Kaleidoscope

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Towards the end of the 1960s Finch branched out with other series and single plays, all with a strong Northern flavour, but it was the 52-episode Second World War saga A Family at War that saw him embark on a series of original and highly popular ‘telenovels’ for Granada in the 1970s. The eldest Hilary is the only one who is old enough to understand the loss that has happened and the way their lives would change. The younger ones are adopted whereas Hilary is left on her own to go through the most devastating phases of her life. The author balances her characters’ palpable emotions with whip-smart commentary on cultural commodification…. It’s a smash.”

What I took from this book was two things- that we have two sisters, and each one is jealous of the other without them ever telling the other her feelings. Things childishly escalate until a tragedy strikes---then the book is all about the younger sister's feelings, sexual needs, and her need to get away from her family in the most dramatic way. And the second thing is I learned a ton about the family's fascination/obsession with Indian culture, food art, and fabric.Di awal sudah disuguhkan suasana muram ala perang. Obrolan antar prajurit di dalam bunker saat Perang Dunia II, antara Sam Walker dan Arthur Patterson. Lalu disuguhkan adegan "manis" saat prajurit Sam Walker jatuh cinta terhadap wanita Perancis, Solange, yang digambarkan sang mempesona dengan rambut merah menyalanya. Lalu muram kembali saat Sam harus maju bertempur lagi. Cerah sesaat ketika perang usai untuk kembali muram saat Sam harus kembali ke Amerika dan terpaksa berpisah sementara dengan Solange. Kaleidoscope is a book about love, both its many deceptions and its brutal honesty. This is a wise, tender, beautiful novel by an assured writer, written with empathy for its characters’ messy lives. The Brighton family seems to have it all—money and fame and a perfect family—but all is not as it seems. It is as the family unravels that Kaleidoscope reveals its true design.” people bathing, bright saris blooming like jellyfish in the water" [noting the Holi festival in India]

A story of three girls left to be on their own when their actor father kills his pretty wife and commits suicide himself. The story starts as a slow burn but it takes a sharp turn when you least expect. Wong handles themes of family, grief, healing, forgiveness, identity, loyalty and sisterhood. The novel is about complex sister dynamics, yet I thought that it wasn't explored in its nuance and in depth - I enjoyed Riley as a messy character who was carving out a different path but I just needed more of Morgan. Hank and Karen Brighton owned an organic grocery store in Oregon until they’re inspired to start selling clothes and goods from India and other countries. It’s not long before they’ve created Kaleidoscope, which becomes a shopping empire, enticing wealthy people to explore the more exotic side of fashion, furnishings, and art. Evocatively-written and structured like fragments, Kaleidoscope shows what it means to look at family from all angles.” This is a difficult book to describe without giving too much away, but I’ll try a few basics. Above all, this is a story about the relationship between two sisters, Morgan and Riley, daughters of very successful entrepreneurs. It’s about the reasons they're so close, why they drift just a bit, and how one reacts after she's left on her own. It’s also about both sisters’ relationships with their parents, who treat the two very differently. It’s about crossing boundaries, and about being lost and finding yourself again. Ultimately, 𝘒𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘪𝘥𝘰𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘦 is a love story in which love takes on many different forms.⁣

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It's set in mid and post WWII, and centers itself around the oldest child of three sisters, Hilary, who, when her parents tragically and abruptly disappear out of her life, is then separated and forced to live with new people, in a new environment foreign and unfamiliar to her. Separated from each other at a young age, they grow up without each other. The eldest, Hilary, will have to learn and grow with each new task she is faced with growing up, waiting for the day where she may possibly reunite with them once again, and the day where she confronts the person who tore her family apart. The ‘discovery’ they make on their trip seemed convenient as it gives their romance more legitimacy (that morgan had hidden stuff from them). Morgan and Riley Brighton are joint heirs to Kaleidoscope: a glittering, ‘global bohemian’ shopping empire—created in sleepy Oregon and catapulted into haute New York—sourcing luxury goods from around the world. Morgan, statuesque beauty and Kaleidoscope’s talented designer, is adored by all, especially by the Brighton parents. Yet no one loves her more than Riley, whose shy and adventurous spirit is exalted by her sister.

KALEIDOSCOPE follows two biracial Chinese American sisters, Riley and Morgan. The Brightons' family has an eclectic store Kaleidoscope where the eldest daughter Morgan is the famous fashion designer. Though his brand of realist Northern drama fell out of favour in the 1980s, John Finch’s contribution to British television drama was enormous. His autobiography, written in the final years of his life, is a testament to a life well lived, revealing a sensitive and accomplished writer who more than fulfilled his dream.Megan grows up to be a strong girl who fights for what she believes in. The character was not adequately developed by Steele and she does remain a bit distant to the reader. Now, what didn't work for me was the parents - the mother is woefully annoying/delusional and her favoritism usually blinds her; I also didn't swallow the often absent father who doesn't make an effort to change things. I found the pacing quite uneven and I was more emotionally engaged towards the end. Lastly, the romance actually didn't convince me and I thought it was too convenient. Despite some cliche scenes, I enjoyed the secrets and revelations in the story as they grabbed my attention and didn't let me go. Having biracial characters, I appreciated that this isn't another novel solely about its complexities.

A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.This was also a character-driven story where the portrayals of the four members of the Brighton family as well as the various people in their orbit were extremely important. While none of the characters were particularly likable (which sometimes can be a dealbreaker for me in terms of positive reading experience), all of them were so realistically drawn that I found myself able to resonate with each one in ways that I didn’t expect. In this regard, I felt the author did a good job relating the struggles and inner conflicts that each of the characters went through, especially as it pertained to their relationships and how they interact with each other. When tragedy strikes the Brightons, combined with the economic collapse of the late 2000s, the family and the empire they’ve built threaten to collapse. Riley sets off on an international trip with a companion who raises eyebrows, and discovers herself—as well as some family secrets kept hidden. True to its title, Wong’s overarching account of one family’s business is told with beautiful imagery but reveals individual pieces that show how things are not what they appear to be. This story of people, culture, and lifestyles will be appreciated by readers who enjoy novels involving families and their secrets, like Celeste Ng’s Everything I Never Told You and Jean Kwok’s Searching for Sylvie Lee.” Kaleidoscope unfolds into a novel much bigger than the sum of its parts: a story of family, grief and identity and what it means to make a life out of an ‘opportunity, an aberration, scooped up through… unspeakable loss.'”