Posted on May 18th, 2010 by Chloe
Chick Flick Tuesday highlights the best chick flicks in the movie world as well as bringing you news on upcoming chick flick releases as well as letting you all know about which chick lit books are being made into chick flick movies!
This week I have chosen a film that I saw this weekend, and was surprised by. I’ve picked The Time Traveller’s Wife which was released in 2009, and is based on the book by Audrey Niffenegger. I read this book a few years ago and loved it, so I was a bit worried when they said they were going to be taking it and making it into a movie. I tend to dislike book to movie adaptations as I feel they never capture the essence of the book well enough (even the Harry Potter films aren’t quite right in my opinion!) so I was curious to see if this would work.
It does - but it’s not like the book. The book was very deep, the relationship between Clare and Henry was complex and on many levels, yet it didn’t feel this way in the movie at all. However, if you haven’t read the book then I think you’ll love this one as a love story because it delivers on this. I defy you not to cry when you watch this film, I certainly shed a tear in parts, and it’s certainly an emotional movie. It doesn’t have that special something the book has that made it stand out, but its still a good watch for an evening in with the one you love!
Clare (Rachel McAdams) has been in love with Henry (Eric Bana) her entire life. She believes they are destined to be together, even though she never knows when they will be separated.
Henry is a time traveler - cursed with a rare genetic anomaly that causes him to live his life on a shifting timeline, skipping back and forth through his lifespan with no control. Despite the fact that Henry’s travels force them apart with no warning, Clare desperately tries to build a life with her one true love.
Posted in Chick Flick Tuesday | 5 Comments »
Posted on May 18th, 2010 by Leah
When I picked up The Sisterhood early in 2009, I didn’t know then how much I was going to love the book. It’s the kind of book that would undoubtedly make my list of Top 10 Favourite Books (although please don’t ask me to actually give you all 10). It was truly that good a read and it told me just how good a writer Emily Barr is. Since then I’ve read The Life You Want and The Perfect Lie by Emily and they’ve both been great reads. We were recently offered the chance of interviewing Emily and I have to say, it’s one of my favourite interviews ever.
1. Tell us about your latest novel The Perfect Lie?
It is the story of a woman, Lucy, who has an enviable life in Cornwall, with a partner she adores. Unfortunately, her entire life is a lie. One day she climbs a cliff to rescue a child. A stranger on the beach films her, and the footage ends up on television. Lucy’s life unravels, and she flees across Europe, desperate to stay one step ahead of a menacing figure from her past. It is set in Cornwall and in Venice, and it has a lot of Leonard Cohen in it, as I was obsessed with him, for some reason, while I was writing it. (don’t let that put you off, though)
2. What are you currently working on? Do you know yet where it will be set?
I’m currently working on a book that is set in Cornwall and Barcelona. It’s the story of a woman who steps into the shoes of a recently dead former wife, and comes to realise that things were not the way they initially appeared. I spent a week in Barcelona doing some research after Easter, and was lucky enough (it turns out) to be stuck out there when the flight home was cancelled with all the volcano business. I made my way home by train and ferry. It was a gift and got me out of a plot hole, so I am deeply grateful to that volcano.
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Posted in Author Interviews | 1 Comment »
Posted on May 18th, 2010 by Leah
Clodagh Murphy’s second book is released this week on 20th May and we did include this in our May Releases but the cover has been tweaked since then so we want to keep you up to date on that! I quite like the new cover, although I don’t think it’s as good as the paperback cover for The Disengagement Ring (Clodagh’s debut). I’m looking forward to the book though as it sounds great:
On the run from an unhappy childhood, Jenny Hannigan is a rootless party girl with a murky past and an uncertain future. But all she secretly craves is a life of domestic bliss and solid respectability, So when she crashes into the arms of Richard Allam – the young, handsome, recently separated leader of the Conservative Party, hotly tipped to lead them to victory in the upcoming election – she thinks she’s found exactly what she was looking for. But Jenny isn’t exactly perfect PM’s wife material and Richard recruits publicist extraordinaire, Dev Tennant as the Conservative Party’s spin doctor in the run-up to the election. His brief is to ‘spin’ Jenny to the Party and the public. But Jenny is a girl with a lot of skeletons in her closet, and as the election campaign gains momentum, someone is working overtime to ensure that every one of those skeletons gets its very own public parade. As Jenny’s life starts to spin out of control, suddenly, she isn’t sure what she wants anymore . . .
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Posted on May 17th, 2010 by Leah
Posy Fairweather is on top of the world - quite literally - when her boyfriend Matt proposes on top of a mountain. Posy, though, doesn’t appear to be quite as happy as you would expect when your boyfriend of three years proposes, and her friends think it may have something to do with her ex ‘Lord Voldemort’; he who shall not be named.
Posy realises that before she can truly commit to Matt she must track down her previous boyfriends and find out exactly why their relationship ended and decide if the grass IS greener on the other side. Once Matt finds out what Posy is doing, though, he calls of the engagement leaving Posy more confused then ever. But if she loves Matt, why is she playing with fire by trotting all around the country to see her exes, and what exactly will come of her adventures?
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Posted in 2010 releases, Book Reviews, Rating: 2/5 | 4 Comments »
Posted on May 17th, 2010 by Chloe
Victoria Connelly has her second book published in the UK this autumn with the release of A Weekend With Mr Darcy on 16th September 2010. I quite like the sound of it, and will definitely be reading it. Here is the plot:
“Dr Katherine Roberts is a lecturer at Oxford University and an expert on all things Austen. But she has a guilty secret; a love of racy Regency novels by Lorna Warwick. She’s even struck up a long-distance friendship with the novelist and the two of them have been sharing their closest confidences. When Katherine gets her yearly invite to a Jane Austen Conference at the magnificent Purley Hall in Hampshire, she sincerely hopes that Lorna will be in attendance as well. She can hardly wait to meet her new friend, but it seems that Lorna may not have been completely honest with her… Meanwhile, hopeless romantic Robyn Love is at her happiest when her head is stuck in one of Jane Austen’s novels - if only her boyfriend Jace Collins could be more like Colin Firth. The weekend retreat is the perfect opportunity for Robyn to escape from reality for a few days - especially when she meets handsome stablehand Dan. But Jace isn’t going to be so easy to shrug off. With misunderstandings, muddles and a few shocking revelations, the weekend proves to be even more than they bargained for. Like all true Jane Austen heroines, Katherine and Robyn will discover that finding their own Mr Darcy is far from easy…”
Posted in 2010 releases, Book News | 2 Comments »
Posted on May 17th, 2010 by Leah
I haven’t read many of Jane Green’s books (in fact I’ve only read one) yet I know she’s a huge favourite in the world of Chick Lit and her latest book is bound to be just as huge as her last. The Love Verb (fab title!) is due out on 10th June and the cover for the book has finally been released. I quite like it as it’s very simplistic. Here’s the synopsis:
Love is not an abstract idea. It is not saying ‘I’m here for you, let me know if you need me’. It’s making the decision, when someone close to you is in trouble, about what you will DO to fix as much as you can for them. It’s a ‘doing’ thing. A verb. For Callie, love is about looking after her family – her husband and two children – and their beautiful home. For Steff, Callie’s younger sister, love is about experiencing all that life has to offer without having to ever settle down. For Lila, Callie’s best friend, love is about finding a soulmate. And when she meets divorced father-of-two Eddie, she knows her search is over. For Walter and Honor, Callie and Steff’s divorced parents, love is about caring for the daughters they share. Then Callie gets some life-changing news. And suddenly the whole family is about to understand what ‘love’ really, really means….
Posted in 2010 releases, Book News | 1 Comment »
Posted on May 15th, 2010 by Danielle
Meet Abbie Arden, a quirky young woman who at last realizes her life’s passion: the written word. Abbie, fledgling editorial assistant, is assigned to the American Open, a tennis tournament held each August, where, among other things, she must interview Max Tadeo, a gorgeous, Spanish, professional tennis player (poor Abbie has a fetish for accents), and, well… Max is a tad unusual himself. Abbie encounters a few problems on her mission to become “superjournalist”: she thinks tennis is for people who enjoy chasing green balls (boring!); she has sworn off all men (even sexy Spaniards); and last but not least, Abbie wants “real” stories, not tennis fluff! Within the pages of Love Match, a sense of belonging envelops Abbie out of the blue, new friendships develop and investigative reporting takes a life-threatening twist. Love Match follows along as the neurotic but lovable heroine ultimately has to choose to live for love or for fear.
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Posted in 2010 releases, Book Reviews, Rating: 4/5 | 7 Comments »
Posted on May 15th, 2010 by Danielle
We’ve really enjoyed bringing Danielle on board with our site, and so we’ve decided to introduce American Saturdays. Danielle will bring us news from over the pond about the latest chick lit releases, as well as her usual reviews of new books. Enjoy!
The first book is called Beach Week by Susan Coll. The cover looks really fun, and it’s due out in the US on May 25th. It sounds like a fun read, so do hunt out a copy if you like the sound of it! Here’s the synopsis:
Ah, “beach week”: a time-honored tradition in which the D.C. suburbs’ latest herd of high school grads flocks to Chelsea Beach for seven whole days of debauched celebration. In this dark comedy, ten teenage girls plan an unhinged blowout the likes of which their young lives have never seen. They smuggle vodka in water bottles and horde prescription drugs by the dozen. Meanwhile, their misguided, affluent parents are too busy worrying about legal liabilities to fret over some missing pills or random hookups.
For Jordan Adler and her family, though, this rite of passage threatens to become more than just frivolous fun. The teen’s parents, Leah and Charles, might not let their only child go at all. Their marriage is in shambles, their old house is languishing on the market, and the bills are stacking up. With all that stress, it soon seems they’re behaving as irresponsibly as their daughter and her friends.
Posted in 2010 releases, American Saturday, Book News | No Comments »
It does - but it’s not like the book. The book was very deep, the relationship between Clare and Henry was complex and on many levels, yet it didn’t feel this way in the movie at all. However, if you haven’t read the book then I think you’ll love this one as a love story because it delivers on this. I defy you not to cry when you watch this film, I certainly shed a tear in parts, and it’s certainly an emotional movie. It doesn’t have that special something the book has that made it stand out, but its still a good watch for an evening in with the one you love!
