Enjoyed the review. I saw the movie at the Toronto Film Festival and I liked it very much. The movie, and particularly the character of Kitten, have received some very negative reviews which I don’t understand at all as I found the character to be very endearing. Also I don’t think that Neil Jordan and Pat McCabe have received the credit they truly deserve for the adaptation of the book.

One minor point for your review, at the time when Charlie is pregnant the character is played by Ruth Negga (not Bianca O’Connor) and the father of the child is played by Laurence Kinlan.

Jaye

Ms. Pendleton’s evocative style is deliciously refreshing. Each phrase and sentence conveys information and opinion in deftly crafted word paintings. The problem lies in the careless abandonment of the mechanics of grammar and syntax.

The few examples which jumped off the page might easily go unnoticed by the average reader, and certainly do not detract from the overall excellence of the review; however, such laxity should be avoided by professionals when and where possible.

The subordinate or adverbial phrase requires offsetting commas, to avoid ambiguity. I am one of the first to argue against excessive use of commas, but also one of he first to insist on commas where clarity is at issue. The following example, when not producing humorous results, can be confusing:

“…robins … gossip … and peck away a[t] cold milk bottle tops and children who play … with their toy guns.” Are the robins pecking away at children who play with their toy guns? A strategically placed comma will avoid the ambiguity.

That rather lengthy sentence begins with a prepositional phrase (“To all of this…”), which also requires a comma, as does the adverbial phrase in an earlier paragraph, “[A]fter realizing that Kitten isn’t the culprit…”

This leads to another grammatical infraction: the use of a subjunctive at the beginning of a sentence: “But after realizing…” or “…Charlie … finds herself carrying the unplanned child of her IRA boyfriend … And his part is fortunately played …”

Leave out the “But” – it is unnecessary, and leave out the “And”. Nothing is lost. Frequently, a sentence might seem to flow easier when an artificial elision is included, but the illusion is fleeting. Either leave out the offending subjunctive or insert a comma and a lower case first letter, which would thereby create a run-on sentence, in this case. Do not begin a sentence with a subjunctive. And I mean that! (Insert a Smiley Face!)

One last little criticism. Be certain of the proper wording of timeworn expressions clichés.

“In a day in age when …” is symptomatic of allowing our ears, rather than actual meaning, to dictate our choice of words. The correct phrase, here, is: “In a day and age when …” One of my pet peeves is the erroneous usage of the phrase “… to try and …” What is usually intended is: “to try to”. It is incorrect to say: “Try and see if you …” In other words, one either tries to do something or one does it. “Try to adhere to proper rules of grammar when preparing a professional article.”

I realize this might seem overly pedantic to most people, but this posting is not necessarily intended for everyone. I hope it will prove to be highly constructive to a most promising and skillful writer. With her talented and artistic way with words, it would be a crime to see a lackadaisical slovenliness creep into the picturesque panorama she paints on her word processor pallet.

An excellent piece, Ms. Pendleton! My highest compliments.

Pluqueric
(I would not have posted anonymously if I could remember or find my login info…)

Elizabeth