Margo Webb – Google

I liked the early books in this series but this is No. 21 and I think that Alexander should have stopped writing these books quite a long time ago. It has a fragmented plot and much of the feeling of wholesomeness that was in the early books in "The No. 1 Ladies' detective agency" series has disappeared. The anti-male sentiments expressed by Mme Makutsi, as well as her general negativity, are unpalatable. The title of the book gives the impression that raising orphaned baby elephants will be central to the story, but it is left until almost the end of the book. The refuge "Elephant Haven's" referred to in the book is real, and was founded by Debra Stevens, but there is no reference on how to donate at the end of the book. I donate to this refuge monthly. Many baby elephants are now being abandoned by their mothers because of Climate Change. This ommission was a lost opportunity to help these precious creatures.

I thought that Austin Butler’s performance was fantastic. He really got Elvis’s body language and was very believable. Unfortunately I thought that Baz Luhrmann‘a visual effects were too much. The movie was too long and too repetitive. It left out significant parts of Elvis‘s story, such as the many movies that Elvis rather unsuccessfully made. Other reviews mention other omissions. The movie made clear that the Colonel’s ruthless control over Elvis was probably a significant contributor to his early death. Elvis’ is love for his mother was emphasised and it made me wonder if it was a codependent relationship, and if that was the same dynamic that kept Elvis from standing up to the Colonel. It was in the end very sad story, sadder than I had previously realised.