The front: Mandasue Heller

Advantages: A great read!
Disadvantages: A little short!

... THE FRONT MANDASUE HELLER INTRODUCTION ?The Front?, was the first novel from Mandasue Heller and was published in 2002. Ms Heller moved to Manchester in 1982. She spent ten years living in a notorious rough area of the city, working as a singer in bands playing on the local pubs and clubs circuit. After a vicious attack on her home she decided to try to fulfil her ambition of becoming a writer. She had always enjoyed reading crime novels so she wrote about what she knew, about life on the rough estates of Manchester. Mandasue Heller is billed as being very much like Martina Cole, and I do agree with this comment. THE STORY ?The Front? starts with Mal, Ged, Sam and Lee, four old friends, who have decided to make some easy money by robbing their local supermarket, on a Manchester estate...

seanbond87 13.12.2009 · Read review
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Review of The Front - Mandasue Heller

Gust Front

Advantages: Sci-Fi
Disadvantages: Would not bother again

...Gust front. The Posleen have invaded the Earth. They are big reptilian looking aliens and they hate humans with a ferocity. The book is essentially a war/ resistance type novel with lots of battles and counter insurgency rear guard actions. The book follows differing teams of human fighter as they each have a story and a battle to fight. Some are successful and some disastrous slaughters. The Polseen are nasty aliens and no empathy comes across in the book, they want to totally dominate the humans and take over the Earth. The characters draw your pity as they fight against overwhelming odds and weapons so advanced only trickery and humans sacrificing themselves can help to defeat the Polseen commandos. There are a couple of sub plots and equally a couple of twist but they are not much to speak of and for me...

MaldivesHoliday 02.03.2009 · Read review
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Review of Gust Front - John Ringo

All Dying On The Western Front

Advantages: Perfect picture of war, deep characters, harsh lessons, undeniable realism
Disadvantages: Crushingly realistic, morbid at times

...All Quiet on The Western Front is a phrase synonymous with an uneventful day on the frontlines of a battlefield. however, it is a actually a crude translation of a line from this gripping, intense story of a group of young comrades trapped in the bleak, unforgiving trenches of the First World War, refreshingly, told from the perspective of a German soldier. Being British, this is an angle all too rarely explored with the German's usually portrayed as nameless, faceless, soulless, broken-german spouting targets in uniforms. However this book does the unusual task of humanising all of the unfortunate souls who fought and in many cases, perished in such a tragic conflict, regardless of birthplace. The book is written by Erich Maria Remarque, a young man conscripted into the German forces in 1917, who fought in the war until being wounded...

BZ2886 10.03.2009 · Read review
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Review of All Quiet on the Western Front - Erich Maria Remarque

Lionel Ritchie - Back to Front

Advantages: 16 Great racks - Ballards and Pop
Disadvantages: None

...favourite of mine from Lionel Ritchie. This is a very widely known song and has a great tune which accompanies some very good lyrics. 16 - Three Times a Lady - This track runs for 3.35 minutes and was produced by James Anthony Carmicheal and The Commodores. Thisis probably the most famous of his songs, in my opinion, which is a very moving ballard and a favourite for weddings. The Cd cover contains a grey background with a very nice picture of Lionel fron the chest up wearign black and has the title in white letters. The back of the CD is gold in colour and again hasa picture of lionel the same as the front cover picture but from the knees up on this one. There is also the standard track list and credits. The inside of the cover contains a great track list with all of the lyrics for each and every song. There is also some words from...

sewbizzie 08.11.2007 · Read review
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Review of Back To Front - Lionel Richie

Hanko Front Museum - a labour of love

Advantages: Interesting, well researched, great for history buffs, different to other museums
Disadvantages: Lack of captions in English; you may not be into military history

...Sometimes it pays to take a chance. Strictly speaking the Front Musuem in Lappohja in Southern Finland should have been closed for the winter when we visited the area in September 2007; in fact mid-September onwards is very much seen as the "off season" for most attractions in Finland, other than those in the heart of the cities (and even some of these close down for several months too). However, our Lonely Planet had been wrong before so we enquired at the tourist information office in the nearby town of Hanko. The tourist officer contacted the curator of the museum and arranged an appointment for us to visit the Front Museum later that day. She even checked the train times for us to make sure we could arrive for the time we had arranged. Now that's service! The Museum is situated on Road 25 which runs between the towns of Karjaa...

fizzytom 04.11.2007 · Read review
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Review of The Front Museum, Hanko

Breaking Glass, the sound of a shattered career

Advantages: Good music and insight into Britain in the early 80's
Disadvantages: Certain scenes are very difficult to watch now

...1980, Punk was dying and 2 Tone was only just getting established in the Midlands. Music was either the New Wave alternative, Glam Rock , Prog Rock or Disco. And what was Coventry songstress Hazel O'Connor doing with herself. Making this movie, Breaking Glass. It's about a young woman called Kate (apparently named after Kate Bush) trying to break into music from the bottom in the London music scene. Along with a fairly young Phil Daniels fresh from Quadrophenia who plays her manager Danny are Jonathan Pryce playing their deaf saxaphone player Ken, Ken Campbell playing the pub landlord who hosts the bands early gigs (and consistantly refuses to pay them for any), Mark Wing Davey (better known as Zaphod Beeblebrox) playing the record exec that Phil is helping to artifically create sales for. As far as other musical talent there is...

atytyut2434 09.01.2009 · Read review
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Review of Breaking Glass (DVD)

Heart of Glass

Advantages: A superb story
Disadvantages: No real dislikes for me

...NOTE: There are some spoilers here due to the nature of the film. Shattered Glass won some pretty good reviews from the critics as did Hayden Christensen for his portrayal of Stephen Glass the man who inspired this movie. This was my first opportunity to see the man who would be Vader since Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, so how was it? = What's it all about? = Those fearful words raise their head again “based on a true story”, Shattered Glass is based on a journalistic scandal involving reporter turned novelist Stephen Glass. It is a tale of truths and lies, Stephen Glass is a reporter for The New Republic magazine, big deal? Well it also happens to be the magazine of choice...

Matt.Blundell 21.06.2005 · Read review
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Review of Shattered Glass (DVD)

The Beauty of Glass

Advantages: Simply beautifully moving
Disadvantages: None whatsoever

...I find it very difficult to begin to try and explain Philip Glass? Solo Piano because despite my preponderance of music ops I have absolutely no understanding of the theory behind music; terminology and technique means nothing to me: this is not a virtue and especially in attempting to explain the subtle delight in Glass? music I find myself flummoxed, but I shall try nevertheless, if only because no one else has and it is music that I love. I am very much a new convert to Glass? music and am now firmly entrenched in the belief that his work is magnificence of the highest order. From my little knowledge of outward cultural reaction to Glass it always appears to me that he has a following of near cult status, unusually successful and yet somehow shunned by critics and the establishment in favour of other composers. I am perhaps wrong...

No_name 15.08.2004 · Read review
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Review of Solo Piano - Philip Glass

Through a glass darkly

Advantages: Good Conclusion
Disadvantages: Slow pace

...discover all the charges against Marco have been dropped. Upon his release the three men bump into Marco's father in law De Cal, an owner of the local glass making plant. He is furious with Marco and threatens to hurt him. After some informal enquiries Brunetti is satisfied that 'the old man' is just shouting his mouth off and means him no actual harm. Then Giorgio Tassini, the Night Watchman at the Glass Plant is found dead. Upon investigation he has also been talking bitterly about the Plant to everyone. Brunetti discovers he has a dossier about the Plant, claiming the owner to be responsible for his two year old daughter's bad health. The Commissario must find out if it is Tassini's own guilt that makes him believe this or if there really is a case to answer by De Cal and the other next door plant owner Fasano. My thoughts...

CPTDANIELS 31.05.2008 · Read review
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Review of Through a Glass, Darkly - Donna Leon

Drinking glasses....not to be confused with beer goggles!

Advantages: A novelty item, ideal to entertain my son, and any other male in the house!
Disadvantages: Only a cheap and cheerful item, not really made to last.

...My sisters boyfriend decided this christmas to buy the entire of my family a gift each, this being due to the fact he has reached and surpassed the two year mark of "courting" my younger sister, this in my families book makes him officilaly part of the family! Now with the older generation, (myself included), we are reasonably easy to buy for, chocolate and booze being at the top of our wish lists. There are two certain people who are not so easy to buy for, not that they have discernable tastes, but more the fact they receive so much stuff on Christmas morning that getting a present that hasn?t already been bagged by another relation is very bloody difficult. Of whom do I speak?. Well my two children of course! The gift that he finally decided on for my son is - ?Drinking glasses, by Tobar? These in themselves are pretty...

sarahbarrow 04.05.2009 · Read review
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Review of Tobar Drinking Glasses