Ryan
One of the things I would praise most about this book is the pace. You are drawn in quickly by the very first chapter and after that, the story flows quickly. The protagonist, Aisling/Clionaisling, wastes no time trying to come to the bottom of why the fairy lights in her Edwardian era home seem to have taken on a life of their own. She quickly concludes something supernatural is afoot and is doggedly determined to make sense of the hauntings in her home.
The idea of a haunted Edwardian home was what drew me to this particular book. The author did a commendable job of incorporating elements of the paranormal (mirror gazing, séances, etc.), spirituality and Celtic mythology into the story.
However, I do think it is worth pointing out to anyone who might be considering reading that the book really veers so quickly from a mystery to a fantasy. If you're going by the book's description and back matter and expecting a mystery with mythological elements, you should know that what this book really does fall much more into the fantasy/mythology genre.
That said, it is a testament of the author's excellent story telling skills that someone who wasn't a huge fan of the fantasy genre still rooted for the protagonist enough to see her journey through.
Make no mistake - I do think this is definitely a book that would have a lot of appeal to lovers of the fantasy genre. The author's ability to bring new worlds to life and make characters leap from the pages is a special gift.
I thought this was such a clever concept that was very well-executed. Inspired by a collection of stunning photographs by Clive Thompson, the author penned a wide-ranging collection of poetry and prose that varies in both topic and tone.
I thought the “Poems of Pandemic” were the stars of the book, “All-Inclusive” being particularly touching. The pandemic experiences described were ones we could all relate to - from grocery shortages to putting our lives on hold to loneliness.
“Winning Streak” was also a standout and I loved the wordplay in “Cold Comfort” - “freezing our stamens off”, etc. The author's range and style was apparent from the very beginning of the book.
I think the appeal of a book like this is that you can either enjoy it by section or just enjoy each piece on its own. Definitely a coffee-table style book that I think anyone would enjoy adding to their library.
This book was published in England in 1985, a year after Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean won Great Britain's first Olympic gold medal in ice dancing. Though mostly a book introducing the rudimentary basics of ice and roller dancing to beginners, there's a decent chapter on the history of ice dancing in England and some interesting appendices listing the inventors of some of roller and ice skating's more obscure dances, many of which never quite caught on. While there's little that is ground breaking in here, it is an interesting book in terms of the content.
A lot has been said about this book and the motivations behind it. I write about figure skating history and if there's one thing I've learned, it is that people and situations are nuanced and that the truth about just about anything doesn't always fit an all good/all bad narrative. Sonja was a brilliant skater and business person, but she also had her flaws. Over the years, over half a dozen of her contemporaries were very vocal about their contempt for her. She also developed friendships with several of her other competitors, which is something that is rarely (if at all) talked about. If you dive into this book accepting that it's written from a sensational perspective to sell copies, you'll probably quite enjoy it. If you have it in your head Sonja that was all good or all bad, you probably won't.
An underrated gem! Most coffee table books on figure skating that have been put out over the last 20 years have gone in one direction, and this one veered out into another. The visuals are stunning and the many of the aspects of skating history Frances Dafoe touched on weren't the standard ‘skating book fare'. It's always interesting to me how certain skating books have taken off and others haven't had as much fanfare. This is the book should have had much, much more fanfare than it did. If it's not in your collection, track down a copy if you can. You will not be disappointed.
This book promises a lot with its title, which makes the content quite a bit of a let down. The opening chapters on The Development of Skating and Skating and the Arts, though bringing nothing new to table, were at least promising, then you just get watered-down explanations of skating elements, judging, etc. that are designed for the layman before the book moves on to other ice sports. The concept is great, but the execution is disappointing.
Absolutely delightful memoir from one of figure skating's greatest legends - at times touching, hilarious and dramatic. Much has been said to criticize Toller's books, but if you take them for what they are - memoirs - and appreciate his wonderful wit and storytelling, you're in for a fabulous read.
Toller never minced words and his assessments of many of figure skating's greatest stars are an entertaining read. His wit is ever present in this book and although I didn't agree 100% with all his takes on certain skaters, I did share many. The chapter on Laurent Tobel, in particular, was beautifully written.
