The Secret History: A Novel of Empress Theodora

The Secret History: A Novel of Empress Theodora by Stephanie Theadora

Review by Katie Rose

 

                Phew! This one has a long title! Despite that, the novel itself is not terribly long. It tells the story of a great woman in history who you probably never heard of. I certainly did not when I read this book. Maybe she got one line in a text book you had in high school world history, but chances are that is not the case.

Chocolat

Chocolat Directed by Lasse Hallström

Review by Katie Rose

 

Chocolat is an interesting one. Why? Well because it is one of those very rare specimens that I actually prefer the movie over the book. Shocking, I know! I will explain why I feel that way at the end of the review; however since I think the movie is better, that is what I will be talking about here.

Chocolat is about a French woman named Vianne and it takes place in 1959. Vienne is part of an ancient line of South American women who are called by the north wind from place to place. Her father married her mother when he was in South America, and brought her back to France. Called away by the north wind, however, she eventually ran away with the young Vianne. They moved across Europe, never settling. Vienne and her daughter Anouk now live the same lifestyle. Vienne makes a living as an expert chocolatier, and opens up shops in whatever town she and her daughter land in.

Gathering Blue

Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

Review By: Katie Rose

                In the world of young adult literature, dystopian futures are in. The Hunger Games and Divergent are just two examples of dystopian stories that have soared to fame, and have even earned themselves movie adaptations. Both stories feature young women caught in a struggle for justice and freedom in a controlled and depraved future. However, this surge of dystopian young adult fiction has been around for a long time, and these two stories are certainly not the first to focus on the life and struggles of a young girl. Gathering Blue was published in 2000 by Lois Lowry, the writer of the beloved classic, The Giver.  The two stories take place in the same world, but in different villages that are both authoritarian societies that use fear to control the masses.

Atlantis: The Lost Empire

Atlantis: The Lost Empire

Directed By: Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise

Review By: Katie Rose

                For those of us who are super Disney nerds, there are terms for different eras of Disney animated movie making. There was the Golden Age, which was 1940-1958, and includes classics like Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. Then there was the Disney Renaissance, which ran from 1989-1999. Those are all the films I grew up with such as The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, and Aladdin. Then something happened. Disney branched out from their normal story telling style, and even animation styles, and created a wide range of films that were financially not very successful. There are many different names for this period of movie making (including the unflattering “Dark Ages”), but I prefer to call it The Experimental Era.  Despite that lack of money that came from these movies, many of them were very good! The one I want to tell you about is my favorite from this time period, Atlantis: The Lost Empire.