Tooth & Claw and The King's Speech reviews

[alobear]

Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton was an unexpected Christmas present, described to me as "Jane Austen with dragons".  That pushed it straight to the top of the reading pile, as I was intrigued to see how it would work.

To begin with, the novelty factor was high - the juxtaposition of a 19th century comedy of manners with dragon characters who habitually kill and eat their tenant farmers' children was bizarre but refreshing, though I thought the author was trying a bit too hard to be clever and original.  I also felt that the review comparisons with Austen were unfortunate as there was no way the narrative could live up to that standard, which meant its shortcomings were that much more emphasised.  The characters were never really developed with much depth, and the narrative style was very much "tell, don't show", which meant I found it hard to connect with the story on more than a surface level.  I also felt that the dragon-ish aspects of the characters didn't gel properly with the genteel 19th century society style.

Then, as the plot progressed, I realised that the Austen comparisons were rather more to do with the story than the style, and things went rapidly downhill.  It turned out basically to follow much of the plot of Pride and Prejudice - estate entailed away from direct descendants, worries about how to marry off superfluous daughters, an objectionable parson who proposed to each unmarried female character in turn until one of them finally married him in desperation, another parson with an overbearing patroness whose son fell for the unsuitable protagonist, etc, etc.

Certain aspects of the dragon society were interesting, and parts of the story were well told, but it would have benefitted tremendously from less originality of concept and more originality of plot.



Last night, we went to see The King's Speech, and it was excellent.  Great cast all round - particularly Helena Bonham Carter as the Duchess of York.  Colin Firth and Geoffry Rush were both also wonderful in their roles, and I would not be at all surprised to see any or all of them on the Oscar lists in a couple of months' time.  The story unfolded skilfully, maintaining its intimate, personal charm, despite the encroachment of important public and world events, and all its characters were beautifully and sympathetically portrayed by both script and actors.

I was glad at the end that the director decided to play out the entirety of the titular speech - a bold decision due to its length but one that paid off brilliantly, as Bertie's triumph over his stammer combined with the emotive aspects of the circumstances of the speech itself to provide a fantastic climax.

Overall, it was a lovely, heartwarming story, very effectively transferred to the screen.  Certainly, everyone in my party was enthusiastic in their praise on the drive home.  Hightly recommended.