You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
3.5
i wish it was in a close third rather than in first person
i wish it was in a close third rather than in first person
Tar oss in bland de udda människorna som arbetar på en gammal nedgången biograf. Udda, äcklig, kärlek till det gamla, ner med kapitalismen, konstig. Rekommenderas.
I used to be somewhat of a film buff, but having children means I'm only really up to date with Marvel and animated films these days. This book recaptures the youthful feeling of discovery and what it is to share that with others.
Holly begins working at the Paradise left in a bubble as the other staff members believe she will flee at any second. After a time she finds herself welcomed and becomes one of the Paradise crew forming a bond that probably wouldn't exist if not for their shared resentments and experiences. They watch films when the cinema closes and bond over the sharing of found money and drugs when cleaning the screen. I especially connected with the scene where Holly decries how it is simply impossible to watch enough to keep up with everybody's knowledge and I think that is even more relevant now where everybody you know could be watching something completely different from you.
The idyll is ended with the death of the owner and the corporatisation of the "oldest cinema in the city" becomes a dull reality for the staff. This might sound like a dig, but once the CinemaTown employee arrives looking to shape the Paradise up, I couldn't help but imagine it in similar terms to the episode of Black Books where a corporate bookshop opens next door with the smarmy manager played by Simon Pegg. I think there was even a line that was almost identical, but that could be my poor memory talking.
Sometimes it is difficult to fully grasp why you love a book, especially one that just plays out a piece of life for the most part. It's not that nothing happens and it isn't that you didn't understand it, but it's something you can't describe without spoiling the experience for others.
I got this a while ago for 99p from our humble book overlords and seeing Grudova's name on the famous Granta list brought it to the fore of the reading pile, in case you were wondering.
I really look forward to seeing what she produces in future and appears I have a short story collection to track down too.
Holly begins working at the Paradise left in a bubble as the other staff members believe she will flee at any second. After a time she finds herself welcomed and becomes one of the Paradise crew forming a bond that probably wouldn't exist if not for their shared resentments and experiences. They watch films when the cinema closes and bond over the sharing of found money and drugs when cleaning the screen. I especially connected with the scene where Holly decries how it is simply impossible to watch enough to keep up with everybody's knowledge and I think that is even more relevant now where everybody you know could be watching something completely different from you.
The idyll is ended with the death of the owner and the corporatisation of the "oldest cinema in the city" becomes a dull reality for the staff. This might sound like a dig, but once the CinemaTown employee arrives looking to shape the Paradise up, I couldn't help but imagine it in similar terms to the episode of Black Books where a corporate bookshop opens next door with the smarmy manager played by Simon Pegg. I think there was even a line that was almost identical, but that could be my poor memory talking.
Sometimes it is difficult to fully grasp why you love a book, especially one that just plays out a piece of life for the most part. It's not that nothing happens and it isn't that you didn't understand it, but it's something you can't describe without spoiling the experience for others.
I got this a while ago for 99p from our humble book overlords and seeing Grudova's name on the famous Granta list brought it to the fore of the reading pile, in case you were wondering.
I really look forward to seeing what she produces in future and appears I have a short story collection to track down too.
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As someone who used to work in a cinema, this nails the vibe.
This was a crazy ride. Holly gets a job in an old cinema in Scotland (I think). It's falling apart, and is staffed by a band of wonderful misfits. For a long while there isn't really a story, just a series of vignettes about the terrible things that customers do in the dark of the cinema or leave behind for the staff to clear up, until Holly's colleagues realise she is going to stay and let her in on their 'secret society' of film watching, drug taking and stealing. Things get progressively worse and worse in a brilliant way. Expect a great deal of bodily fluids.
I listened to the audio book and although the narrator read it well, I was very confused for a long time about when and where it was set and what nationality Holly is, until I realised that she is probably Canadian even though she isn't read in a Canadian accent, and the novel is set more or less in the present day in Scotland.
I listened to the audio book and although the narrator read it well, I was very confused for a long time about when and where it was set and what nationality Holly is, until I realised that she is probably Canadian even though she isn't read in a Canadian accent, and the novel is set more or less in the present day in Scotland.
Was so ready for this book to be really weird, but it was more just really pretentious.
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated