I spent International Women’s Day watching Captain Marvel and writing down some bottled-up thoughts

Is this my first non-bookish post ? Why yes, it is. I must warn you the further you go it gets a little personal as my thoughts on Captain Marvel movie transitions into my thoughts as a woman on this day.

Image credit: Pyramid International.com; Quote: from movie

8th of March has been an extra special day for me because of three reasons:

• It is International Women’s Day!
• It is the day after my birthday ! *I’ll explain below*
• Captain Marvel releases today!

First, I’m gonna ramble about Captain “badass” Marvel movie starring: Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Jude Law, Ben Mendelsohn, Djimon Hounsou, Lee Pace, Gemma Chan, Lashana Lynch, Algenis Perez Soto, Rune Temte, Mckenna Grace, Clark Gregg You may consider it my spoiler-free review.

“Have you ever seen a little girl run so fast she falls down? There’s an instant, a fraction of a second before the world catches hold of her again…A moment when she’s outrun every doubt and fear she’s ever had about herself and she flies. In that moment, every little girl flies.”

—Captain Marvel Vol 8 #1

It was pretty significant to watch a first day, first show of this epic superhero movie. Not only Cap Marvel is the first movie in the Marvel franchise to have a female lead but she is said to be THE most powerful superhero in the franchise.

#NotreallyaSpoiler The beginning will make you super emotional as it is a tribute to Stan Lee and you’ll probably bawl your eyes out like I did. After the montage, we see Brie Larson waking up in a new world with a new name “Vers” and immediately after we see her wake up the commander (Jude Law) to spar. I love Brie Larson’s moves here and I know my girl has trained so much for this role and it shows! What also shows is her glowing fist..*Now, this is the point I imagined Iron Fist scowling and saying..Hey girl, you’re coping me..* Well, Iron Fist, watch the rest of the damn movie to see that the glowing fists are nothing but the beginning of the show.

The movie progresses on really well and I have no idea why I heard someone complaining that it was a bit lengthy. Captain Marvel might be touted as a feminist movie but it also shows us what happens when A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) controls an entire nation. It is scary as hell and you will know why when you watch the movie.

When Cap Marvel ‘literally’ lands on Earth, she is questioned and semi-arrested by S.H.I.E.L.D agent Fury (JUST Fury). Fury is looking so young and good looking and Coulson too..like the entire hall screamed and whistled at their appearance. Then, there are the “evil” Skrull’s who she has to hunt down because she’s a Kree “noble” warrior. Not only she has to track down rogue Skrulls but find a scientist whom she knew in her past life and become the victim of catcalling.. And SHE handles all of her problems as ALL FEMALES do ..effortlessly to the tune of Gwen Stefani singing Just a Girl .

Maria Rambeau: Thought we’d show these boys how we do it. You ready?
Carol Danvers: Higher, further, faster, baby.
Maria Rambeau: That’s right..

– Captain marvel movie

This is the moment when viewers will see a woman driving away with a stolen bike and I thought I would love to do the same. You see, when I asked my uncle to teach me how to drive a “bike”(a motorcycle), he responed with a hefty dose of sexism: ” Girls can’t ride a bike. You won’t be able to sit without falling or make turns or move.” I was like, ” Uncle, you do know there are bikes of different sizes right ? I am SURE that I can one capable of riding but thank you for refusing to teach me because I’m not a boy.” Watching Brie Larson riding a bike and smoothly making her way through a highway reminded me of this moment and I vowed that someday I’ll be riding one too.

Back to the movie discussion. Vers/ Brie Larson/ Carol Denvers(that’s Cap Marvel’s real name) along with *Call me* Fury goes on a journey to help recover Carol’s memories and along the way, not only she gets back all her memories but she opens her eyes to some hard truths too. You need only wait a couple more excrutiating minutes to witness the glory of CAPTAIN MARVEL’s powers. Thanos is screwed and he’s about get a real hefty dose of this women’s wrath soon.

I loved the movie and its showcase of feminism in such an epic way but, come on writers! Was the anatomy joke in the autopsy scene necessary ? *ughhh*

Beside that cringe-y moment, Captain Marvel made me emotional, made me feel empowered, happy..no ..ecstatic and hopeful. Little Carol Denvers childhood scenes reminded me of my own childhood and her present scenes reminded me of my own present state…when I would run too fast for the boys, when I would play with the boys, every time I had to REGRET that I was a woman. I thought back to the days I was ashamed of having my period or wearing a LBD or my “revealing” bra strap. I thought of the countless times men would look at my breasts before making eye contact -or sometimes even forgoing eye contact- or my butt like it was a pretty art to inspect and buy. I thought of the times I had to PROVE myself because I was a woman, I was too feminine ..I was too much this or that. I thought back to the day when my brother told me that I was too emotional to be a doctor. Really? You think I’ll cry or *oh my god* faint when I’ll see someone in need. Get real. Yeah, I said that through tears in my eyes and report card in my hands.

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Now, back to the bullet point no. 2 . WHY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY IS IMPORTANT TO ME. Because of what i went and still go through as a woman, because my birth someone felt even more significant to me…like I had a purpose. Well, I do have a purpose as a human and a woman to support women, encourage women and help people understand that FEMINISM means equality for men and women. International Women’s day is even more significant when I hear that every day 137 women are killed by a member of their own family; that eeveryday 848 rapes are “reported” in India alone; that 300 million women alive today have undergone genital mutilation; that 15 million adolescent girls have been forced into sex; 650 million women today were married before the age of 18; that 82% of women in parliament have experienced violence, harrassment, or abuse of a sexual nature; that 87,000 women were murdered last year – 30,000 of them by their partners. I haven’t included numbers and statistics on female infanticide, trafficking, pay gap or education yet . If I did, you’d dicovers more horrors in the shape of numbers and stats.

I had to debate with myself a lot about posting this. No matter how hard I tried to post an objective review or discussion of the movie, I couldn’t do it. I don’t think many people will read this but if YOU are reading this and understanding me then talk to me in the comments below. Tell me why INTL. WOMEN’S DAY is significant for you or talk to me about your experiences as a woman or your frustrations or expectations.

LITTLE REMINDER DUE TO WOMEN’S DAY BUT FOR EVERY DAY : YOU’RE NOT JUST A LITTLE GIRL OR JUST A WOMAN. YOU’RE UNSTOPABLE, YOU’RE BEAUTIFUL ( yes, whatever the colour of your skin, scars , moles , freckles, strech marks and everything), YOU’RE LOVED. THERE IS NO DEFINITION OF BADASS. YOU KICK ASS WITH YOUR SHYNESS, WITH YOUR SMARTNESS, WITH YOUR WORDS, YOUR ACTIONS, YOUR HUMOUR, YOUR CLEVERNESS. YOU ARE CAPABLE.

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A beautiful story cocooned ​within an ​equally​ beautiful cover| ARC Review of We Must Be Brave

Background images : Mine(Instagram @book_rambler)

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Cover ( Goodreads)

Buy it on Wordery | Book Depository||Add it on Goodreads

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Background image : mine; Synopsis: Goodreads

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SHE WAS FAST ASLEEP on the back seat on the bus. Curled up, thumb in mouth. Four, maybe five years old.

Frances Liardet,We Must be Brave

This is the story of Ellen Parr and her love for her foster daughter, Pamela. The book starts off with Ellen finding a sleeping but abandoned child in a bus. Ellen searches for the child’s mother but no one on the bus has seen her. Distraught, Ellen takes the child -Pamela- into her care and meanwhile, she searches for Pamela’s mother. However, Ellen soon discovers that Pamela’s mother is dead and apparently, Pamela has no other relative who can take care of her. This marks the beginning of a beautiful mother-daughter relationship which is the central theme of the story. 

Years go by, the war ends and so does the time Ellen can spend with Pamela. Ellen has to let Pamela go and they may never see each other again or will they ?

My eyes stung with frustrated tears. I watched the bus emerge from the dip and rush on up the hill, through the bare trees and away to Waltham.

-Frances Liardet, We Must Be Brave

This heartbreaking story is set during the 1940s and spans years through the ’70s till 2010. We learn of Ellen’s past and present and then, at last, we get a glimpse into Pamela’s present. I had no problem with the timeline as it was seamlessly written. I loved the ending too, it left me somewhat heartbroken but content ( am I making any sense?). 

What I didn’t like was some parts of the dialogue and some secondary characters. I felt that the book could have been a bit shorter if some of the parts were cut out. Besides that, I loved this historical fiction where we get a glimpse of one of many consequences of war and life. 

Overall, I would recommend this tear-jerker of historical fiction where you can glimpse the different consequences of war and the unconventional love between mother and daughter.

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a review copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Verdict: 3.75 out of 5 stars.

Author: Connect with Author Frances Liardet here .

• Publisher: 4th Estate Books
• Publication Date: 7 Feb 2019
• Paperback: 896 Pages

Have you read WE MUST BE BRAVE, or, the author’s previous novel The Game? If your answer is ‘NO’ to both the questions, then, will you add it to your TBR?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments below! 

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After a whirlwind romance, a young woman returns to the opulent, secluded mansion of her new fiancé Max Winter – a wealthy senator and recent widower – and a life of luxury she’s never known. But all is not as it appears at the Asherley estate. The house is steeped in the memory of Max’s beautiful first wife Rebekah, who haunts the young woman’s imagination and feeds her uncertainties, while his very alive teenage daughter Dani makes her life a living hell. 

As the soon-to-be second Mrs. Winter grows more in love with Max, and more afraid of Dani, she is drawn deeper into the family’s dark secrets – the kind of secrets that could kill her, too.

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Synopsis: After the death of her fiance, Sophie Daniels is struggling to keep herself together. Painting is the only way she’s able to clear her head and stay grounded. For her art isn’t a hobby—it’s her religion. With a semester away from finishing graduate school, she knows that, despite her loss, things are going to get better. In fact, her thesis advisor has even taken a special interest in her. Sophie’s convinced that she’s found the mentor that she’s been looking for. When he shows he’s interested in her in more than just a student/teacher way, she obliges him. Until his wife leaves him.
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Synopsis: A dark standalone YA fantasy about a band of mercenary girls in search of female glory.

Frey, Ovie, Juniper, and Runa are the Boneless Mercies—girls hired to kill quickly, quietly, and mercifully. But Frey is weary of the death trade and, having been raised on the heroic sagas of her people, dreams of a bigger life.

When she hears of an unstoppable monster ravaging a nearby town, Frey decides this is the Mercies’ one chance out. The fame and fortune of bringing down such a beast would ensure a new future for all the Mercies. In fact, her actions may change the story arc of women everywhere.