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aislinghamill's reviews
251 reviews
Save the Cat!: The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need by Blake Snyder
2.5
I'm a novelist, not a screenwriter, but I like this book for how it breaks down story beats. The advice is definitely very commercially-minded, which could be more or less useful to you depending on what and why you write. I think the defining and distinctive thing about as a book on craft is its clarity and conciseness. It goes straight to the point and gives clear, though sometimes dated examples.
Summer at the Scottish Castle by Rachel Bowdler
5.0
I’m not usually a romance reader, but I’m glad I stepped out of my comfort zone for Summer at the Scottish Castle. It was the perfect holiday read and defied a lot of my expectations for the genre.
The novel is familiar in all the best ways, featuring all the best elements and of course the cosy feel of a good romance story. Particularly charming though are the novel’s moments of self-awareness. Romantic scenes are broken up by moments of humour – clumsy mistakes, minor weather disasters and charmingly authentic dialogue. This serves to give the novel and the romance it features an authentic, familiar and all the more heartwarming feel. Rather than unattainably perfect, the romance feels realistic, not to mention hard-won and well-deserved by the time it reaches its happy ending.
Beyond the romance, the setting of the story and its complete cast of characters also gave the novel a really well-rounded feel. I particularly enjoyed the care and attention with which the fostering/adoption storyline was handled. A plotline that could have been relegated to the background was instead made to feel truly central to the story. Arran was treated essentially as one of the main characters, and their experiences were never overlooked in favour of the central romance plot. They weren’t made out to be some picture perfect poster child, an accessory to a romantic dream – they were real, which meant sometimes being difficult and having doubts.
As I mentioned, this novel also defied a lot of my expectations for the romance genre. I really enjoyed how the queer identities of the characters were included and explored in the story, despite their being in what appears a ‘straight’ relationship. The novel did a wonderful job of showing how the characters’ queer identities remain not only valid but important to them while they’re in this relationship. Jess continues to do important work with LGBT charities and Mac puts a great deal of work into making sure he is creating an open and accepting environment for his queer child. Mac also was just a pleasant surprise as a male romantic lead who succeeds in being charming and appealing without falling into toxic masculine traps. As I said, I don’t read a lot of romance, so maybe this is more common than I thought, and it’s given me the confidence that maybe I could enjoy some more novels of this genre.
Overall, this was a lovely read. I’ve given it five stars, and I hope to read more from this author soon.