Friday 22 October 2021

 

Film review: Dear Evan Hansen


Dear Evan Hansen was a sensation when it opened on Broadway in 2016, winning six Tony Awards, including 'Best Musical', 'Best Score' (the cast recording also won a Grammy), and 'Best Leading Actor in a Musical' for its lead Ben Platt, making him the youngest solo winner for this award in Tony history. And Platt has now returned to the role he originated on stage for the film adaptation, which also stars Amy Adams and Julianne Moore. 

Monday 18 October 2021

 

Book review: The Prince of the Skies by Antonio Iturbe [blog tour]


The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry is a true example of a literary classic. Even nearly 80 years after publication it resonates with audiences in its original written form and in the countless adaptations that have been created since. For a novella that is often billed as a children's book, it has surprising adult and deep themes, centred around friendship, loss, and loneliness. Themes that run through the author's own life too.

Thursday 7 October 2021

 

Book review: Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber


The Caraval trilogy by Stephanie Garber is one of the most imaginative, exciting, and memorable series I've ever read. And as friends online and offline are all too aware of, it's one of my staple book recommendations from the past 5 years (alongside the incredible Station Eleven), to anyone looking to pick up a new read. I started out loving the series for its magical world-building, but it's the characters that kept me hooked until the finale. One of the most complex, nuanced, and mysterious has always been the mischievous Jacks. And we haven't heard the last of this Prince of Hearts, as he's a pivotal character in the new spin-off, Once Upon a Broken Heart, which is set in the same world as Caraval but can also be read as a stand-alone.