Sir Thomas More by Hals Holbein (Accessed via Wikipedia ) During lockdown, we had Time. Remember that? I was in my probationary year of teaching: almost certainly among the most exhausting years for any profession. All my time had been taken up with school work, and I regularly stayed at school until after 6pm, having arrived there at eight in the morning. Now, children, this is not sustainable and, very soon, I decided I didn’t like working where I was. Then I realised that I didn’t like teaching at all. But, in fact, neither was particularly true: I just needed to be true to myself and to say no, which would give me the ability to manage my work/life balance in a more appropriate way. What does this have to do with historical fiction, I hear you say? Well, during March 2020, we went into lockdown and suddenly I went from working ten-hour-days to ten-hour-weeks. I met up with my class on Google Meet, I put work up for them on a meticulously designed Google Classroom, but I just h...
"Lifesong" by Julia Blake
Book Review
☆☆☆☆
The first thing that
struck me about this book was the beauty of the language. Each sentence has
been exquisitely crafted to ensure it has the most impact and meaning on the
reader. Although it was not my sort of book, I appreciated the artistic skill
of the author and must congratulate her that she portrayed such a worrying
concept so beautifully.
One of the main things I
look for in a book is the strength of its characters. The author developed all
the characters well in the short time she had given herself, so I felt the
characters’ concern and pain alongside them.
I found the novella a
little dark for my taste (this is purely a matter of personal taste) and I
would have liked a little more hope in the story. The end seemed satisfactory –
and not – at the same time. I acknowledge, however, that this is important for
the message the story conveys.
Blurb (from Goodreads)
She came from a different place, a world living in harmony with the lifesong that flows through everything, connecting all to the great song of the universe.
Suddenly, she's trapped on our world, a place hell bent on self-destruction, a place that destroys without thought, poisons its own water supply and pollutes the very air that it breathes. Horrified to discover we have no lifesong, the question burns – what kind of a world is this, that can treat itself so?
Hauntingly beautiful, this story will make you think and feel about our planet and our choices, and wonder - Is the love of one woman enough to save an entire world?
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