Lulu

Reviews of Pandora's Box:

·         What makes G W Pabst’s 1929 film Pandora’s Box (Die Büchse der Pandora) so astonishing is the non-moralistic candour of its ambiguous sexuality and the electrifying presence of a 22-year-old American actress named Louise Brooks.  Based on two plays by Frank Wedekind, the film is a completely modern creation, concentrating on the amorous exploits of Lulu, available to seemingly everyone but possessed by no-one, who manages to bring all of her suitors, male or female, to grief.

·         When all is said and done, I would say Pandora’s Box is a great film, an impressively skilful film, but one that’s very much in debt to the presence of Louise Brooks.  It will probably always be included on lists of the greatest films ever made.  It will probably always enjoy praise.  But it does seem to me that the real cult of the long and gritty Pandora’s Box is actually the cult of Louise Brooks.

·         With Pandora’s Box you forget that it’s black and white.  You forget that the internet has yet to happen.  You forget that more than two hours have gone by.  You forget because it’s completely modern — 100 per cent gripping and involving. 

·         Full of striking imagery which, once seen, will stay with you forever, this is a highly accomplished piece of work which brings together some of the greatest talents of the era. 1929 was a good year for cinema, but amongst its several treasures, Pandora's Box stands out.

·         And yet, seen today, Pandora’s Box is a bold and captivating film and Louise Brooks’ performance simply breathtaking.  Playing the bright, vivacious but totally amoral and curiously vulnerable Lulu, she dominates virtually every scene she appears in.

Although made in 1928 and first screened in 1929, the greatness of Pandora's Box wasn't recognised until 1953, when the acting style of Louise Brooks, quite literally decades ahead of its time, was finally regarded for the triumph that it was. Lulu tells the story of one of the greatest silent movies ever made, and the story of one of the greatest movie actresses of her era. 

I recommend Lulu as a psychological drama that will make you think – five stars.  Kate Baldwin – author.

Lulu is a great novel.  Janet Miller - author

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The Young Romantics

 

Now we will write ghost stories – so said Lord Byron in Villa Diodati on the shores of Lake Geneva, on June 17, 1816. Out of this challenge came the beginnings of Frankenstein and the beginnings of the first, modern vampire story. But there is much more to this novel than those two stories.

Mary Shelley, the talented but moody daughter of William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecroft. Percy Shelley, or as he preferred to be known, Shelley – a gifted poet who swept Mary off her feet at the tender age of 16, when they eloped. Claire Clairmont, Mary's step-sister and eight months younger, intelligent with a radical approach to life, and who was the third part of their inverted triangle. Lord Byron, who had fame like a rock star of the time, but because of his many scandals he had to flee England. John Polidori; age 20 and Byron's physician, who wanted to be a writer and thought accompanying Byron on his travels would help with this.

This is the story of these five remarkable young people, thrown together during four days of rain and storm, and all of what followed. It is a story like no other.

The Young Romantics is the best and one of the most unique historical novels I have ever read. I absolutely guarantee that it will keep you enthralled, from the first page to the very last. Elise Watts – author.

Scrupulously researched, beautifully written, it really feels like you are amongst these remarkable people, and their triumphs and tragedies. The Young Romantics is a must-read. Ann Reed – author.

I can't imagine a person who could read The Young Romantics and not be captivated by it. John Hill – author

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Friends, Boyfriends and a Sister

 

A coming of age story with a difference. Annette, age 18, moves from her home city of Mutare, in the eastern highlands of Zimbabwe, to the capital Harare, to attend the University of Zimbabwe with her best friend, Michelle, and Michelle's cousin, Eddie. Michelle's other cousin, Emily, a second-year student, helps Annette and Michelle with useful study tips, and just as useful dating tips. Emily also helps Eddie, but as a young male student his dating options are limited.

 Away from home and parents, Annette and Michelle set Harare on fire, although not everything goes as smoothly as it should. Eddie takes Emily's advice and dates a 16 year old schoolgirl, Anesu, from the township of Chitungwiza. Anesu's friend, Allison, and Anesu's younger sister, Zendaya, know if they stay in Chitungwiza or Chi-town, they will end up poor like their parents, which doesn't appeal, but if they date Eddie's friends, like Anesu they won't have enough money for the necessities of life. Allison knows she needs to do something, but what?

 Friends, Boyfriends and a Sister is set in a nation recovering from past political and economic turmoil, while Zimbabwean culture, like all African nations, is now a mix of traditional African values, and Western values from the days of colonialism, which makes life difficult for young women like Annette, Michelle, Anesu, Allison and Zendaya, wanting freedom like women in Western countries, but Zimbabwe isn't quite ready for this.

Friends, Boyfriends and a Sister is unique and it\'s great. Michael Clark – author.

Friends, Boyfriends and a Sister is a great read that I can't recommend highly enough. Alice Mason – author.

Friends, Boyfriends and a Sister is a marvellously entertaining novel. Luke Griffin – author

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