Author: stumberry

Stu’s Reviews- #558- TV Series – “Sanditon”- PBS- 1 Season

Genre: TV Series

Grade: B+

Notable People:  Rose Williams, Theo James, Anne Reid Created by: Sally Rooney

Title: Sanditon

Review: Classic BBC Masterpiece production, created by Andrew Davies (House of Cards) from an unfinished Jane Austin novel. The show has unrequited Jane Austin love as well as J.A. burgeoning questions about woman’s place and rights in Victorian England. Set in the seaside town of Sanditon, the story follows an extended family trying to create a notable holiday destination by the sea. Scandals abound, as might be expected. The acting is top notch and Reid (Halifax) is her always magnificent detestable self. Great attention to the period via costumes, music, sets. Beautiful to watch, if you go in for classic “Masterpiece”.

Stu’s Reviews- #557- Book- “Pachinko”- Min Jin Lee

Genre: Book

Grade:  A-/B+

Notable People: Min Jin Lee

Title:  ” Pachinko”

Review:      Beautiful, quiet and very long book from Korean-Americana author, Lee, that tells the 80-year story (1910-1980) of four generations of Koreans living in Japan under the at times brutal colonial administration and control of the Japanese. It is an intense tale of an entire culture forced into submission by a much more dominant and relentless adversary, and filled with anguish and tragedy. The characters are vivid, the writing precise and the tale contains an amazing lifetime of twists and turns. It was an eye opening experience for me about a proud culture I knew little about and a harrowing portrayal of the war years. The title refers to the beloved bingo parlors that are a mainstay of Korean culture and often associated with the Yakuza (Japanese gangsters). Very, very lengthy book that may be a bit difficult for some to stick with, and took me some time to finish. Not for everyone, but a splendid read

Stu’s Reviews- #556- Book- “The Beautiful Mystery”- Louise Penny

Genre: Book

Grade:  A

Notable People: Louise Penny

Title:  ” The Beautiful Mystery”

Review:    Just when I was getting the rhythm of Penny’s Gamache series, set in the wonderful, mythical Quebecois village of Three Pines, she throws me for a total loop by going to new, strange and exotic locale in in this eighth installment of this magnificent series. No outsiders are ever admitted to the monastery of Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loups (“Between the Wolves”), hidden deep in the wilderness of Québec, where two dozen cloistered monks live in peace and prayer. Ironically, for a community that has taken a vow of silence, the monks have become world-famous for their glorious voices, raised in ancient Gregorian chants. All of this forms the backdrop for a bizarre murder setting investigated by Gamache and Jean-Guy. Like all her books, this is incredibly well researched and delves deep into ancient Papal lore, the origins of the Gilbertine order of monks and the birth of Gregorian chants. You’ll be taken in by the beauty of the history, the remote Abbey, the chants themselves and this mysterious place…and on top of it, you get a brilliant book that just happens to be a whodunnit….and you get Armand Gamache. Nuff’ said

Stu’s Reviews- #555- TV Series – “Normal People”- Hulu- 1 Season

Genre: TV Series

Grade: A-

Notable People:  Daisy Edgar-Jones, Paul Mescal, Created by: Sally Rooney

Title: Normal People

Review: Uber-intense complicated love story between two young people in rural Scotland and then in Dublin. From Rooney’s novel of the same name, it is gripping story that is so intense you think the episodes are an hour long, when they are indeed about 25 minutes. Jones and Mescal are brilliant as crossed lovers trying to get on the same page through high school and then Trinity College. The supporting cast is very good, and the dialog really captures each moment. At times, the pain of these two people is difficult to watch and it dragged a bit towards the end, but I was often moved by the story and the performances and hope for an encore season.

Stu’s Reviews- #554- Book- “The Mothers”- Brit Bennett

Genre: Book 

Grade:  A-

Notable People: Brit Bennett

Title:  ” The Mothers”

Review:    I checked out a number of books from the library from last years’ New York Times Best of list. I guess I don’t share the same taste or values, as first two were duds that I gave up on after 50 pages…… then I hit this one. A wonderful first novel by this SoCal writer that traces the heartbreaking story of a motherless African-American girl in San Diego. Started slow- but really grew on me. Intense, colorful, evocative and well captures the experience of a young black woman in a white culture. “The Mothers” refers to the elder woman at the “Upper Room” church to which the protagonist’s marine father is devoutly involved, and each chapter starts with their moving reminiscences before delving into the story. A very touching book that will make you think and feel deeply.

Stu’s Reviews- #553- TV Series – “The Flight Attendant”- HBO Max- 1 Season

Genre: TV Series  

Grade: B+

Notable People:  Kaley Cuoco, Michiel Huisman, Zozia Mamet, Michele Gomez Created by: Steve Yockey

Title: The Flight Attendant

Review: this show came recommended by two friends…and I initially thought they had lost their mind. They both encouraged me to persevere past the first few episodes….and frankly, the show did become more enticing. But, make no mistake, this is one bizarre story-from a novel by Chris Bohjalian (a Vermont writer know for bizarre). Cuoco is TFA, who is a drunk and a one-night stand queen, which she has with the occupant of 3C on a New York to Bangkok flight. He winds up dead in their hotel bed, she winds up in a crazed world of drug and gum smuggling, fake corporations, alcohol fueled dementia, hit men and woman of all sized and shapes, traitorous colleagues and wacked out FBI agents. Nothing is what it seems, and it’s a bit hard to follow at times, but the cast is good, there is nice underlying senses of dark humor and Cuoco carries the day, nailing an alcoholic coming apart at the seams in every way , but still, cute and funny and likeable. This is a guilty pleasure, though I think one season is enough.

Stu’s Reviews- #552- TV Series – “Luther”- Hulu and HBO Max- 5 Seasons

Genre: TV Series

Grade: A-

Notable People:  Idris Elba, Ruth Wilson, Dermot Crowley Created by; Neil Cross

Title: Luther

Review: Gritty crime drama set in London with the magnificent Elba (unrecognizable from his drug kingpin role on The Wire) as the tortured detective who gets entwined with one serial killer after another. Wilson is a revelation as the likeable psychopath, Alice, who is becomes Luther’s guardian angel…with a price. The last two seasons were very abbreviated and suffered from some lack of direction, but Elba and Wilson are so good, the show remains a keeper. This one seems like a terminal ending to me, though there is rumor of film version in the works.

Stu’s Reviews- #551- Book- “Euphoria”- Lily King

Genre: Book

Grade:  A-

Notable People: Lily King

Title:  ” Euphoria”

Review:    Fascinating novel about three anthropologists in the New Guinea bush on the 1930s. Loosely based on the life of Margaret Mead, and culled from her autobiographical writings, it paints a picture of 20th century tribal life that is quite striking, and is centered around the early years of cultural anthropology and the development of modern understanding of cultural difference. All this woven into a steamy (it hit in the tropics) love triangle. Well written, taut prose. For some, it may seem too academic at times, but the story captivated me.

Stu’s Reviews- #550- TV Series – “Your Honor”- Showtime- 1 Season

Genre: TV Series 

Grade: A-

Notable People:  Bryan Cranston, Hunter Doohan, Michael Stahlberg, Hope Davis, Isiah Whitlock, Margo Martindale Sophie Rundle Created by; Peter Moffat

Title: Your Honor

Review: Who does stressed- out- to -the – max/intense -beyond – belief like Cranston? Hard to watch his pain and conflict for ten hours of this miniseries, as an honorable New Orleans Judge in over his head with the mob to protect his son. The supporting performances are excellent, especially Whitlock (The Senator from The Wire) and Doohan. Stahlberg’s mob boss is also noteworthy. The show delves deep into the graft and corruption synonymous with New Orleans politics and law enforcement, and shows us all of the city really well along the way. I was enthralled with the show until the last episode, which took a pretty unfeasible leap for me, before rebounding with shocking ending. Filled with neurotic symbolism and enmeshments, Crazy Cranston deserves an award just by showing up on screen- he is a classic piece of work, he is. You got to like complex, and wrought with tension for this one. Unbelievably there are rumors of a second season , similar to the original Israeli show this was based on

Stu’s Reviews- #549- Book- “Boar Island”- Nevada Barr

Grade:  B+

Notable People: Nevada Barr

Title:  ” Boar Island”

Review:    The most recent in Barr’s’ 25 year run of Anna Pidgeon books. Anna, the National Park Service Ranger, finds herself temporarily assigned to Acadia National Park, where all kinds of mayhem ensues. I have liked these books for a long time, but this felt a bit repetitive and the characters did not seem fully developed. Barr, who is really an NPS ranger, again goes back to some of the same characters in many of her books, and her sense of place is always wonderful, but this one seemed a bit over the top for me. Still, who doesn’t want to spend a virtual week musing over the great Maine north woods.