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katykelly's review against another edition
5.0
Very amusing period-set look at filmmaking in wartime
I've loved Lissa Evans' children's books and hearing that her adult book was to be made into a film, decided to read it first.
It's wonderful - the period is created vividly, with the bombings and resultant travel chaos (not something I'd thought about before!) making it feel real, annoying, constant. All the 'dregs', those not considered the 'best' are our characters - the assistant bumped up to writer, has-been actors, any old person drafted in to help on a film set.
And the film itself, hilariously enough, is 'based' on the story of two sisters going over to help in Normandy, but whose almost-adventure is twisted and expanded to make a thrilling, romantic, patriotic 90-minute blockbuster with Americans, explosions and a dog, to entertain the masses.
It's a great behind-the-scenes, as well as a wartime read. With some amusing characters (Ambrose the actor and Buckley the writer were my favourites).
It kept me reading, and I look forward to seeing it on the screen as well, there are some wonderfully written roles here. The dog in particular I look forward to seeing portrayed on film!
I've loved Lissa Evans' children's books and hearing that her adult book was to be made into a film, decided to read it first.
It's wonderful - the period is created vividly, with the bombings and resultant travel chaos (not something I'd thought about before!) making it feel real, annoying, constant. All the 'dregs', those not considered the 'best' are our characters - the assistant bumped up to writer, has-been actors, any old person drafted in to help on a film set.
And the film itself, hilariously enough, is 'based' on the story of two sisters going over to help in Normandy, but whose almost-adventure is twisted and expanded to make a thrilling, romantic, patriotic 90-minute blockbuster with Americans, explosions and a dog, to entertain the masses.
It's a great behind-the-scenes, as well as a wartime read. With some amusing characters (Ambrose the actor and Buckley the writer were my favourites).
It kept me reading, and I look forward to seeing it on the screen as well, there are some wonderfully written roles here. The dog in particular I look forward to seeing portrayed on film!
hitch's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
margaret21's review against another edition
4.0
It's 1940. The blitz in London is at its noisiest and most destructive. But morale-boosting films must go on being made. So we meet a cast of characters who keep us entertained for 400 pages. A has-been actor who doesn't realise his glory-days are over, a sheltered-but-looking-for-life spinster in her 30s, a military adviser who's led a more than sheltered life, a young script writer from the Welsh valleys and her dyspeptic and wryly witty boss. Oh, and a simply awful dog. The action is pacy, the dialogue well-pitched and believable. Best of all though is this book's ability to transport us to war-ravaged London: its smells and sounds and all-pervading shabbiness and dust and gritty dirt.
The blurb's misleading. Young Welsh Catrin is no more centre-stage than Ambrose the actor or Edith the spinster or any of the other main characters. That's fine. We become interested and involved in the lives of each of them. I even felt sorry for Ambrose when that ghastly dog..... oooh, no sorry, spoiler alert.
The blurb's misleading. Young Welsh Catrin is no more centre-stage than Ambrose the actor or Edith the spinster or any of the other main characters. That's fine. We become interested and involved in the lives of each of them. I even felt sorry for Ambrose when that ghastly dog..... oooh, no sorry, spoiler alert.
katcic's review against another edition
4.0
Starts off slowly but this is a really good read with impressive period detail which never seems forced. Very funny in places and also moving with that sort of writing, like Kate Atkinson, which doesn't seem to be made of anything but is really very good and manages to grab you until the last page.
sleightoffeet's review against another edition
3.0
I actually think this should be 3.5 stars. It was good, but it took me a long time to get into it.
By the halfway point of this book, I almost put it down. It was moving slow and I hadn't really made a connection with it. Then, boom! All of a sudden I really started to care about these people I was reading about. I don't know why it took me so long.
I like that this book is an entirely different type of blitz story. This period of time has been the setting for so many plots, but I haven't read one where people were trying to make a movie during it. This kept me reading through the slower parts, and I'm so glad that I did, although, truth be told, if it had moved too much faster, I might not have fallen as hard as I did for the characters in the end.
By the halfway point of this book, I almost put it down. It was moving slow and I hadn't really made a connection with it. Then, boom! All of a sudden I really started to care about these people I was reading about. I don't know why it took me so long.
I like that this book is an entirely different type of blitz story. This period of time has been the setting for so many plots, but I haven't read one where people were trying to make a movie during it. This kept me reading through the slower parts, and I'm so glad that I did, although, truth be told, if it had moved too much faster, I might not have fallen as hard as I did for the characters in the end.
kah's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
coops456's review against another edition
4.0
This felt a little like Sarah Waters' The Night Watch but with humour, and a dog.
Not as good as Evans' Crooked Heart but very enjoyable nonetheless.
Not as good as Evans' Crooked Heart but very enjoyable nonetheless.
readbooks_fightpatriarchy's review against another edition
3.0
It wasn't my favorite book but I liked it. I thought sometimes it was a bit slow going, but I felt that it had a storyline I wanted to see to completion. It didn't feel contrived, and was certainly different from the typical WWII novel.
ayane's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0