The Host Review

While on holiday, my family decided that we should watch a different type of film. So here is where we found a very strange, slightly political, Korean film called The Host. It addresses the problems of humans not caring about the environment and the incompetences of governments. What i found most interesting was that you almost did feel much sympathy for the main family because they were just as incompetent as everyone else!

At the start of the film, the Americans dump a load of chemicals into the South Korean sea and this creates a monster. This monster steals the daughter of a failed father and granddaughter and niece to the rest of the family members. The father, who is comically useless, is infected with a 'virus' from the monster. The government goes insane trying to cure him but he just wants to fight back and save his daughter. With his father, sister and brother he attempts to find his daughter but encounters a few problems along the way.

What i enjoyed most about the film was the humour that was brought with a strong message. I am a strong believer in being environmentally friendly and the reason that this monster was made was because of the pollution of the Korean sea. The monster is a bit of a metaphor because like pollution, it was caused by us and will kill us. The colouring of the film is dark and grey, which fits with the horror theme. Although i don't like horrors, i though this one was done well because there were tense moments but there was still a story to follow. The animations were really believable and i liked the idea of a shark with legs. It was interesting that you were not made to feel empathetic towards the characters despite their situation. They were all so different but just as useless as each other. The political message of the film was showing how incapable the government can be and how America has destroyed so much (chemicals in sea and strong reference to Agent Orange). Overall, this being the first South Korean film i have watched, i really enjoyed its 'Jaw' type ideas. I would recommend this to any one how wants to try something that isn't a hollywood film or doesn't like very scary horrors. But after watching this, you might not want to swim afterwards!

4 out of 5 stars

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Half Way Through Misfits Review

I am halfway through series three and am delighted with my choice of TV show. In series one and two, we follow the five main characters but hardly discover anything about their past. In the first series, there is an equal amount of storyline about their crime and their superpowers. I really enjoyed seeing what people have to do on community service and how useless it seams to be; they had to dance with old people and sort through rubbish. The characters slowly become more and more obscene. My favourite part of series one is in the last episode when Nathan makes a hilariously-accurate speech about how messed up our generation is and how different it is to all the others. The speech will make you realise that this is okay and it is supposed to happen. The acting becomes more believable as we find out more about the character's personalities.There is an abrupt departure of (spoiler alert) Nathan at the end of series two, which doesn't seam to affect the group much but I was annoyed because he was the hottest one and had the most outrageous humour. The best thing about Misfits is the unexpected twists in the story line that seam to occur all the time.

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Half Way Book Review: Jane Eyre

We started reading Jane Eyre a few months ago in school and i am enjoying the historicalness and coming-of-age theme of the book so much that i wanted to review it. I am a little under half way through this book. The book starts with Jane in her cousin's house explaining her situation (orphan, lives with cousins, dead uncle). She also explains what was happening while she was explaining this: her heinous cousin John is abusing her and she gets no attention from her aunty. After being provoked by John she lashes out and after this is sent to the "Red Room" and then to Lowood Institution. Lowood Institution is a very religious and rigorous boarding school that people send their unwanted or poor children to. Subsequently, she stays there and miraculously survives. Jane (the narrator) then skips eight years to her being a teacher at Lowood who is advertising for a new job as a governess. When she gets accepted, she willingly leaves Lowood for a new job at Thornfield. Here is where she slowly becomes closer friends with her master despite their class difference.

The story is told from future Jane's memory and point of view. She describes things from so far from her past in great detail. The younger Jane is quite similar to the older Jane because they are both very confident and outspoken. Jane is constantly described as plain and i agree with this; she has a very basic personality towards other people but just like every young person, she over thinks and the reader gets to see this. Finally i have found a character that the narrater explains to be plain and not very beautiful and actually is how they describe; so many novels exaggerate characters but Jane is just plain! What i liked the most so far was the eight year gap for her time at Lowood. This shows that life at Lowood was repetitive and the same for eight years. When she explains the eight year gap, she addresses the reader and directly explains in a chatty manner why she left this gap. I like the sudden pauses in the story where Jane starts to talk to the reader. The character personalities are very clear and different and Adele is honestly the funniest French girl ever. I noticed that Jane is very much like Cassandra from I Capture The Castle; both keep themselves to themselves but can be quite confident.

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New Music 2

This is the second post in my new music series; each week i try out some new music. This week it isn't hip hop like The Mouse Outfit but it is modern alternative jazz. This band from melbourne is called The Cat Empire. I know, what's up with me choosing bands that have animals in their name? I discovered them when i was looking at the line up for The Secret Garden Party. I only realised that the album i have been listening to was released in 2003 but i still love it. All the songs have jazz instrumental parts or repeating rhythms on saxophones, trumpets and trombones. I love the reggae style beats on some on the songs and the stories told in the singing. The heavy bass line and sudden changes in the music will make up want to dance. I can listen to their music while i do my homework because it is so upbeat. My favourite songs are Beanni and How To Explain. Beanni is a very jazz/big band song with a jazzy, happy feel to it. How to Explain has funny lyrics and the catchiest chorus ever with random synchronised sounds and a small raps.

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Lure Fish and Chips

Lure is a local fish and chip shop that we have been going to since it first opened last year. We have only eaten inside once but have taken food away on numerous occasions. It is a small-ish restaurant with very basic pinterest-worthy colour co-ordinated interior. It has little booths, which remind me of hip American diner. It also has rustic stools on the seats looking out onto the street. The waiters there are really polite and have complimented our dog Noki many times.

Fish and chips never entirely attracted me until this restaurant lured me in (oh the pun). The fresh-flavoured homemade-tasting fish makes up for their small take-away menu. Haddock is their main fish that is the exactly how you would imagine a crispy battered fish from the seaside. It comes with a small pot of homemade tartare sauce. I have also had their miso infused salmon and calamari, which is so crispy and full of flavours. The best thing in the whole shop is their side order of Fennel-Slaw. It is just a brown box of perfectness. It is basically coleslaw made out of fennel without the liquidness and creaminess of normal coleslaw. Overall, Lure is my favourite takeaway (along with the local Japanese) because it is tastes very homemade and full of British flavour like fish and chips should be.

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New Music

My dad has always enjoyed every type of music but he never shared many of his "bangin' tunes" with me. My mum was always strictly Bob Dylan and my brother, well, he just enjoys wrapping, remixes and acoustic guitars. I don't ever really listen to music because i find it distracting. I have recently realised that i am missing out on an amazing thing. I ended last year by loving country music (basically one album on repeat) and then i listened to a bit of jazz to help with my improvisation for my saxophone. Now i've decided that i want to try a bit of every style of music (except mainstream pop- no thanks Taylor Swift). Here is quite an unknown band, which i found that i like: 

The Mouse Outfit- recommended by my brother

I'm so uneducated in music that i'm just going to guess that this style is called hip-hop. The Mouse Outfit is a band from Manchester, who seem to be quite unknown. Their songs normally have rapping (with words that i can actually understand) on top of a repeated trumpet riff and some synthesised sounds. I can do my homework with their songs on and is so perfect for chilling out to or as background music. Two of my favourite songs are Never Get Enough and No Stoppin' Us. No Stoppin' Us has trumpets playing a syncopated riff and you won't be able to stop bobbing your head. I love wind instruments with rapping because it's such a contrast to the normal rappers. I recommend it if you are just getting into hip-hop.

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V&A Wedding Dresses

Last weekend i went to my favourite museum (The V&A) to see a wedding dress exhibition. Although, i'm not very keen on weddings, i really enjoyed this exhibition. It was small and you could tell that every dress was specifically chosen. On the bottom floor, there was about three dresses for each decade for the 20th century and various from previous centuries. There was a brief but helpful description for each section. Upstairs was the modern dresses from all around the world. They had Kate Moss' and Gwen Stefani's dresses. I liked finding out the secret design secrets like that there was a little picture of Kate on her husbands tie at their wedding. The only thing i found tiresome was the description of each dress. It didn't excite me to find out who wore the dresses. I loved looking at the accessories and quotes from people in newspaper and seeing how much weddings have changed. The accessories included shoes, fans and hair garlands. I would have also liked to have seen who made the dresses and how long they took. Overall, i enjoyed the exhibition but would have liked something other than the material dresses.

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If I stay Review

Chloe Grace Moretz is one of my favourite actresses; mostly because she isn't in a load of typical teen films. Saying that, If I Stay is quite a typical teen film adaptation of a book. I read the book in a day and thought it was a very unique idea to have a book set over 24 hours. Before you find out much about anyone, there is a sudden car crash affecting Mia, her parents and her little brother. She appears un-conscious to other people but she can see and hear what is happening after the crash. As more characters get introduced in the waiting room of the hospital and tragic things start to take place, the reader finds out through flashbacks what significance they have in her life. She is a passionate cello player, has an un-expected boyfriend and doesn't fit into her family. Mia must choose whether she wants to stay and wake up or let go and leave the pain behind. 

Because Mia is a 'ghost' we follow her everywhere and see her feelings (which the other characters can't). This cleverly makes you think of yourself in her position. You sometimes forget that she is in a coma when you were watching a flash back and then be completely shocked. Although being quite discrete and reticent, Mia had so many people that loved her and it's had to fathom what you would do in her situation. I think the parents were exactly how i would imagine them from the book: contrasting to Mia but a very similar state of mind. Mia's boyfriend Adam, is played by a British actor which added to their differences. I think that the time that they were happy together was too short and their relationship went too quickly in the film. I wanted to see that Mia and Adam were opposites, just like Mia and her parents are opposite and Mia and her best friend are opposite but they all work so well with each other. I loved the music scenes and the way they showed that music was the one thing they had in common. The directors had interesting characters to play with but their personalities weren't disparate. I don't normally expect unique ideas from a teen film but from reading the tense book, i expected more individuality from the whole film. 

2 stars our of 5

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Wadjda Review

Wadjda is a film in the unlikely setting of Saudi Arabia. My mum recommended it because at the moment i am writing a short story about a young girl being forced into marriage in Saudi Arabia. I came up with the idea from listening and reading all the media coverage on Saudi women. Their rights practically don't exist and i find it so interesting that their society is surviving. My story is also about male guardians and the relationships that families have. I read a lot of wikipedia pages about women in Saudi but i wasn't getting the atmosphere from the facts, i needed to see it. The director of the film (Haifaa al-Mansour) was the first Saudi Arabian women to make a film and it be filmed in Saudi. It wasn't easy; she was disliked by the locals and she could not work with men so had to sit in a van and use a walkie-talkie to direct the actors.

Wadjda is a young girl living in Saudi Arabia trying to avoid the prejudices girls are accustomed to. She wants to ride a bike, paint her nails and back chat to everyone. Her father might remarry and society is shaming everyone. Wadjda sometimes finds school difficult but has an aim to make money. She wears converse and hangs out with a boy. Contrary, stubborn and strong.

This film is very relaxed and it doesn't require much concentration (except for the subtitles). The film gives you the basic rights of young girls but rushes over the main limitations of women (like being forbidden from driving). I would have liked if it was equally about her as it was about her mother. A contrast in ages but also a contrast in rights and expectations. It was humorous but lacked energy; only one emotional scene. It shows that women are second class citizens in Saudi's social hierarchy and really helped me understand how children feel living there. If you can persuade them, then this is a good first subtitle film for children around eleven years old. They will relate to Wadjda almost automatically and find her attitude hilarious. I never found it boring and i enjoyed the 'that's life' style of it.

2 and a half stars out of 5

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The Help Review

I am always incredulous about judging a book by the film adaptation but i think that this has a story line that could only have been written by a author who understands the animosities at this time. For this reason, i enjoyed THE HELP. It is set in a time when racism was everywhere; the 1960s. It includes lots of candid history. You see the bigotry attitudes were not just against the black people but also against the women who worked and people who wanted to class black people as equal to white. 

The film follows the story of Skeeter, an independent, white aspiring author (unexpectedly Emma Stone), who has humourlessly been given a column in a local magazine on cleaning, which she is entirely clueless about. She was given this job after acclaiming a degree instead of a husband (much to her mother's disappointment). Her new project is to interview the black female servants that raise white women's children and look after their houses for many years. They aren't allowed to use the same toilet as the white people and are treated unfairly. Only Aibileen, the housekeeper of Skeeter's best friend, will talk at first. As the pair continue the collaboration, more women decide to come forward and tell their story. The interviews eventually turn into a book. Skeeter's friends are appalled that she is mixing with the lower classes. The film includes how little power some of the men had in their homes. Women were above men in the household but not outside. 

THE HELP takes the idea of unexpected friendships and puts it into historical context. It was interesting to see that Skeeter didn't want to do what other people wanted her to. The way that she reacted to discipline varied. I learnt a lot about the history and the mind set of people at this time. I was not aware that Emma Stone could play such a serious role but still invoke her personality into the character. Overall, her character was whimsical and confident. I liked her. For a film like this, i would have preferred if there was no 'lovey doveyness' but near the ending, she does find a man (he looks a bit like Zac Efron so i don't mind too much). I think the other characters were astoundingly believable. Not one character was similar to another. The film somethings broke away from the strictly serious scenes to incorporate farce. Wait for the toilets in the garden scene...

3 and a half out of 5

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Side note: Just wanted to say that i am aware that i review the most cliche films and they are all very modern and have a-list actors in. I am a film aficionado, which means i love every single film no matter what. Every film interest me and i always want to know how they are made and who came up with the ideas. Film is like art to me. Every single film i watch i review, which shows that films that have been on television lately have been all the modern ones and the ones in the cinema have been biopics. Soon i will start reviewing more alternative films because they are compelling and challenging to review. I prefer films that are not modern but i feel like they are helping me develop my film critic voice. 

Good Night and Good Luck Review

GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK is a modern black and white film set in 1950's America when Communist beliefs were considered a crime of being un-American. This film offers the true story of the predicaments the CBS Television Station encountered when Senator Joseph McCarthy accused some of their staff of committing anti-American acts. At this time it was very dangerous for a respected news station to break their unbiasedness and shares their notions of the political problems occurring at the time. A very public predicament develops between CBS and McCarthy, who responds by accusing the show host and workers at the station of being communist. This political war, caused by censures, advances throughout the whole film with more accusations and altercations. A forbidden marriage, a tragic suicide and a stand against the government are major occurrences in the film. The film has a clear message; stand up for what you believe in especially if it means saving someone else too.

This is one of the only modern films that has managed to make a black and white colouring look realistic and acceptable to the era they are trying to portray. Another reason why the monochrome is successful is because the film includes original footage of the ruthless and devious speeches and court hearings made by Senator Joseph McCarthy (which are in black and white). The atmosphere is authentic because of the constant subtle sound of a female jazz singers voice singing mellow blues. The audiences vision is constantly obscured by the storm of smoke hanging around the rooms. The accents were believable just like the persuasive costumes. So much concentration is on the costumes, props and set that i found that the small-role characters were lacking an empathy or inspiration. The speeches, although emotional, took up a large proportion of the film. This is definitely a film about language not action.

This time in history is commonly compared to the Arthur Miller play, The Crucible. They both include a lead character that everyone is scared of and believes will always have the right answer. This character accuses people of serious crimes if they disagree with them. If you enjoy films that are more concentrated on history and emotions rather than big moments and thrilling scenes that this is for you. Not a lot happens but the concentration is on the inspirational speeches that altered peoples opinions at the time.

2 and a half out of 5 

Animal Farm Review

ANIMAL FARM is an allegorical and dystopian novel by George Orwell. It is recognised as one of the most culminating classics. It is a very short book of only 120 pages. Orwell found his inspiration after being horrified by what had happened to the so-called socialist party of The Soviet Union. The usurpation of the socialist revolutionary by Stalin's regimen was not welcomed by Orwell. ANIMAL FARM represents the wrong way that his society was transformed.

The story follows the life of a troop of animals on a farm and displays the problems they collide with when power and hierarchy become available. The animals win a battle against the mistreating farmer, which ends in them taking power of the land. For many years, all the animals work contently but then the generation of the revolution dies. The animals are told by the pigs, who were always the leaders, that they are working for themselves. Truthfully, the animals have been brainwashed and blindly ignore the obvious facts that lead to their manipulation and ignore the terrible things that are happening. The story ends with a vividly described scene that depicts the party for the leaders (the pigs) and the neighbouring farm, where you realise how much the farm has and hasn't changed.

Overall the book is an easy, quick read and there was only occasionally a word that i did not understand. Its relations to the real historical facts were simple to interpret and the only problem i faced was reading too far between the lines. Make sure that you are explained the basic history before reading and that you know who every character symbolises. The story shows the corruptness and harsh improbability of there ever being no leader. By the end of the book you realise you have been laughing at the animals stupidity but really they tragically symbolise the people that should have know better.

If the last line of the book is not worthy of a tumblr post then i don't know what is.

Finished Book Review: I Capture the Castle

Finally (after 5 months) i have finished reading I CAPTURE THE CASTLE. If you haven't already read the first part of my review then read it here. I was correct in saying that my opinions have changed. Please note the first paragraph contains spoilers.

A lot has changed since the middle of I CAPTURE THE CASTLE. After Simon and Rose have been together for a long time, her siblings uncover that she does not love Simon and never will. This creates great havoc in Cassandra's mind, especially because she kissed Simon and decided she is in madly love with him. Rose and Cassandra have their first brawl and Cassandra storms out into the dark London night and finds her own way home. Stephan gets a job as a model and an actor but continues to be boring and love-sick. Mr. Mortimer finally begins writing at the end and there is an unexpected twist with who loves who which really shocks the reader.

Cassandra travels to London and is given an extravagant gift from Simon, which she cherishes more than anything. She describes these two main moments with a lot of detail. The way that it is written is exactly how a teenager would write; making every moment sound like the best or worse day of her life. As the story progresses, you learn more about the traditions and way of life of a not-so-normal 1930's family. I liked that, although she laments a lot, i never felt empathetic towards Cassandra. I would have found it very boring if i constantly felt sorry for the narrator. The ceaseless talk about Simon is tiring but believable. I also love how Cassandra is subtly rude about all her family members.

I would recommend this book to every teenage girl. It is not just a girly love story but a more interesting novel about teenage life and living in a castle. Cassandra is at an awkward age and her narrating is highly entertaining. Girls will relate to her embarrassing traumas. After reading it, I have decided i want to live in a castle; there would be so much to write about and discover.

The Lunchbox Review

The Lunchbox is a film set in western India in Mumbai. A lonely housewife makes a packed lunch for her neglectful husband but it is delivered to the wrong desk. This desk belongs to a grumpy man that is on the verge of retiring. Surprisingly, he enjoys the meal. The spices must have gone to his head because overtime, he becomes a more empathetic and caring man. After she realises it did not end up at the right place, Ila, the women that made the food, sends a letter asking who is eating the meals. They then start a chain of letters and tell eachother their fears, memories and regrets.

The Lunchbox was quite unoriginal. It was a very adage love story that i found very predictable. The writer has tried too hard to capture the romance but also the everyday traumas that the characters go through. The film takes advantage of the location and shows off the bustling city of Mumbai (finally, not a love story set in cliché New York). You get a feel of the aliveness of the Indian trains and it shows the delectable cuisines and culture. The characters were believable but not at all interesting. This may have been a good thing because it showed what life was like for real people not adapted film characters. The ending was unsatisfactory and lazy; it didn't leave me thinking.

Overall, this film was witty in a 'mums will laugh' sort of way. The film is heavily adapted around romance but manages to not be too soppy. The characters are older so i would not recommend this film to teenagers. If you are not a fan of Bollywood, but love the Indian culture and romance films then this is for you.

2 and a half out of 5

Paddington Review

I'm ashamed to say that i knew nothing about Paddington Bear before seeing this film. I had of course seen his iconic image but was never told the story or watched the show as a child. This may be as a result of him being most famous when my parents were young - in the 70s. I didn't know what to expect, but i knew there was going to be a lot of adult jokes because he has so many older fans. Surprisingly, i found that there were few jokes that i struggled to understand or that children wouldn't get. The humour was extremely slapstick and ridiculous, and i couldn't contain my laughter. Paddington made a new mistake in every scene so there was never a dull moment. He skateboarded, slid down the stairs in the bath and flew through the sky.

Strangely, i found this film was very similar to Lilo and Stitch. In both films, there is a lost animal that doesn't quite fit in but finds a new family. The ending of both films (spoiler alert) are practically the same and use the same soppy lines about family being family no matter what. The writers of Paddington manage to relate it to today by include an arrogant neighbour that doesn't like feral immigrants - is this a Ukip stab? The recurring Calypso band and the marmalade machine are my favourite elements of the film. If you like Miranda or Nanny McPhee; childish, outrageous but relatable humour, then you and your family will enjoy this. Not sure about you, but i'm going to be leaving some marmalade sandwiches on my doorstep in the hope that i might attract a Peruvian bear.

3 and a half out of 5

The Imitation Game Review

“Sometimes it is the people whom no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one can imagine.” -The Imitation Game

THE IMITATION GAME is a film set during the second World War when Britain was loosing to Germany. It starts with strong characters and a humorous atmosphere but then ends with a heartbreaking truth. Alan Turing was an ingenious mathematician and cryptanalyst.  He had an extraordinarily brilliant brain and was incredible at crosswords. He was credited with cracking the unbreakable codes of Germany's World War II Enigma machine. Turing was a 'heroic outsider' who thought himself to be superior to most others. At one point in the film, he writes a letter to Churchill asking if he can have the £100,000 funding he needs for his machine. Turing's visionary but enigmatic behaviour helped save the lives of millions of people and shortened the war by two years.

I didn't know what to expect from this film; I wasn't certain that it was going to concentrate on just machines and science or if it was going to be a biopic. I was pleasantly surprised; the film had an equal share of drama and fact. Benedict Cumberbatch is entirely believable and portrays Alan Turing as unique, eccentric and poignant. Much like in Sherlock, Cumberbatch brings cheeky humour to the role. Again, he plays a logical man who doesn't understand jokes and sarcasm and finds normal human interaction very mysterious and challenging. The film also shows how people that were not fighting were living. Keira Knightly plays a fearsomely intelligent woman who is very audacious and spontaneous who penetrates a man's world. You are first introduced to her when she arrives late to an interview and shows nothing but 'sass' when she is discriminated against because she is a woman. This is very relevant to today with the issue of gender inequality.

I was more moved by this film than any other I have watched this year. I was in tears at the end because of the prejudice and injustice Turing encountered after the war and the absolute misery he found. He invented something extraordinary (the precursor of the modern computer) and was a true visionary and yet his achievements and life were kept secret for years and it was only last year that the Queen pardoned him and gave him his due place in history. Alan Turing was an inspiring man who was viewed as extremely stubborn because he believed in his own ideas. During his life time, he was never given the recognition or commendation he deserved. And because of the prejudices and intolerances of the time he lived in, he had a terrible end.

4 and a half out of 5

Half Way Book Review: I Capture The Castle

I had an idea to do a book review when i was half way through reading, then do another when i had finished it to see if my ideas had changed and how the story had progressed.

I have been reading this book for a very long time. I am an extremely slow reader. Also, dog face takes up a lot of my time. Lately, i have been finding it hard to sleep (probably due to the fact that there are only three weeks till Christmas) and reading before bed has been my saviour. I normally end up reading about ten pages because it makes me so sleepy but i've finally got to the middle of this book.

I chose I CAPTURE THE CASTLE after reading one of Dodie Smith's other famous novels, 101 DALMATIANS. It may have been a bit childish but it is an absolute classic. It is defiantly different from the film and i think it paints a better picture in your head because of her vivid descriptions. I CAPTURE THE CASTLE is another famous book that appears high on all those 'books that every girl should read' lists. It is J.K. Rowling's favourite book. She says "This book has one of the most charismatic narrators i've ever met" and i agree.. it is as if when you start the book you are meeting someone not just reading about them.

The story is set in the English countryside in the 1930’s.  An extremely poor, eccentric family discovers an abandoned castle and chooses it to be their new home. The narrator is Cassandra Mortmain, a quiet yet witty 17 year-old, aspiring author, who has no experience with friends, socialising and definitely not boys. Her sister, Rose, is effortlessly beautiful just like her stepmother, Topaz. Mr. Mortmain is the writer of a successful and rather intellectual book but unfortunately since then he has been suffering from writer's block - which came on after an argument with his wife and neighbour. 

When two American brothers arrive at the door of their castle, marriage is the only word on everyone’s lips. Rose is determined to marry the eldest brother no matter how desperate she may seem. Cassandra has never thought about marriage until Rose mentions Neil (the younger boy). Stephan, the Mortmain’s life-long friend and house workman is embarrassingly lovesick over Cassandra. He is constantly to be seen in the barn writing amateurish love-poems for her. Cassandra doesn’t return Stephan’s love but does she have feelings for Neil instead?

I think that Cassandra and Neil will get together because their personalities are slightly different but they have conversations that prove them to have the same opinions. I don't think that Rose and Simon will work out because Rose is too overpowering and she is revolted by his beard. So far, the characters have changed from how they were at the start of the book, which i find interesting and more exciting to read. I feel pity towards Rose because she is shown to be immature because of her desperation. Cassandra has become more grown up and is very humble towards everyone. I hope that Dodie carries on dealing with teenage issues and writes more about the castle and England's history.