot. I think my love of the whole concept of a daring, dashing saviour like the Scarlet Pimpernel compels me to give it a five. Delightful fun!

    Kate / Lady Lucy Hampton-Wentworth wrote this review Sunday, February 20, 2011. ( reply | permalink )
  • Paradise Lost
    1 of 1 members found this review helpful.
    • Rated 5 stars

    Intense in very form and structure, I was drawn into the passion and brilliance of this epic within a few pages. There are so many points I could discuss and gush upon, however I shan't do much of that. (If you read the Norton edition as I did, you will be delighted by the critiques of the work by C.S Lewis, Percy Bysshe Shelly, and others.)

    Simply, instead, I own to certain passages causing my senses to quiver in delight, others bringing sounds (such as the hissing of countless serpents) rushing around me as if I were part of the story, and yet others piercing my very heart. All of this done with such intricate classical and biblical allusion as to make one's head spin.

    Intense? Yes. Confronting? Yes. Complex? Yes. Brilliant? Yes. Worth it? Oh, YES!

    Kate / Lady Lucy Hampton-Wentworth wrote this review Monday, January 31, 2011. ( reply | permalink )
  • Robinson Crusoe
    1 of 1 members found this review helpful.
    • Rated 4 stars

    This book, the first English novel, is interesting on so many levels. Certainly filled with a multiplicity of meaning and layers, it broaches economic theory, political systems, colonisation, religious beliefs, hypocrisy, the classic Roman values of pietas (or rather impietas) and a plethora of other issues, all swirled in adventure. There is one rather large thorn in the side of this book, although it perhaps makes it all the more interesting. That is, that I couldn't abide the character of Crusoe! He is twistedly cruel, emotionally distant and speaks of repentance, yet repeats his actions at his whim. He is an unreliable narrator, as you will see by what he says and then what he does, with, in my opinion, a highly developed case of self obsession. (I believe what may have begun as a tribute to individualism may have crossed the line to selfishness.) Having said all that, the hundreds of stories/movies/songs, etc, you will likely recognise based on this classic, and the scope for interpretation, make it a must read.

    Kate / Lady Lucy Hampton-Wentworth wrote this review Friday, November 5, 2010. ( reply | permalink )
  • Hamlet in Purgatory.
    • Rated 5 stars

    Greenblatt is utterly brilliant. I love the way he writes, his analysis, and his methodology. This is a fascinating book. It is perhaps just as fascinating that Hamlet is not significantly discussed until about two-thirds of the way through. Covering Jewish and other religious history as well as a host of further background information Greenblatt ties in these links, modern and ancient, with yet another perspective of Shakespeare's 'Hamlet'.

    Kate / Lady Lucy Hampton-Wentworth wrote this review Thursday, September 30, 2010. ( reply | permalink )
  • Silas Marner
    • Rated 4 stars

    Although no 'Middlemarch', this was a delightful story. I felt, while reading various passages, that I was actually reading a tale from the Brother's Grimm rather than an Eliot, as there is certainly something of the fantastical about it. This said, there is still the social, political and humanistic undertones akin to a novel by George Eliot, as well as a decided realism. This combination of folktale and the real was something quite different, and created a unique blend of enjoyment in my reading. The feeling of a peaceful contentment at the conclusion could be credited to the pastoral themes within the story, but I think that while this is certainly a contributing factor, it is the combination of the many themes - redemption, restoration, change, trust, morality, acceptance (to name just a few) - that provoked this feeling. Quite lovely.

    Kate / Lady Lucy Hampton-Wentworth wrote this review Thursday, September 30, 2010. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Graveyard Book
    • Rated 4 stars

    This was very cleverly written, with a plot that had me from the outset. It was a truly enjoyable read. My only criticism is it didn't tie up some of the questions I had, and occasionally rushed things that had been building for long enough to cause slight disappointment. However, these things were minor compared to the brilliance of the writing, tension of the plot, and originality of the ideas. It was a spookily beautiful book - and certainly one to add to my collection.

    Kate / Lady Lucy Hampton-Wentworth wrote this review Wednesday, April 21, 2010. ( reply | permalink )
  • Stormbreaker
    • Rated 3 stars

    I like James Bond in rather small doses and, since I love Anthony Horowitz, I expect my occasional boredom was due to 1) I'm an adult, and 2) I can only manage so much continual action in a book (or movie, for that matter) before my brain shuts off. This was the story of a teenage 'James Bond' type character - Alex Rider. It was action packed, and I enjoyed it enough to read into the night until I finished it. I was quite impressed with the tie-up of the main plot and sub-plots and, in typical Horowitz style, it ended very well. I may read number 2 - but probably not rush to the shops for it.

    Kate / Lady Lucy Hampton-Wentworth wrote this review Wednesday, April 21, 2010. ( reply | permalink )
  • Romanticism
    • Rated 5 stars

    This book took me to another place! It is utterly divine! With a combination of this and my Oxford Dictionary of History I have spent fascinating hours, transported to the late 1700s/early 1800s, and not missed the 21st century in the least. Perhaps this is because the turmoil of this time of revolutions, industrialisation and enlightened thought seem, in some ways, parallel to the fast-paced, changing world of today. Or maybe it is because the words of the poetry send such sweetness and peace through my veins, to every tip of my being, that I am somewhat drunken on it.

    Regardless of the reasons, and as big a tome as it is, it is well worth the read and I highly recommend it. I also must note, Duncan Wu does a fabulous job of referencing and editing. It really adds to the exploration and enjoyment of the experience that is 'Romanticism'.

    Kate / Lady Lucy Hampton-Wentworth wrote this review Wednesday, April 21, 2010. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Illustrated Mum
    • Rated 5 stars

    I sit here a little stunned. I've just finished reading this book and I think I'm somewhere between traumatised and inspired. It is certainly no wonder it won the Guardian Children's Fiction Award and the 1999 Children's Book of the Year Award - it is brilliant in every way. I was quite spellbound, and even now am wondering how these ficticious children will end up in life. A great book. Confronting some very real issues in a very classy way.

    Kate / Lady Lucy Hampton-Wentworth wrote this review Friday, March 5, 2010. ( reply | permalink )
  • Samurai Kids: White Crane

    Samurai Kids: White Crane

    by Sandy Fussell
    • Rated 5 stars

    The Samurai kids are courageous, spunky and spirited. The journey is part of the quest for 'the complete person'. It is holistic, culturally rich and beautiful. It is well written text, rich in metaphor, which is blended together nicely. Fussell combines adventure, inner tranquility, equality and empathy and creates characters the reader cares about.

    Kate / Lady Lucy Hampton-Wentworth wrote this review Tuesday, March 2, 2010. ( reply | permalink )
1 2 3 4  | Next »
Displaying 1-10 of 39 reviews