Books: "Burning bright" (Tracy Chevalier)

Tracy Chevalier wrote "Girl with the pearl earring" in white hot inspiration and that was her finest moment. That was really a good book,well writen and rightly became best-seller. Unfortunately nothing she came up afterwards matches that brilliance and who knows,maybe is too much to expect people to write masterpieces one after another - one is perhaps enough for a lifetime."Lady and Unicorn" was so-so and later I lost her somehow,thinking she perhaps repeats herself and was probably right.

"Burning bright" is set in London around 1792 and its description is the best part of the book - story itself was not so interesting but people,clothes,work,what they eat,drink and circus they had as entertainment (and source of income for many) was good.

Curously enough,one character is called for a certain lady who paid money on charity auction to have her name used for the book,never thought about it.

Books: "My Anthonia" (Willa Cather)

This book was long on my list as something that might be interesting to check out - I honestly didnt know anything about it - and was glad to find it. I actually gulped it in one single reading,thats how god it was.There is something magical about Cather's writing,she is very firm and unsentimental but paints the picture like magician and makes very believable,realistic characters.I absolutely loved her story about first settlers in Nebraska,althought second part of the book somehow focuses more on city life and I would like to know more about farms & nature.

Curiously - for it is a small book - there is also a little bit about Jazz,theatre,philosophy and several other interesting subjects thrown in.

The main character recalls his childhood in Nebraska,locals and neighbours,little bright and hard working Anthonia who came as part of large immigrant family from Bohemia and how her determination and spirit helped her to survive hard early years of struggling.

Very good.

Books: "Rule Britannia" (Daphne du Maurier)

I always loved Daphne du Maurier althought curiously I know very little about woman herself.

Recently I found this cute little book,one of her last and I read it with great pleasure - althought a bit surprised as it is xenophobic: the story is set in a small corner of Cornwall where US marines come along and locals are against them. The main character is elderly actress who has house full of adopted children and rules them all with firm & eccentric hand. Somehow they all end up in arms (literary) against americans and its almost a war outbreak suddenly,with very interesting & perceptive way how people behave in crisis (majority are together,but some are perfectly willing to collaborate with enemy as long it suits them).The fact that "enemy" in this case are US marines struck me as strange choice but OK,it was well writen so I enjoyed it.Perhaps we are all used to have aliens or foreigners against us,so its difficult to percieve somebody who actually speaks same language as enemy,who knows.

Books: Live and learn (Joan Didion)

My first introduction to Joan Didion happened to be disastruous one - "The year of magical thinking" was read in one insomniac night and didn't sitt well with me around 4 a.m. so conlusion was to stay away from her,no matter what they say.

Luckily,I was given her collection of essays published in her younger days (1960s) and it was called "Live and learn" in UK. This time around I find her interesting,perceptive and even inspiring - the way she notices "small things" around her,her musings about movies,US society and people around her in general are excellent.In fact I even started to think this is the way I would liked to write had I stay in journalism.

Very good.

Movie:"Doubt" (2008)

What an excellent,excellent movie - I cannot rave enough about performances here,everybody is just first-rate but Meryl Streep is simply sensational - I honestly think she is the best movie actress of all times,with now huge body of work behind her and her skills cover every single human emotions - I saw her in drama,comedy,thriller,action - you name it,she is absolutely the best in everything she does.

I feel somehow that Streep is today taken for granted - people already know when she appears in movie she will be nothing short of greatest - just look who else is there on a screen and how much space in media is tributed to celebrities - nothing much about Streep since she seems to be focused on her work and don't need extra publicity.

Back to movie: it gives simply brilliant question about crime and punishment,what is actually the truth? We were never explicitly told about what is truth here (supposed affair between priest and his little pupil) and its all up to viewer to decide who is talking the truth here,is it a priest who wouldn't admit anything (althought he has previous record on this) or Streep who is fiery nun and suspects because "she know the people". Watch it with your friends and you will see that everybody comes to different conclusions - hence the title of the movie.

Books:"The Daughter Of Time" by Josephine Tey (1951)

For some reason I had my eye on this book for a while,simply felt it might be something for me.It is an almost obscure little crimi-novel,today overhsadowed by more familiar names from best-selling lists - who in a world still remembers Josephine Tey (pseudonym by the way) who died in early 1950s with a small legacy behind her.Her real name was Elizabeth Mackintosh and she apparently lived very quiet life as a teacher,later retired to take care of her invalid father.

Everywhere I look,books seems to be so heavy - best sellers are usualy 500+ pages,check out "The World without End" with more than 1000 pages (I call it "The Book without End") so this little novel comes as surprise,so slim and short but boy,was it good or what.

The story follows police inspector who is bored to death in a hospital bed and being famous for "reading faces" he entertains himself with checking some ancient portraits.Soon he became really curious about portrait of Richard III,remembered in history as cruel villain who murdered two princes in Tower in order to get the crown.Inspector Grant quickly decides this portrait cannot possibly be a killer and from than uses modern-day police approach to the whole mystery that happened centuries ago.The whole story - short and sweet - turned out to be so interesting that I muled it over in my head for days afterwards and did my little research on internet about Richard III,even saved his portrait that inspector Grant saw in a hospital bed.

I absolutely loved this book and can easily reccomend it to everybody,such a smart little story and I promise you,you will remember it and think about it afterwards.Its the question of what actually goes in history and as usual,winners write what they want.

Movie:"La Vie En Rose" (2007)

Famed for performance of Marion Cottilard as Edith Piaf,this movie got lot of attention internationally and I was really curious to check it out but for many reasons was not able to see it until now. I do have to say that for years I was fairly familiar with her life story - beginning in grandmother's whorehouse,singing in the streets,cabarets,drinking,druggs,Olympia,lovers and that boxer guy who turned out to be love of her life - the movie,on the other hand,focuses only on sordid aspects,ignoring everything that might have shown Piaf as a human and only presents her as "bohemian" (read: drunkard,clown at the parties,falling down,smashing bottles) who was nasty to people around her and who idolised boxer who died - question is would she really care for him if he didn't die,as she was known to dispose of her lovers once she got bored with them (see Yves Montand). The whole movie is a jumble of cuts that go left & right,jump from 1960s to 1930s and back,with no other purpose than simply to confuse audience.

Because Piaf in the movie is shown as hopeless self-disttructive alcoholic and spoiled prima donna,it almost put me off her music as well.I had to think hard and decided I will not allow the movie to spoil the love I had for her music for decades.

Seems there is strange confusion in audience about what makes a great artist and people simply accept "oh she must 

have bohemian" as explanation. Well,the person on the screen was very unappealing to me.

Movie:"Changeling" (2008)

Saw this movie on my plane back from Sydney and was really impressed - Clint Eastwood as usual directed very strong story focused on fight of an individual against system,in this case single mother against corrupted Los Angelos police who claims she is crazy for not recognising her missing son (who turned out to be somebody else).Everybody involved was first-rate,from corrupted police inspector to mass murderer and of course John Malkovich - surprisingly enough,the main actress Angelina Jolie was the weakest link here since all trough the movie she moans and cries and have nothing else to do beyond saying "I want my son" for hundreds of times. Yes,she is attractive woman and she loves kids apparently,but it makes you wonder what would somebody like Kate Blanchett do with this role.Apart from her,movie was really good and strong - I will probably watch it again,Clint Eastwood really knows how to direct a good movie.

By the way,loved to see old Los Angelos reconstructed and everything looks really authentic.

Added here re pictures of real-life mother,the killer and her son.