Heroes

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Research shows eating in line with UK dietary guidelines will be better for the planet than the current average UK diet. One thing I admired in this book was the complex characters and the theme of what makes a hero. None of the characters were stereotypes and each character had committed good deeds and bad deeds making them neither angelic or evil. There is a fine line between what it means to be a good or bad person and Cormier showed us just how blurred the line can be. Larry asks a question near to the end of the book that captures the book's central theme perfectly, "Does that one sin of mine wipe away all the good things?". What Fry never ever does is interpret the myths. Instead, he wants the readers to do that on their own, to get them to think and fill in the blanks with their own opinions derived from personal experience as myths invite exactly that kind of speculation. There are no single meanings or answers after all. Fate, necessity, cause and blame are the fabric of these stories as they are endlessly represented themes in our own lives. Human motifs and drives, as topical as ever.

I both read and listened to it (the audio is narrated by Stephen Fry himself, after all, and I couldn't possibly resist), and I can't say which I loved more. If you know him and have listened to anything read by him previously, you might hear his distinct voice anyway if you read this. All I can say is that both are absolutely brilliant! The Little Prince is so full of wonder and life that we often forget he is just a young boy. He is a hero and saves the narrator, who has crashed his plane in the Sahara desert. I enjoyed the following stories: Heracules/Hercules, Bellerophon, Atalanta and Orpheus. They either had a hint of romance or it felt a bit more like a fiction book where I could immerse a little more. The book talks about Francis Joseph Cassavant on a mission to kill his childhood hero, and find his love he had lost due to his childhood hero. On his way to accomplishing those two missions, he goes through memories and meets some of his childhood friends.

Heroes is a follow-up to Stephen Fry’s original book of Greek mythology, Mythos, which I haven’t read but now plan to. Whereas Mythos focuses on the titans and gods of Greek mythology, Heroes focuses on the mortal heroes (as the name suggests). It includes sections on Perseus, Heracles, Bellerophon, Orpheus, Jason, Atalanta, Oedipus, and Theseus. Sainsbury’s has previously collaborated with Disney to launch the Collectable Cards and Album range. The cards have been hugely popular over the past few years, with children racing to stores to complete their collections. The last year that the Heroes cards were available, over 90 million cards were collected in just six weeks. Francis Joseph Cassavant is 18 years old, and has just returned to his hometown of Monument in Massachusetts from the French trenches of World War 2. He has no face - he lost most of it in the war, and covers the bandaged remains with a scarf. Francis returned to Monument to find Larry LaSalle, a man loved by the community and one whom Francis deeply respected and admired, now also a war veteran - and like Francis, a Silver Star hero. However, Francis did not return to Monument to pay his respects - in his duffel bag he carries a loaded gun, and intends to murder his idol when he sees him. Plus, as an added thank you for your dedication and hard work, you’ll be entitled to amend your departure date free of charge* to allow flexibility in case work commitments mean you’re unable to travel on your chosen dates.

I wasn’t tempted by this book at all (I read children’s versions of Greek myths once upon a time, and all I remembered is the inexplicable weirdness of ancient Greeks, so I was good with leaving it at that), but a friend of mine was enjoying it, and apparently I have zero willpower to resist the “Oooh, shiny!” impulse, and library had audio, and Stephen Fry is awesome, and suddenly before I knew I was hooked. I started listening on my commute from work, and I actually drove in the slower lane so that I’d have more time with Fry’s wry narration. (Then I said screw it and just spent 2 days listening to it and playing Crash Bandicoot, and it was awesome). This is another one of those books which my son brought home from school, apparently it is part of his GCSE English curriculum. I wasn't really looking forward to it and I was thinking it was just going to be a war thiller. Joey LeBlanc: Joey and Francis were childhood friends and went to the cinema together. He was a troublesome figure at school as he used to be talkative. He is a confident person and seems to be the antithesis of Francis. He also became a soldier, and is said to have died at Iwo Jima. I suppose one of the things that is a deciding factor in which books get to be put on the GCSE line-up is how they are written, and in fact, the rich language used is something that all of my GCSE texts have in common, which I love. The book’s purpose was to show how much betrayal, love, hate, guilt, and forgiveness can impact a person. Also, it shows how some things cannot go the way you wanted. Additionally, those words are not always what you think they are, since all of those traits can hurt instead of help. The overall message of the book is to teach you a lesson about love, hate, guilt, and forgiveness.This book was interesting and I thought that the characters were well introduced as we are given a lot of information for such a short book but overall it just wasn't my cup of tea. Let me start off by saying that I really enjoyed Mythos, but the second instalment is bitterly disappointing. We learn how Nicole and her family gradually withdrew from life in Frenchtown before moving away for good, when Francis recalls meeting with Norman Rocheleau during the war, and learns how they left suddenly. The writer creates an atmosphere of mystery around the Renard family when Norman says, All kinds of rumours about her, Francis, and continues, She was like... A hermit. Then she was gone. Her and her family. Left Frenchtown without telling anybody. She takes a long time to understand that what happened that night was Larry’s fault alone. She admits this to Francis at the end of the novel, adding that she felt unable to blame Larry because she knew that nobody would believe her: The police? He was a big war hero. He didn’t beat me up. No visible wounds. She apologises to Francis, saying I shouldn’t have said those things to you that day... You weren’t to blame for what happened. She adds, I realised that later... So the reader sees that, like Francis, she has carried a heavy burden for years. The great and wise Gandalf is a powerful wizard who led the final War of the Ring and is a great hero throughout the series.

In particular, the final chapter was wonderful. It was actually magical. I was just blown away by Fry's description of why he loves these myths, and their importance to him, and why they should be key to our lives. It was amazing, and really summarised everything that Fry can bring to his story. With 144 cards to collect in total, this year’s Disney Heroes ‘On a Mission’ cards and album will teach kids how they can help the planet through a mixture of fun activities such as games, facts, challenges, quizzes, creative art, recipes and more. Once again Stephen Fry's extensive knowledge and enthusiasm for his subject make for joyful reading. The exploits of our various heroes are full of life and humour here. Clearly presented, easy to follow (or as easy as stories that are so frequently convoluted, with shaky timelines can be) and fun to read, I found 'Heroes' just as good as 'Mythos'. Young soldier, Francis Cassavant, has just returned to Frenchtown after World War ll horribly maimed and disfigured. Throughout the past few years, I have grown as a person- and so has my taste of books. I used to adore YA books, with cliché romance plots and heartwarming love stories to more sort of philosophical books, which most of the stories took part in 20th century america.Whilst Fry is a very funny person, he is also incredibly insightful. As well as informing the reader in an entertaining way about the stories of the Greek heroes that he talks about, he also provides another level to the reading experience. He adds his own subjective opinions on what is important in the story, what it signifies, and also how these could relate to our modern day culture and how we live our lives. This allowed further understanding regarding Ancient Greek culture, and introduced an aspect to the tale which is about why is is important to revisit mythological tales in the 21st century. Im Großen und Ganzen war es ein ganz tolles Leseerlebnis und ich musste öfters schmunzeln, so charmant wie das Ganze erzählt wurde. Wer in Sagen der Antike interessiert ist, sollte das Buch auf jeden Fall lesen! Myth can be a kind of human algebra which makes it easier to manipulate truths about ourselves. Symbols and rituals are not toys and games to be dispensed with on our arrival at adulthood, they are tools we will always need. They complement our scientific impulse; they do not stand in opposition to it.”

Thus, Fry tells the story of incredible human feats, of torturous labors, of gods’ punishments - usually for crimes the humans didn’t even commit solely because gods didn’t punish gods but still needed to let their anger out on someone. This book was the second of my GCSE texts. Given my prior enjoyment of 'Of Mice and Men' and my fondness for war books, I was quite looking forward to reading this, and dived eagerly into it straight away. Elizabeth chooses her heart over societal norms and can always be caught enjoying a good book—giving her a spot on our heroine list.

Available to collect from 1st September until 12th October, the cards and albums teach kids about how to help the planet as well as different healthier foods In Heroes: The Greek Myths Reimagined, Stephen Fry’s retelling of the timeless tales of the “heroes", we learn about the origins, quests, triumphs and legacies of Perseus, Heracles, Bellerophon, Orpheus, Jason, Oedipus and Atalanta. The stories of Atalanta, the only female among the heroes and that of Bellephoron were completely new for me and I enjoyed them thoroughly. The Labors of Heracles and the story of Jason and the Argonauts were my personal favorites. I particularly enjoyed getting to know more about the mythical creatures the heroes go up against. Stephen Fry’s characteristic humor and wit render this an informative, entertaining and engaging read. As the days pass in Frenchtown, Francis lives out the post-war period, reliving the days of his childhood as he waits for the return of another supposed hero.