Wednesday, 13 November 2019

Review: The Eustace Diamonds

This is the second Anthony Trollope novel I've read. I was surprised to find I liked it much better than The Way We Live Now.


The Eustace Diamonds is an 1871 novel by Anthony Trollope. It's the third in the Palliser series, but can be read without knowledge of the previous books. (In fact I didn't realise at first that it was part of a series!) It was adapted into part of The Pallisers miniseries in 1974.

Our "heroine" (I use that term very loosely) is Lizzie Eustace, whose late husband owned the titular diamonds. The plot revolves around her theft of them, and her attempts to keep hold of them after she stole them. If you don't think that sounds like an interesting story, just read the book. You'll be surprised.

It must be said, some of the scenes in the novel didn't make a lot of sense when I first read it. I couldn't figure out why a minor character like Lady Glencora was given so much importance in the narrative. When I discovered this is a sequel to earlier books it made more sense. Knowledge of the previous books isn't required, but it might be a help.

Trollope has never been as popular as Dickens, and it must be said that in my humble opinion he isn't quite as good a writer as Dickens. Yet in this book at least he created characters who are more like real people than Dickens' larger-than-life eccentrics. Lizzie Eustace and Frank Greystock are loathsome in a more restrained, realistic way than the utter vileness of Fagin or Squeers. Lucy Morris, though weak-willed and far too forgiving, isn't as perfect as Kate Nickleby or Lucie Manette.

Speaking of Lucy, the resolution of her subplot utterly infuriated me. She knew Frank had betrayed her. He had done nothing to show he was sorry. He wasn't even sure he intended to marry her! Most women would never marry a man like that. But she married him, and this was portrayed as a happy ending for her?! 😒

Lizzie's final fate is likewise disappointing. It's darkly funny and serves her right, but after everything she did she gets off more or less scot-free. Being married to a snake like Mr. Emilius isn't exactly a happy ending, but she was never punished for her crime. I thought she would at least get some comeuppance.

Before this book I never realised Trollope could be funny. The Way We Live Now was rather lacking in humour, while The Eustace Diamonds certainly isn't. Several scenes made me laugh out loud.

Unfortunately the book has some moments when the Victorian era's Antisemitism shows all too plainly. I cringed every time "Jew" was used to describe some villainous characters 😣

If you can ignore those parts and focus on the main story, this is a very interesting book. Apart from anything else, it's a fascinating character study of a pathological liar.

Is it available online?: Yes, on Gutenberg.

Rating: 8/10.

Sunday, 10 November 2019

(Not Really a) Review: First Impressions of The Untamed: The Living Dead

Remember when I said I'd post this review before Sunday? Yeah, obviously that didn't happen.


The Living Dead is a sequel/spin-off of The Untamed. It was released last Thursday. Some kind soul uploaded it on YouTube with English subtitles, allowing me to watch (and understand) it without the bother of downloading it.

Apparently the film takes place several years after the series ended. The only characters from the series are Wen Ning and Lan Sizhui; all the others are new ones. (Unless you count a certain very short cameo.) This review is a list of things I thought while watching it.

WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD!

• I'm not impressed with the opening scene. What on earth is wrong with that man? Who goes out late at night when they know there are ghosts around?

• Can't say I like the credits. Where's the Untamed theme music? Honestly, I'd settle for any theme music. That wailing-child thing is more grating than scary. At least the animated parts look cool.

• I like the call-back to The Untamed's first scenes, with the empty street, leaves blowing around, and people chanting about spirits.

• Why is Wen Ning in chains again?

• Yet again people are running away from Wen Ning in terror :(

• Now Wen Ning can use his chains as weapons. And they apparently have a mind of their own, and are red-hot. (The moving around part could be telekinesis, but the heat? I spent several minutes trying to figure out how they could look like they've just been put in a fire when it's late at night and there's no fire nearby.) Sure would have been useful if he had that power in the main series. Jin Guangshan wouldn't have known what hit him.

• Lan Sizhui is as adorable as ever! I love his first conversation with Wen Ning :D (Though they're a lot more distant towards each other than I expected. What happened to their closeness at the end of the series?) Yay, a Wei Wuxian reference!

• Inquiry sounds different :( I prefer the series' rendition. Sizhui teleporting(?) into a corpse's mind is a cool idea, but it never happened in the series.

• The mysterious death of the Xiao family sounds awfully like the massacre of the Chang clan. Xue Yang? Is that you?

• Xiao Qing deserved so much better :'( (Every time she's called "A-Qing" I think of the other A-Qing. Further emphasizes the similarities between this film and Xue Yang's story.)

Again all the trouble is caused by the Yin Iron! On the one hand I like the call-back to the series, but on the other... that thing's caused so much chaos already. Couldn't they have found a more original idea?

• Wasn't Zhou Zi Shu already undead? How the dickens did cutting his throat kill him? And yet again we have a villain trying to resurrect a loved one they killed. Zhou Zi Shu might as well be called Xue Yang 2.0. Except I like Xue Yang more. He was utterly insane, but at least his craziness wasn't a repeat of an earlier plot.

• ...I take back almost everything in that last paragraph. Just reached the plot twist, and I have one thing to say. WHAT THE HELL?????!!!!! 😮

• The music is much too modern. Electric guitars in a fantasy film? Where's the beautiful (and actually fitting for the genre) music from the series?

• WHERE IS LAN WANGJI????? I think he was only mentioned once in the entire film. We got a Wei Wuxian cameo but not a Lan Wangji one?

• The final scene has some of the least convincing CGI I've ever seen 😒

I like this film, but it's not quite what I expected. The main problem is how short it is, and how rushed the plot is as a result. When I rewatch it I might write a longer review.

Wednesday, 6 November 2019

A Slight Change of Plans

Just a quick update to let my readers know there won't be a review today. The biggest culprit is NaNoWriMo. Most of my days lately are absorbed with panicking about word counts and what should happen next 😑

There may or may not be a review tomorrow or the day after. The Untamed's spin-off film will be released some time tomorrow, and if it's humanly possible for me to find it and watch it online I'll do so and write my thoughts about it. (Fair warning: Those thoughts will probably be incoherent screaming.) Failing that, I've a few book reviews to write. So there will probably be another post before Sunday 😃

Sunday, 3 November 2019

Review: Charlotte's Web (novel)

For a while I wasn't sure if I'd be able to post this review today. Luckily I managed it! This was the first book that ever made me cry. So what better book to review during NaNoWriMo, when I definitely feel like crying?


Charlotte's Web is a 1952 children's novel by E. B. White. It's his best-known, most popular novel, and it's been adapted into two films and a stage musical. (Goodness knows how anyone adapted a book about talking animals onto a stage!)

Almost everyone knows the plot even if they haven't read the book. A pig named Wilbur befriends a spider named Charlotte, who writes words in her web to save his life. (Can you tell how much fun I have thinking up the shortest plot summaries imaginable? 😄) If you haven't read it the plot frankly sounds silly and childish. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Every time I read it I find something new to laugh at or cry over. Every. Single. Time. Wilbur's attempt at talking logic with a sheep, the morbidly amusing scene when he discovers Charlotte's diet, and the family's struggles to get him into the crate always make me grin. And then there are the sad parts. A certain incident is the worst one, but the bittersweet final scene and Fern losing interest in visiting Wilbur also make me tear up 😢

Speaking of that scene... Whyyyyyyyyyyyy? 😭😭 As a small child I sobbed for hours after Charlotte died. It still makes me cry like a baby, though not for quite as long 😭

Charlotte's Web is one of the rare children's books that can be enjoyed by adults as much as by children. And reading it as an adult doesn't make it any less heart-breaking 😢

Is it available online?: No, not as far as I know.

Rating: 10/10.