Review Time

Here's another review. I have to say that I wish she'd put what she liked first and what she didn't, last, but there it is...


**** Split Decision by Carmen Capuano ****
3* review from Nicole @ EBR

Although I read through Split Decision by Carmen Capuano fairly quickly, I still found that it was quite a difficult book to sit down and review, because although there were many interesting points to this story, it was also a complicated and confusing one until everything came together at the end.

I will say that it deals with a very sensitive topic and I felt that not enough was discussed or expounded upon in regards to the aftermath and the emotional ramifications of that traumatic event for the character. Until all these events and moments come together and you have that clarification on what is going on, the story was a little monotonous in the first few chapters as we establish the friendship between the two girls and the "sliding doors" moment when her fate was decided with her decisions.

I was unsure at times of who the book's main demographic would be, what the target audience was. The characters are so young but the incidents and issues are very much of a mature nature, at times it read like a cautionary YA novel for teenagers, but other times it felt more developed and grown up. The other problem I experienced was the setting. I wasn't sure where this story takes place as the dialogue switches between American and British colloquialisms, there are American characters, Greek characters and I'm assuming English? I like to have everything around me fully established, whether it be the geographical setting, or the characters heritage.
Now that the negative is out of the way I will say that once the story gained momentum and we were thrown into the drama and chaos of that one night, I really started to like the story. Happening in real time almost, it became thrilling, dangerous, heartbreaking and gained the depth and entertainment factor that the story sorely lacked in the beginning.

I really enjoyed the male characters in Split Decision, we have two very different people, with two very different outlooks in life, two men completely dissimilar in moral values and I liked how the bad was highlighted and distinguished from the good and sweet. The dialogue too seemed to become something 'more',

'But most of all what I see is the indifference people show to each other." He raised his beer to his lips and took a long swallow. I waited for him to continue but he didn't seem inclined to.
"You can't save the world." It was a lame response and I knew it but there was nothing else I could say.

"No I can't save the world. But I can save those I care about." His eyes blazed with passion. There was a hidden depth to his words that I wasn't ready to probe.'

Over all it was a good read, it's just getting past those first few chapters inside a giggly teenage girls overly dramatic head that might prove difficult for some but trust me when you do read on it will be worth it. The story picks up speed and added drama and the characters seem to develop over the ensuing chapters too.
*********************************************************************************************
How was Natalie to know that the decision she was about to
make between two potential dates, would forever be a pivotal point in her life? That it would mark the time where childhood innocence ended?
How could she even imagine that the wrong decision would send her life spiralling into the stuff of nightmares from where she might not come out alive?
Life takes a cruel twist of fate when Natalie, a completely average [almost] 16 year old, is forced to make a split-second decision... a decision that will change her future and forever alter her perception of trust, love and the realities of life.
Buy link---->
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Split-Decision-Carme…/…/ref=sr_1_2…

About time to write my review about About Time

I went to the cinema yesterday. Now I state that as a bald fact to ensure that you understand what an occasion that is for me, to go to the cinema to see anything!

A friend of mine had gone to see the exact same film at the sitting directly before mine and had texted me to say that it was slow to begin with. This was also the view held by my viewing partner, who thought that the opening scenes and first third of the film dragged.

I have to say I disagreed. Whilst I did find the exposition of the concept a little heavy-handed at times [you almost felt that they explained it in such a painfully slow way that even a learning-impeded five year old would have understood it] it somehow fit in with the quaint Britishness of the film itself.

What I mean by this, is that it had neither the pace of the ideal American offering such as 24, The Bourne conspiracy films or even the speedily delivered witticisms of the average Big Bang Theory episode. But instead there was a sweet meandering to the plotline.

This was only enhanced by the simply brilliant acting of Bill Nighty and the gentle but inevitable fall of the character Kit-Kat, who I found mildly reminiscent of the character Mary Steenburgen played in the tv adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's Tender Is The Night.

But I won't tell you more and risk spoiling your enjoyment. All I will say is if you like quirky British films you will like it. If you enjoy bitter-sweet ending you will love it and if you like your tales to have a moral at the end...well then, you will simply love it!

Either way...give it a try and let me know what you think.