Very Nice by Marcy Dermansky

Posted by Kate W in Fiction and tagged with , , , , , ,

Satire isn’t my go-to when I want a laugh but I did enjoy this spiky little story about relationship triangles and over-inflated egos.

Marcy Dermansky’s Very Nice is told from the perspective of three characters – it begins with Rachel Klein, who never meant to kiss her creative writing professor. Said writing professor is Zahid Azzam, and he never planned to become a house guest in Rachel’s sprawling Connecticut home, but he does. Rachel’s mother, Becca, never thought she’d have a love affair so soon after the end of her marriage, but when Zahid arrives, she does… Continue reading →

Book vs. TV Series: My Brilliant Friend – The Story of a New Name

Posted by Kate W in Book vs Film and tagged with , ,

I didn’t care for the books, but thought the first TV series (with each episode representing one chapter in the first book) was superb.

The second series – which aligns with The Story of a New Name – is so, so good. It’s demanding viewing because the actress who plays Lila (Gaia Girace), is the master of the overt and the incredibly subtle – her glances, her body language, the slightest tilt of her head says EVERYTHING. Continue reading →