Fearful Symmetry - Olivia Woods

Olivia - A Small Piglet with a Discerning Taste in Art

Advantages: Appealing character, lovely illustrations
Disadvantages: Expensive, possible typo?

Olivia is a book that was given to one of our daughters by her nursery at the end of last term. It quickly established itself as a favourite over the summer holidays. Olivia is a small pig with large ears. She is lively, energetic, precocious, opinionated and feisty. She specialises in tiring people out ? even herself! In many ways, she reminds me of our two girls?. This book doesn?t really have a storyline as such; it?s more of a ?Day in the life of?? Olivia likes to try on ALL her clothes when deciding what to wear in the morning. She likes to build very impressive sandcastles but she doesn?t like to nap. She?s partial to Degas and his paintings of ballerinas, but she?s pretty disparaging about Modern Art. She gets sent to the stairs for a ?think? when she?s naughty and demands LOTS of bedtime ...

carcraig 01.09.2009 (08.09.2009) · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Olivia - Ian Falconer

It's not the Time Traveler's Twin, that's for sure.

Advantages: Some lovely writing
Disadvantages: Disappointing novel

HER FEARFUL SYMMETRY AUDREY NIFFENEGGER I am so disappointed!! When I read Audrey Niffenegger's first novel, "The Time Traveler's Wife" (reviewed at http://www.ciao.co.uk/TheTimeTravelersWifeAudreyNiffeneggerReview5862798). I thought that it was the best book that I had read for a very long time. So, when I found that she had a new novel out, I was very eager to read "Her Fearful Symmetry". Is this the same author who wrote such a mesmerising first book? "Her Fearful Symmetry" is a long-winded, but not terribly complex, novel about two pairs of twins, a cemetery and family secrets. Whereas "The Time Traveler's Wife" was complex and gripping, "Her Fearful Symmetry" is not, it is slapdash and missing the character quality that made her debut so enjoyable to read. Audrey ...

oldchem 09.11.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Her Fearful Symmetry - Audrey Niffenegger

Keanes perfect symmetry

Advantages: great songs and catchy lyrics
Disadvantages: n/a

Hopes & Fears and Under the Iron Sea. Both albums did exceptionally well when released, receiving critical aclaim and having very high sales around the world. Hopes and Fears was the best selling british album of 2004 whilst Under the Iron Sea sold 222,000 copies in its first week. Perfect Symmetry needed to be as great as the other two to make sure that their time away from the music scene has been worthwhile. And it really is!! Keane first got together in 1995, comprising of composer, bassist, and pianist Tim Rice-Oxley, lead vocalist Tom Chaplin and drummer Richard Hughes. Their original line-up included founder and guitarist Dominic Scott, who left in 2001. Naturally being only 8 I had never known of their existance. It was another 6 years before I heard them mentioned and I am utterly jealous that it happenned to be my Dad ...

crezzie 19.10.2008 · Read full review
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Review of Perfect Symmetry - Keane