Latest news with #Maggie
The Guardian
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
A Family Matter by Claire Lynch review – powerful debut about lesbian mothers in the 80s
For a writer, the 1980s bear rich, dark fruit. The social and political turbulence of the decade provides the perfect landscape for Claire Lynch's dual-timeline debut novel A Family Matter, which alternates between 1982 and the present day. On the surface, it is the story of a father-daughter relationship. Heron – an elderly man deeply fond of rules and routine – has recently received a terminal cancer diagnosis, but rather than share it with his grownup daughter, Maggie, who now has a family of her own, he chooses to bear the burden alone. As we learn that Heron raised Maggie by himself, it's clear this urge to shield his only child from harm is a continuous theme. There is no mention of another parent, just that Heron was divorced many decades ago; it's only when Lynch takes us back to 1982 that we discover the true story. When Maggie was a toddler, her 23-year-old mother, Dawn, met another woman at a jumble sale. It was a chance encounter, and they clicked. Hazel, a newly qualified primary school teacher, had recently moved to the town, and Dawn was flustered by Hazel's obvious life experience, feeling that 'her mouth was full of all the things she would say if she wasn't too embarrassed to put herself into words'. Hazel is equally smitten, and as the intensity between the two women grows, it isn't long before their friendship develops into a romance. A secret romance to begin with, not just because Dawn is married to Heron and her life is dedicated to their beloved Maggie, but because 1980s provincial Britain was far more attached to the idea of a nuclear family than it was to the concept of true love. 'You wanted to collect the set, the wedding, the house, the baby?' Hazel asks. 'I didn't know you were allowed not to,' Dawn replies. Provincial secrets, however, have a habit of escaping, and inevitably Dawn must explain herself to Heron, because her sexuality was 'something she had always known, as deep and bright as bone'. A product of his environment, Heron's reaction is predictable. Tempers flare. Locks are changed. Solicitors are consulted. Both Dawn and Heron are swept along by a system clinging to the archaic belief that a child exposed to same-sex relationships will become damaged. In the custody court, Heron puts his trust in 'the men wearing cufflinks', while Dawn wonders 'what combination of arms and eyes and mouth will keep her from looking ashamed'. Present-day Maggie, now with her own (often less than perfect) nuclear family, has no knowledge of her parents' ancient battle. She just knows that Dawn left, and Heron stayed. However, when terminally ill Heron's attempts at Swedish death cleaning unearth long-forgotten court documents, Maggie must reframe being abandoned by her mother in the face of this newly found truth. From Zadie Smith's White Teeth to Douglas Stuart's Shuggie Bain, literature is peppered with compelling tales of homophobia and prejudice in the 1980s. It is a decade slowly edging closer to being classed as historical fiction, a soothing balm perhaps. However, in this small and powerful story, Lynch forces us to stare bigotry in the eye. She does this not only with smart and often heartbreaking observations of human behaviour, but also by weaving in difficult truths. Her author's note reveals that the brutal and savage words spoken during Maggie's custody hearing are taken from real-life court transcripts. At the time, almost all lesbian mothers involved in divorce cases like Dawn's lost legal custody of their children. One of the most important roles of a writer is to give a platform to those less often noticed. Not only does Lynch's novel lend a voice to the many thousands of people who were forced to remain silent, bound by the prejudice of 'different times', it shouts that injustice from its pages. A Family Matter by Claire Lynch is published by Chatto & Windus (£16.99). To support the Guardian buy a copy at Delivery charges may apply. Sign up to Bookmarks Discover new books and learn more about your favourite authors with our expert reviews, interviews and news stories. Literary delights delivered direct to you after newsletter promotion
The Review Geek
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Review Geek
The Walking Dead: Dead City – Season 2 Episode 5 'The Bird Always Knows' Recap & Review
Episode 5 Episode 5 of The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 begins with the Croat trying on a fancy suit when some men cut the lights in one of the avenues. Perlie, Maggie and Hershel are making their way back to the park and worry about how to steal the methane supply with their dwindling numbers. Maggie recognises the Dama from Hershel's drawing and asks him. He deflects by asking about her conversation with Negan. Well, Negan is busy watching Dama fawn over her pet rat. She lashes out at Croat for the blackout and takes him out of the Christos meeting. She even mocks his new outfit and he sulks. Back in the park, Lucia has arrested the forager leader, Roksana, for not supporting their cause. She has Ginny oversee Perlie and Maggie's arrest for lying about Negan. Ginny complies as she is upset that Maggie didn't tell her about Negan. Lucia holds Hershel hostage as she has a job for Maggie. Maggie is to lead Negan and Croat into an ambush of the park walkers while the New Babylonians steal the methane. Perlie is locked up with Roksana and he begs her to join Lucia. He points out that she is replaceable but Roksana stands strong in her defiance. Meanwhile, Negan brings methane canisters as gifts for Christos who vehemently refuses to join the alliance. Negans spots several kids and finds common ground in what it is like to have one's family in danger. Christos is surprised but agrees to hear him out. Unfortunately, Croat barges in, having found Christos' knife near the cut wires. Christos tries to defend himself but he passes out. Turns out the methane canisters were open. The Burazi kill all the men in Christos' gang. Croat points out that he has left the women and children alive but Negan is upset. Next, Maggie sneaks back into the park and tries to rescue Perlie and Roksana. When he disapproves of her strategy of going against Lucia, she locks him back in. She finds Lucia sitting with Hershel. The officer wonders if Negan and Maggie are exes since they are so obsessed with each other. Hershel is disturbed but spots Maggie and plays along. Maggie one-ups Lucia but Ginny pops up and points a gun at Hershel. Maggie is forced to back down and Lucia arrests her. Perlie is upset and wishes he had stopped Maggie. Roksana tells him about the Road Not Taken story and adds a twist, that it's okay to have some help when venturing onto a new path. At the theatre, Negan sows discord by pointing out to the Croat that the Dama treats her rat better than him. Negan even covers for him but the Dama still blames the Croat for losing Christos' gang. He rambles his defence but Dama simply considers it a kid's tantrum. Negan looks smug. That night, the public executions of Roksana, Maggie and Perlie begin. Lucia is cruel as she hangs Roksana mid-speech. The foragers' cry attracts the park walkers. They let themselves be taken and Lucia starts killing them to shut them up. Ginny is bothered and helps Perlie escape. Maggie almost hangs but she escapes and goes after Lucia who has Hershel. But Walker Roksana kills Lucia. Maggie and Hershel make it back in and regroup with Ginny and Perlie. Ginny had been impaled by a branch but she keeps her wound hidden. Maggie asks Hershel about the Dama again and he reveals that she understood him. But he never wanted to hurt anyone and regrets the ferry deaths. They are interrupted by Bruegel and his men. It cuts to the rat being crushed to death. The Dama suspects the Croat and lashes out at him, she claims he is nothing without her. He has had enough and points out that the methane is all him. She is a queen with no real power. She bites him and in the scuffle, the chandelier falls on her. He tries to help but stops himself and runs off as she burns. At the end of The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 Episode 5, we see that it is Negan who killed the rat. The Episode Review The one flaw with The Walking Dead spin-offs starring the original cast is that they don't invest in ensembles. Not like the parent show or Fear The Walking Dead. It is very clear that the main leads are the original characters like Daryl and Carol, Rick and Michonne, Maggie and Negan. This means there is no actual danger to them, heavy plot armour and expected plot twists that will save our heroes right on time. Three of the supposed bad guys in Dead City Season 2 are killed before they can do any real damage. Governor Byrd doesn't even get her own death scene. And sure, we are not watching these spin-offs for the danger and excitement TWD used to provide, killing off main characters right in the middle of the season. Remember T-Dog? Yeah, good times. These spin-offs are mostly fan service and a quick cash grab. So, give us the fan service and drama. The TWD writers have three strengths that make their scripts stand out – community politics, creative walker action and character dynamics. Instead of putting Maggie constantly on the verge of death, this chapter literally hangs her for a second but we know she is in no danger, give us some more complex Maggie and Negan interactions. Elaborate on Hershel and Dama's weird relationship. Expand the New Babylon threat to Manhattan. TWDverse has a successful formula and the writers should rely on it. Like they say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Previous Episode Next Episode Expect A Full Season Write-Up When This Season Concludes!
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
TWD: Dead City Goes On a Bloody Killing Spree Halfway Through Season 2
The Walking Dead: Dead City is going to have to hang a 'Help Wanted' sign ahead of Season 3. Halfway through Season 2, the AMC drama killed off not one or two but three characters and forewarned us that a fourth wouldn't be around for much longer. Who went down for the count? First up was Animal Kingdom vet Jake Weary's Christos. Negan was thisclose to recruiting him and his gang to fight with the Burazi against the New Babylon Federation's would-be methane thieves when The Croat came in and mucked everything up. Blaming Christos for a substation outage, The Dama's lackey gassed the lot of 'em and bashed in their heads. More from TVLine MobLand Finale Recap: The Harrigan Rat, Revealed! Plus: Grade the Episode Ncuti Gatwa Bids Doctor Who Farewell as Finale Ends With a Most Surprising Twist - Grade It! Your Friends & Neighbors Finale Reveals Who Killed Paul - Will You Come Back for Season 2? Not much of a guest arc for Weary, then, eh? Next in line, a power-mad Narvaez seized control of the Foragers' hideout and hanged Roksana when she refused to ally her people with the New Babylon Federation. Maggie was supposed to follow her into the noose, but she was saved at the last minute by Ginny, who felt bad about blabbing that Perlie hadn't killed Negan the way legend had it that he had. Or, for that matter at all. But wait, there was more. As walkers swarmed the real-life game of hangman, a reanimated Roksana feasted on Narvaez. And after all that, Maggie, Perlie & Co. found themselves at Bruegel's mercy. (Having seen how he treated Tony the Bodyguard, I think we can all agree that that is the last place anyone would ever want to be!) Now then, back to the killing. Egged on by Negan, The Croat confronted The Dama about her shoddy treatment of him. Later, all Negan had to do was squash The Dama's precious pet rat and let her think that The Croat had done it. Once again, the two of them argued, this time about which of them was nothing without the other. When all was said and done, a fire had broken out and The Croat had let The Dama burn. Finally, we saw that Ginny had been bitten while saving Maggie. In other words, the girl's days were numbered. So what do you think? Will she even try to kill Negan the next time she sees him? Will he reveal to her why he killed her father? And who will be left alive by the end of the season? Every Walking Dead Series, Ranked View List Hit the comments with your best guesses. Best of TVLine Mrs. Maisel Flash-Forward List: All of Season 5's Futuristic Easter Eggs Yellowjackets Recap: The Morning After Yellowjackets Recap: The First Supper
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
IIU investigating after man killed by Winnipeg police Friday
Manitoba's police watchdog is investigating the death of a man who was shot by city police after he was found covered in blood and armed with a screw driver in a back alley in St. James Friday. Gene Bowers, chief of the Winnipeg Police Service, hosted a rare weekend news conference on Saturday afternoon to share details about a fatal shooting that happened one night earlier. One or more uniformed officers discharged a gun within five minutes of WPS receiving a 911 call about a man who was acting erratically in the 200 block of Ferry Road, Bowers said. 'Last night was a very difficult moment for our community,' he told reporters at WPS headquarters in downtown Winnipeg. 'Our hearts go out to the family who has lost a loved one, to the officers who were involved in a split-second decision that forever changed them.' Bowers provided few details about the series of events, citing an ongoing probe by the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba. All serious incidents involving on- and off-duty police officers in the province are referred to the IIU to investigate. The police chief said West District patrol officers responded to a 'suspicious call' about an unknown man who was covered in blood and appeared to be attempting to break into houses at 6:11 p.m. Friday. Police located an adult male who fit that description and was armed with a screwdriver at 6:16 p.m., he said. It was unclear Saturday whether the suspect was covered in his own blood or that of someone or something else's. Bowers said a use of force encounter occurred and the man was shot, after which emergency responders provided medical care and he was transported to the hospital in critical condition. The man later died of his injuries. The IIU was alerted of the events late Friday. Maggie MacintoshEducation reporter Maggie Macintosh reports on education for the Free Press. Originally from Hamilton, Ont., she first reported for the Free Press in 2017. Read more about Maggie. Funding for the Free Press education reporter comes from the Government of Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative. Every piece of reporting Maggie produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
Cranberry Portage under evacuation order Saturday
Cranberry Portage has been put under a mandatory evacuation order due to wildfire-damaged hydro lines that are expected to keep the community dark for multiple days. The rural municipality of Kelsey issued an emergency bulletin at 8:26 a.m. Saturday. The RM has been asking area residents to prepare emergency kits and evacuation plans throughout the week. 'This fire is currently established on both sides of Highway #10 north of Sturgeon Landing turn off and South of Egg Lake. Multiple Hydro poles are damaged and burnt,' Lori Forbes, municipal emergency coordinator for the region, wrote in an alert at 8:26 a.m. Saturday. Forbes said Hydro had determined power would be out for an extended period. A mandatory evacuation plan was put in place as of 9 a.m. in response to the sweeping outage. Evacuees are headed to Winnipeg. RCMP is helping notify area residents who are asked to visit Billy Mosienko Arena in Winnipeg. Evacuees are being urged to travel via Highway 39 and Highway 6, as Highway 10 remains closed. It's an approximately 7 1/2 hour drive to the Manitoba capital. 'It's still an area of active wildfires, so we can't safely access the area to assess damage or estimate when power could be restored,' said Peter Chura, a media relations officer for Manitoba Hydro. Sent weekly from the heart of Turtle Island, an exploration of Indigenous voices, perspectives and experiences. Hydro's outage map shows 478 customers have been affected in Cranberry Portage. The outage was reported at 2:43 a.m. Maggie MacintoshEducation reporter Maggie Macintosh reports on education for the Free Press. Originally from Hamilton, Ont., she first reported for the Free Press in 2017. Read more about Maggie. Funding for the Free Press education reporter comes from the Government of Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative. Every piece of reporting Maggie produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
