Donald Attwater

Advantages: Inspirational, uplifting, thought provoking
Disadvantages: none

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Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: good humour
Disadvantages: boring story

...I adore autobiographies, especially those of famous people. They normally have a fascinating life, and are always determined to make it. Jane McDonald is a lovely person, and this does come across in the book, but she was lucky and didn’t have any struggle in getting where she is, she was spotted on a cruise line that was filmed for a TV show. One thing I did discover about her is that she has a great sense of humour, but you could get a much better autobiography; my favourite is Geri Halliwell’s – now that’s a good story.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: The sadly-forgotten beginning of modern fantasy novels. Beguiling and Beautiful.
Disadvantages: Slightly unpolished prose. And the lack of a plot might bother some...

...“I awoke one morning with the usual perplexity of mind which accompanies the return of conciousness…” It’s appropriate that the narrator of “Phantastes: A Faerie Romance for Men and Women” begins with a description of that vague, unreal feeling one experiences when first waking up. In this largely-forgotten masterwork of early Fantasy, George MacDonald evokes a cool, early morning atmosphere, where everything is innocent and new and a little unreal. A Victorian Christian theologian, George MacDonald used magical lands as metaphors for the spiritual world, where his characters are stripped of their ties to the real world and come to terms with their spiritual identities and destinies. The idea of a religious fantasy novel taking place in “Fairy Land” might be immediately off-putting, but I promise you, the novel is neither as twee nor... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful