Brick Lane

Advantages: Good ending
Disadvantages: quite boring and a bit hard going in places

...and an English mother. At the age of 3 her family moved to Bolton, England where she lived until she went to college in Oxford. Monica Ali now lives in South London with her husband and 2 children. Brick Lane is Monica Ali's debut novel, when the novel was first published some Bengali Muslims did not like the way they were portrayed in the novel and planned a demonstration where they intended to burn copies of the book, although the demonstration went ahead no copies of the book were actually burned. Brick Lane was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2003. Since the Ali has had her second book, Alentejo Blue published which is a collection of stories set in Portugal. The Story The story begins in 1967 with Nazneen's birth in East Pakistan, she was born dead but by some miracle she began to breathe, after this Nazneen refused to suckle at her...

hollywoodmum 18.03.2008 · Read review
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Review of Brick Lane - Monica Ali

Brick Lane, the book

Advantages: Funny, thought-provoking
Disadvantages: None for me

...accept her Fate, to 'endure', yet this she struggled to do herself, often in tears & eventually heading for a tragic end. Nazneen is left confused by her mother's strange ways, possibly damaged by the very way she entered the world herself & having to accept that her mother could not endure her Fate. Still, she does her best when she leaves behind her family & the life she knew & is sent to London to marry a man much older than her. Before she leaves Bangladesh, she has nothing but a photograph of the man she will marry, Chanu, to tell her what her husband & new life will be like. We follow Nazneen's life as she enters this new world, gradually learning more about Chanu & also about the place that is now her home, Brick Lane. To begin with, she seems like the typical village girl kind of wife, who will obey her husband & stay home...

Ayesha- 26.11.2007 · Read review
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Review of Brick Lane - Monica Ali

Languishing in the lovely Lanes

Advantages: friendly service, great location
Disadvantages: wee bit overpriced for level of facilities

...I visited Brighton for the first time recently to celebrate Duskman's 30th birthday and I can report I had a fabulous time. Many factors contributed to it being brilliant but a large part of the experience can be attributed to our stay at The Lanes Hotel , a lovely little family run hotel located not in the historic Lanes area of the town as the name implies but on Marine Parade facing the seafront at Brighton. I must confess the Lanes Hotel was not our first nor second choice for accommodation whilst in Brighton. We initially had planned to spend only one night in Brighton and stay in a trendy boutique hotel or somewhere that had luxurious facilities such as a pool and sauna. . However we did not realise that most decent hotels only took two night bookings at the weekend in spring and summer. It was time for a rethink and to...

duskmaiden 27.04.2007 · Read review
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Review of The Lanes Hotel, Brighton

The Golden Compass

Advantages: Daniel Craig
Disadvantages: Boring shallow characters

...souls are called daemons and these walk beside them in the form of animals. Children's daemons can shape shift till they find their true form adults cannot. The gobblers are an unknown entity (the film's bad guys) that are kidnapping children, for what reason we don't know why until later in the film. Lyra's friend Roger gets taken by these which lead Lyra on a quest to find him she is given the golden compass to help her . The other thing I found weird about this film is that the girl Lyra is supposed to be the chosen one but not much is really said about this so it seems to make no impact on you as an audience. One of the villains - Nicole Kidman Mrs Coulter is an evil woman whom we find out is Lyra's mother , usually I am a fan of Kidman ,however I personally found her performance weak and character shallow in this film. Fans of Daniel...

Tafdog01 17.08.2009 · Read review
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Review of The Golden Compass (DVD)

lead astray by the golden compass

Advantages: cinematography is spectacular
Disadvantages: The script is flawed

...of wondrous creatures some good who wish her well and offer their help, others not so good who are intent on hindering her on her quest. With the help of a golden compass only a select few are able to read to guide her on her way Lyra sets off on the adventure of a life time. . Acting/Characters ************* Dakota Blue Richards - Lyra As you watch Dakota on screen, you forget she was only 12 years old at the time of filming, and you certainly see no signs of this being her very first acting job. She commands the viewer's attention with her performance and she challenges us to feel her struggles and triumphs as she experiences them. It is a testament to her talent that, when sharing camera time with the likes of Sam Elliot or in fact Nicole Kidman, she steals the focus. I look forward to seeing more from this bright star Nicole Kidman...

ally2kc 06.01.2009 · Read review
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Review of The Golden Compass (DVD)

Golden Balls!!

Advantages: Nice looking & traditional.
Disadvantages: Cost, availability

... INTRO We received a jar of Mrs Bridge's Golden Humbugs as part of a gift. Having not heard or seen much about Mrs Bridges as a Company and given that these look very traditional and 'upmarket' I was intrigued to find out a bit more and if they actually tasted any better than your average humbug especially as Mrs Bridges state "Traditional Home Made Recipes - The Difference is in the Taste" PACKAGING & INFO As there is a picture above there's no need for a description but being a glass jar it's worth remembering that even if you don't find another use for it, it's recyclable. As these are Golden Humbugs they contain (amongst the usual sugar, flavouring etc) Glucose Syrup and Condensed Full Cream - luxury for me but not suitable for anyone with a lactose intolerance. They are also manufactured in a nut...

HotBabes 11.01.2008 · Read review
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Review of Mrs Bridges Golden Humbugs

Breakfast bagels at Brick Lane

Advantages: Great fun, good food and good shopping
Disadvantages: Many of the goods are fake or knocked off

...Brick Lane is situated in the Spitalfields area. It is well known all over East London for its huge Sunday morning market. This colourful event takes place on Brick Lane and some of the surrounding streets, and is the focus of many local peoples’ activities, legal or otherwise. This area has an interesting, sometimes sleazy past and it is worth taking a quick look round if you do go shopping at the market. ~~ A potted history of the Brick Lane area ~~ In medieval times this area was full of kilns used by brick and tile manufacturers. This gave Brick Lane its name that survives to this day. In the 16th century French Huguenot silk weavers moved into the area and bought some wealth into this poverty stricken neighbourhood. Ben Truman established the old Black Eagle Brewery at the junction of Hanbury Street in 1724...

spankygoodtime 19.08.2001 · Read review
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Review of Brick Lane (London)

The wonders of "The Golden Compass"

Advantages: good to sit and watch with your kids
Disadvantages: not for all ages

...A fantastically thrilling film, ?The Golden Compass? with the prowling and flapping and slithering and fluttering. The animals, most of which are called daemons and are manifestations of the human soul, hover at the side of their people and near the story?s edge, where their coos and barks mix with the surrounding clatter and clangs. Sometimes an animal leaps forward in alarm, its fur raised in alarm, its feathers fluttering in flight. ?The Golden Compass?, a novel that was first published in Britain as ?northern Lights? written by Philip Pullman. It became a massive success with some obvious reasons: spooky villains, great storyline, and interesting characters. The main character is Lyra Belacque who embarks on the hero?s journey with her shape-shifting daemon, named Pantalaimon. Pantalaimon is a friendly daemon, yet he is...

darkwind160 08.06.2009 · Read review
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Review of The Golden Compass (DVD)

Lyles Golden Syrup

Advantages: A versatile syrup
Disadvantages: none

...For as long as I can remember the Lyle's Golden Syrup tin has always looked the same and when I took time to research the history of the packaging I found that the tin had hardly changed since 1885. The Victorian style packaging has gained cult status in the design and packaging world. When everyone had to make sacrifices for the World War I effort the syrup was packaged in thick cardboard containers in order to save using precious metal. In 1911 Lyle`s syrup was awarded a Royal Warrant which has sat in a prominent position on the tin ever since. Lyle's registered their trademark of the `Lion and the Bee`s` in 1904. I love Lyles Golden Syrup, may would automatically say how bad it is for you, but eaten in moderation its fine. A balanced diet includes eating a huge variety of food so that our bodies get all of the nutrients...

Sarahjh1 18.12.2008 · Read review
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Review of Lyle's Golden Syrup

The gilt has long faded on the Golden Tulip

Advantages: At least I wasn't spending my own money
Disadvantages: Plenty - just book a proper hotel somewhere more sensible

.... Unless of course you enjoy staying in the middle of a building site. A Totally Irrelevant Aside My intention was to sit down and write about the Golden Temple in Amritsar but instead I tackled the Golden Tulip Hotel in Zaandam, Holland instead. Could the two be confused? Not in any way whatsoever - it's just a case of coincidence. The Golden Temple is the holiest building of the Sikh religion and one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. The Golden Tulip is a second or third rate hotel squeezed between a railway line and a 6-lane road with the added attraction of a major construction site. The Golden Temple is a place of beauty, serenity and spirituality. The Golden Tulip is not. But take a look at the photo of the view from my window and compare it with the Golden Temple photo. Thanks for reading...

koshkha 12.04.2008 · Read review
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Review of Golden Tulip Amsterdam Zaandam, Zaandam