The Ogre of Oglefort

What do you do when you have:
a) A fine and upstanding troll with a good heart.
b) A hag is who is kind and cheery in the tradition of the best old-fashioned grandmothers.
c) A mother-pecked wizard who brews nothing more that odious smells with dastardly results.
d) An orphan who prefers a madcap adventure with the aforementioned trio rather than facing one more monotonous day at the dreary orphanage.

You sit tight as they get sent on the much loved and severely clichéd quest of them all: *RESCUE A PRINCESS* ---- *FROM AN EVIL OGRE*

But.....

Continuing in the above rhetorical vein;
What DO you do when:
a) Said princess yells at her startled rescuers as she doesn’t want to be rescued.
b) Said Ogre just wants to die peacefully in his satin pyjamas and lie down beside his beloved late wife, the Ogress.

In true and tried Eva Ibbotson fashion, The Ogre of Oglefort humanizes the vilest of the after-life. The author has the endearing ability of banishing misgivings of *things-that-go-thump-in-the-dark*. In fact more often than not, her books are likely to make little sleepyheads peek under their beds, hoping that a kind-hearted (albeit severely misunderstood) ‘creature of the dark’ is hanging around, just waiting to banish their more prosaic troubles.

I have the greatest respect for the late Ibbotson. Her books for young readers are funny, quirky, unpredictable and choc-a-bloc with odd twists and turns. This book is no different. Steeped in fantasy, it has an odd anchor in reality. Yet again, the author displays how the biggest monsters we face are basic everyday issues.

Loved the quirky characters. Loved the bizarre plotline. Loved it.

The Carrie Diaries (The Carrie Diaries, Book #1)

‘Who am I supposed to be again?
Just be yourself.
But who am I?’

Much before Carrie Bradshaw was blazing a fashionable trail through Manhattan, she was just an ordinary, small-town, high-school teenager in Connecticut.

She has her own “unclique” consisting of the prone-to-dramatics Maggie, the sarcastic guy-with-a-secret Walt, the super-smart Roberta better known as The Mouse and the frenemy - Lali. Soon, Carrie finds herself drawn into a tumultuous relationship with the most-sought after bad-boy in school - Sebastian Kydd. She also has to deal with the family dynamics of a widowed father bringing up three fairly-troubled teenage daughters.

But Carrie has another all-encompassing dream…a dream to become a *Writer*. After receiving a rejection letter from an NY writing seminar, her confidence is shaken and she begins contemplating the uncertainties of the future. Does she have the potential to make it as writer? Or is she destined to end up at a nearby university, resigned to becoming a scientist like her dad?

And then the betrayal of a friend speeds things up drastically. Decisions have to be made…relationships are to be mended/ severed…and the future puts it’s insistent foot in the door.

On the face of it, The Carrie Diaries can be just another coming-of-age story fraught with the usual issues of growing up. But what makes it an interesting read is that IT IS the coming-of-age story of the iconic *Carrie Bradshaw*, immortalized in the critically acclaimed ‘Sex and the City’. A younger Carrie has been portrayed as a fun, intelligent and whacky teenager. She has the smarts to stand up for herself but is enough of a teen to be pummelled by doubts and insecurities. She has all the makings of a make-you-proud feminist and then again, shows an equally humbling tendency to succumb to peer-pressures.

We get glimpses into the fashionista-in-the-making. From the first day of the new school year when she arrives in white patent leather Go-Go boots to the time when she goes nuts with a bottle of bright pink nail-polish and emblazons her name on a classic bag handed down by her mum, Carrie is quite the style-guru. This is the fledgling stage of her love-affair with vintage clothes and it’s a treat for all Carrie and SATC fans to see their favourite character’s formative years.

The cast of supporting characters is pretty clichéd, complete with the nasty queen-bee cheerleader, the entourage of empty headed Jocks and Jens and a love interest that leaves much to be desired. But the sole shining beacon of this book is Carrie Bradshaw. Her tale is that of every small-town girl trying to break the shackles of a go-nowhere suburban existence. What makes this story special is that at the end of the day, we know Carrie succeeded and got a well-shod Jimmy Choo foothold into her bright and exciting dream of making it in New York city.

Summer And The City (The Carrie Diaries, Book #2)

I sincerely, truly adored the first book in this series : The Carrie Diaries

And so, I was compelled to grab the second book. It helped that it had three of my favourite ingredients:
a) New York City
b) The tale of a fledgling writer
c) The coming-of-age journey of the delightfully quirky and iconic Carrie Bradshaw

Sadly, at the end of this fairly chunky read….I had to go…‘eh’.

The plot and characters are predictable. You can immediately tell who is the last-page love-interest, who is going through the throes of a just-divorced rebound, who is the sex-fiend (NOT Samantha!), who is the egomaniac and who is the confused feminist.

Obligatory references to Carrie’s love for vintage and bizarre fashion (that works!) are thrown in as an afterthought. The author oscillates between her love for The Big Apple and the need to keep things starkly real.

I really wanted to love this book. But…

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2

At two hours and ten minutes, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 is the shortest film in the franchise. And within these two hours and ten minutes, Potter fans are treated to a masterpiece of epic proportions.

Harry Potter is now closer to discovering and destroying Voldemort’s remaining horcruxes. Along this journey, he has to deal with devious goblins, fire-breathing dragons, new and untried hexes, guilty ghosts, cursed fiendfyre, old enemies and the promise of a new, hitherto undiscovered, truly terrifying Horcrux. And the poor lad’s work is never done. At the end of these gruesome tasks, he must face his nemesis : The Dark Lord...The most powerful evil magician of all times...the monster who has killed Harry’s parents, his godfather, his mentor and many more who have played a poignant role in Harry’s life. Fighting and vanquishing Voldemort means accepting death gladly. It means stepping into unchartered territory with sheer guts bolstered by hope and a prayer.

Part 2 is the tale of the ultimate battle...the battle between Good and Evil...the battle between ‘The Boy-Who-Lived’ and ‘The Vile-Noseless-Villain-Who-Refused-To-Die’. It is a setting that gathers up the slow threads of Part 1 and flings it headlong into a chaotic battlescene that is awe-inspiring and heart-wrenching in equal measures.

The movie, to put it mildly is *BRILLIANT*

The movie, to put it in the words of a true-blue Potter fan is *MIND-BOGGLINGLY-FANTASTIC*

Concentrating on the ‘Battle of Hogwarts’ meant that the entire movie could have disintegrated into a never-ending round of wand-duelling, muggle-worthy punching and the dire destruction of a set that holds a special place in our hearts. Thankfully, the director (David Yates) has played a beautiful game of explosive action combined with deliciously slow and intense moments.

SPECIAL CHARACTER MENTION:

~ ‘Snape’s Memory’; one of the best chapters in the book was converted into a perfect ten-minute montage that made my vision blurry with unshed tears. Alan Rickman is always a joy to behold and his rendition of the magnificent Snape leaves you satisfied that the movie did credit to the written word.

~ Prof. McGonagall has always been one of my favourite characters. Maggie Smith as the unbending teacher with a heart of molten gold has a few (but just enough) moments that make you whoop with glee (yes, I did indeed whoop with glee)

~ Neville Longbottom (Matthew Lewis) has come such a long way from being a scared student who quivered under the scathing disapproval of a long-suffering teacher. Tall, weary and covered with battle-scars....Neville is an unlikely hero who plays a crucial role. It helps that he has some wicked-cool lines to boot.

~ Oddly enough, I don’t have much to say on Harry, Hermione and Ron. Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) plunges forth with a quiet intensity. Hermione (Emma Watson) is a tad muted but her usual spunky self. Ron (Rupert Grint) has his endearing gormless act in place. Their combination works like a well-oiled spring; courtesy the long-standing familiarity and suffice to say, the trio keep you hooked.

At the end of it all, it was so much more than just that. It was a magical battle to end all the mini-squabbles. It was a shining symbol of the power of friendship, love and loyalty. It was the befitting end of a glorious era.The director, cast and crew tied up one of the greatest and most successful stories of our time into a fitting conclusion.

Glaring dissimilarities aside, fans will be hard-pressed to nitpick.

I want to write so much more. I want to write eloquent prose that conveys my affection for these fictional characters. I want to write a glowing statement of adulation for the author who can tell a tale like no one else.

Thank you, J.K.Rowling.

Thank you for your imagination that is so rooted in reality.

Thank you for reaffirming my belief that love, friendship and faith can brighten up the darkest corners of our minds.

Thank you for the magic...