Review: The Luminaries

Amazon

From The Luminaries, by Eleanor Catton:

The twelve men congregated in the smoking room of the Crown Hotel gave the impression of a party accidentally met. From the variety of their comportment and dress—frock coats, tailcoats, Norfolk jackets with buttons of horn, yellow moleskin, cambric, and twill—they might have been twelve strangers on a railway car, each bound for a separate quarter of a city that possessed fog and tides enough to divide them; indeed, the studied isolation of each man as he pored over his paper, or leaned forward to tap his ashes into the grate, or placed the splay of his hand upon the baize to take his shot at billiards, conspired to form the very type of bodily silence that occurs, late in the evening, on a public railway—deadened here not by the slur and clunk of the coaches, but by the fat clatter of the rain."

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Eleanor Catton has written a Victorian novel for the 21st century. Set during the New Zealand gold rush of the 1860s, it features a large cast of prospectors, bankers, politicians, con men, whores, and fortune tellers, all mixed up in a mystery of stolen gold and dead and missing men. It's ambitious and massive, but impossible to sort out.

POTD: Ride Share on the Water

From 2018 03 31 Jakarta

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Jakarta, Indonesia. After visiting the old port of Sunda Kelapa, our son suggested getting something to drink at the Jetski Cafe, which one online reviewer says has "the best beach view in Jakarta." The only challenge was that it is three and a half miles from Sunda Kelapa. No problem. John talked a local with a small boat in the port into giving us a ride by water. All was fine until we got outside the port's breakwater, when the waves started swamping the small boat, which rode low in the water even in calm waters. No personal flotation devices in this ride share. I kept eyeing the distance to shore and thought I'd be able to swim it if necessary. Eventually, our driver decided it was just too risky to continue and turned back. We got out where we had embarked, thanked him for the effort, then hailed a bajaj (tuk-tuk) for the journey by road. The view of the setting sun from the patio at the Jetski Cafe turned out to be magnificent.

The Mule (2018)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Mule (2018): Old man in need of money decides to run drugs for the cartel. Only suspense is who will ultimately get him: the cartel, the DEA, or his ex-wife. Narrative arc flat-lines, but interest builds towards movie's climax. Hey, watch anyway. It's Clint Eastwood. B-

Roma (2018)

Rotten Tomatoes

Roma (2018): Mexico in 1970s. Society is coming apart as are the lives of an affluent family and their live-in nanny/maid. An art film: black&white, subtitles, slice-of-life feel, lush panoramic images that linger, mesmerizing ambient sounds. A slow build to a powerful whole. B+

POTD: Pinisi in Sunda Kelapa

From 2018 03 31 Jakarta

Today's photo-of-the-day is of a motorized pinisi at Sunda Kelapa, the old port in Jakarta, Indonesia. The "port only accommodates pinisi, a traditional two masted wooden sailing ship serving inter-island freight service in the archipelago. Although it is now only a minor port, Jakarta has its origins in Sunda Kelapa and it played a significant role in the city's development."

P.S. Fifty points if you spotted "L" in the lower left.

Dumplin' (2018)

Rotten Tomatoes

Dumplin' (2018): Plus-sized daughter tries to please former beauty queen mom. Plays out pretty much as expected but, spoiler, I was surprised that a small Texas town could have five drag queen Dolly Partons. Cardboard characters, script, acting, but some great new Dolly songs. C+

POTD: Bike Share in Jakarta

From 2018 03 31 Jakarta

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Fatahillah Square in Jakarta, Indonesia. The building in the background is the original Stadhuis (city hall) of Batavia, built in 1710 by the Dutch. Today it's a museum. But it was the bike-share program that caught my eye. The bright pink and blue bicycles can be rented by the hour for touring this historic district.