Prior to our Seawings experience, we had only ever typically seen a city skyline from 30,000 feet during airport take-offs and landings. With the Seawings Cessna flying at approximately 1,500 feet, we were afforded a closer, more intimate look at the city skyline.
A light dust haze filtered the sun's rays which, combined with the reflection from over one thousand glass buildings, cast a soft golden hue over the city creating a magical and almost mysterious effect.
Seats at the back of the plane ensures plenty of leg space!
From the air, Dubai looks like one massive urban art project, combining colour and form with dazzling effect. Green grass from the city's parks contrast with the golden aridity of the surrounding desert while blues tones from artificial lakes contrast with endless black asphalt and shiny high rise towers. This unique view makes you appreciate Dubai's journey from desert to paradise.
With a quick turn over the gigantic Meydan Racecourse, the city skyline soon disappeared in the dust haze as we flew out towards the Persian Gulf and soon over The World Islands. It felt surreal to see this engineering wonder from such close proximity.
We could almost make out the distinct shape of each island and with some imagination, the continents they represented. Apart from two inhabited islands, their stark emptiness made them look like a deserted planet from a science fiction movie. With Dubai's ambition, we could only imagine what the same view would look like in five years.
Our tour began with a circular flight path around the ever visible Burj Khalifa, a building which has broken several world records, more recently being the host for the highest BASE Jump ever recorded. Although our seaplane didn't get too close, for a brief moment, we felt special simply because we were momentarily higher than world's tallest building!
The Cessna flew back towards land, banked right and flew parallel to the coastline for a few minutes, allowing us to take in the undulating form of the Burj Al Arab. Only the day before, we had enjoyed a session of sunset yoga on Al Qasr beach at the Madinat Jumeirah but could only admire the building from afar.
Now, from a bird's eye view, we could fully appreciate the unique design of the hotel. Built to portray a dhow with its sail full of wind, the Burj Al Arab gives a respectful nod to the UAE's maritime past.
We soon broke from the straight flight path to head back out to sea again. Below us, the Dubai glitterati enjoyed their early evening water sports as we flew overhead. Speedboats created white streaks on the blue Gulf waters while dhows seemed like tiny white dots from our height.
However, the temporary distraction they provided was soon forgotten as we approached the next and probably the most spectacular sight of the tour.
Circling the Palm Jumeirah from above is an experience that leaves the viewer spellbound by the Emiratis achievements. With the sun on our west, the Palm Jumeirah was bathed in glorious natural light.
Like a mythical hydra-headed sea creature, its palms reached out in all directions with the Atlantis Hotel forming a jewel in its ringed crown.
Leaving The Palm behind, the Cessna flew over the perfect rings of the Jumeirah Islands, over the impressive interchange on Sheikh Zayed Road and then towards the ongoing Jebel Ali port extension construction project.
Although the port was deserted, we could clearly see that Dubai was already looking to break another construction record.
Our dream-like state was brought to an end with the bump of the Cessna against the waters of Jebel Ali where the tour ended. Our total flight time was 40 minutes.
At ground level, you can appreciate the scale of Dubai's ambition. However, through a Seawings Dubai experience, that appreciation is multiplied several times over, not only leaving you in awe but leaving you wanting more.
We left this majestic city much like children experiencing the excitement of Disneyland for the first time, wowed by our experience. And remember those sheikhs we mentioned at the beginning of the article?
Well, we happened to 'bump' into Sheikh Ahmed (President of Dubai's Civil Aviation Authority). Less a bump, and more of a surprise witnessing of his presence actually. We were gathering our belongings after passing through airport security, and suddenly everything stopped and all of the airport security personnel stood up straight. We turned around and noticed in true Dubai fashion, an elaborate delegation dressed in all white briskly walking by. We figured it was someone important when everyone began murmuring "His Highness" very softly.
From seaplane to airport, everything in Dubai is designed to create an impression. We certainly departed admiring the sheer scale of Dubai's ambition.
We booked the Dubai Creek to Jebel Ali Golf Resort tour. However, if you wish to avoid travelling back from Jebel Ali, we recommend you do the tour which starts and ends at the Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club.
By law, you will need to present your passport for the flight.
While it was not compulsory to purchase souvenirs, we felt strongly that we needed something which physically captured our experience. The beautiful captain's log therefore seemed like a worthy keepsake.
We sat in the VIP premier seats in the back of the plane, which provide extra leg room, and are the only conjoined, sofa-style seats on the aircraft.
Bookings can be made directly with Seawings through their website.
Disclaimer: We were guests of Seawings, on behalf of House of Coco magazine. However, all views and opinions remain ours.


Angel Keepers Pvt. Ltd(SHEMROCK) is India's 1st Playschool Chain, which is credited with revolutionising the concept of early childhood education since 1989, by pioneering a vibrant and child-friendly system of learning. Today, with more than 3,50,000 children already having received the foundation for success from its 525+ branches, Angel Keepers Pvt. Ltd(SHEMROCK) the Award Winning School Chain, is a leader in preschool education and is a brand to reckon with.


Ten species including our first Early Thorn for the year and a Herald.
The best catch of the year on Saturday night included a Small Eggar. This is not a regular here and it is only the fourth time I've seen it since 1996. I also had 3 Oak Beauties and my second Pale Pinion of the year.
I found this rather nondescript caterpillar walking up the back wall of my house on Wednesday morning - it had probably recently come out of hibernation and I was fortunate to see it before it found a suitable patch of lichen to burrow under. The adult is fairly common at light in my garden.
Our best (and warmest) night of the year so far with 22 moths of 10 species including 5 Oak Beauty and our first Dark Sword-grass for 2010. Not quite our earliest, John, as there was a small influx in February 2004.
I have also just caught a Dark Sword-grass, in my garden here in Clevedon.
Among the usual suspects last night was a Dark Swordgrass - the earliest I have ever taken this migrant species in 30-odd years of trapping.
After a long lean spell there were at last reasonable numbers of moths last night: Emmelina monodactyla 1, Oak Beauty 1, Grey Shoulder-knot 1, Early Grey 1, Satellite 1, Small Quaker 1, Common Quaker 15, Clouded Drab 2, Hebrew Character 18.
Last night we were delighted to take in the trap two Oak Beauties - two weeks later than usual. We also had a Satellite.
Moth numbers were again limited last night with less than 10 on what appeared to be a reasonably promising night. Looking back through my records of past starts to the year up to the middle of March appears to show a correlation between a poor start to the year being followed by a good year and vice versa. My two best numerical starts have been in the disasterous years of 2007 and 2008 whereas my worst start before this year was in 2005 when I had my best year by the end of the season. Hopefully the trend will continue and this year's poor start will be followed by a bumper season. I did see lots of butteflies in the sunshine today,though, with Brimstone, Peacock and a Red Admiral being added to my list.
The most productive night of the season so far with a massive 5 moths in the traps. However they were of 5 different species and included my first Common Quaker, Clouded Drab and Grey Shoulder Knot of the year.
57+ Scarlet Tiger moth larvae happily feeding up on small comfrey plants this morning at Combe Hay, south of Bath.
At last after over a week of bitter cold a slightly warmer night produced three March Moths at our actinic light in a window.
At last some moths - despite a minimum temperature of -1.5˚C there were 2 Hebrew Character and a Satellite in the trap this morning.


text:
William Lyon Mackenzie King Quotes
"Government, in the last analysis, is organized opinion. Where there is little or no public opinion, there is likely to be bad government."
William Lyon Mackenzie King OM CMG PC (December 17, 1874 – July 22, 1950), commonly known as Mackenzie King, was the dominant Canadian political leader...
Name William Lyon Mackenzie King
Nationality Canadian
I'm an athlete rep, so I'll be available if they need me for anything.
Shannon Miller, Athlete
More Quotes by Shannon Miller
"If some countries have too much history, we have too much geography."
"The politician's promises of yesterday are the taxes of today."
"Conscription if necessary, but not necessarily conscription."
"Until the control of the issue of currency and credit is restored to government and recognized as its most conspicuous and sacred responsibility, all talks of the sovereignty of Parliament and of democracy is idle and futile."
"Once a nation parts with the control of its credit, it matters not who makes the laws."
"Usury once in control will wreck the nation."
"From the outset of the war, the Canadian people have clearly shown that it is their desire to help in every way to make Canada's war effort as effective as possible."
"Self-denial and self-discipline, however, will be recognized as the outstanding qualities of a good soldier."
"Regardless of what one's attitude towards prohibition may be, temperance is something against which, at a time of war, no reasonable protest can be made."
"No one will deny that the excessive use of alcohol and alcoholic beverages would do more than any other single factor to make impossible a total war effort."
"Fortunately, the Canadian people in all their habits, are essentially a temperate people."
"The increased consumption of alcoholic beverages in Canada since the outbreak of war is one evidence of this."
"Nor do we begin to have a clear appreciation of what the increase in consumption of alcoholic beverages in wartime means in increased risk, and in loss of efficiency to the fighting and working forces of the country."
"Since the outbreak of war, there has been in our country a steady increase in the consumption of spirits, wine and beer. It is estimated that in dollar volume, the annual outlay is now practically double what it was before the war."
"Each year, therefore, a dollar spent on alcoholic beverages has purchased a smaller quantity."
"In the twelve months immediately preceding the outbreak; of war, the quantity of spirits, both domestic and imported released for sale in Canada, amounted to over three and a half million proof gallons."
"When gasoline and rubber are rationed, electric power and transport facilities are becoming increasingly scarce, and manpower shortages are developing, it is difficult for people to understand their increased use for other than the most vital needs of war."
"Every hour of useful work is precious."
"Workers in industry are the partners in war of the fighting forces."
"I would not wish to imply that most industrial accidents are due to intemperance. But, certainly, temperance has never failed to reduce their number."
"As to the advantages of temperance in the training of the armed forces and of its benefits to the members of the forces themselves, there can be no doubt in the world."
"Only the man who disciplines himself strictly can stand for long the terrific pace of modern war."
"If I am outspoken of the dangers of intemperance to members of our armed forces, it is because we are all especially concerned for the welfare of those who are risking their lives in the cause of freedom."
"The anxiety of most parents in seeing their sons and daughters enlist does not lie only in the fear of the physical dangers they may encounter."
Beto O'Rourke QuotesHiram Johnson QuotesDavid Vitter QuotesRob Bishop QuotesAngus King QuotesBill Delahunt QuotesDan Burton QuotesKgalema Motlanthe QuotesRaul Ruiz QuotesBob Taft QuotesCarrie Lam QuotesWilliam Whitelaw QuotesBen Sasse QuotesRaul Grijalva Quotes

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Concordances from differences of torus knots to $L$-space knots
Author: Samantha Allen
Journal: Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 148 (2020), 1815-1827
MSC (2010): Primary 57M25
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1090/proc/14833
Published electronically: December 30, 2019
Abstract: It is known that connected sums of positive torus knots are not concordant to $L$-space knots. Here we consider differences of torus knots. The main result states that the subgroup of the concordance group generated by two positive torus knots contains no nontrivial $L$-space knots other than the torus knots themselves. Generalizations to subgroups generated by more than two torus knots are also considered.
Paolo Aceto and Antonio Alfieri, On sums of torus knots concordant to alternating knots, Bull. Lond. Math. Soc. 51 (2019), no. 2, 327–343. MR 3937591, DOI https://doi.org/10.1112/blms.12228
P. Aceto, D. Celoria, and J. Park, Rational cobordisms and integral homology, arxiv.org/abs/1811.01433.
A. Alfieri, Upsilon type concordance invariants, arxiv.org/abs/1709.01594.
A. Alfieri, S. Kang, and A. I. Stipsicz, Connected Floer homology of covering involutions, arxiv.org/abs/1905.11613.
Maciej Borodzik and Charles Livingston, Heegaard Floer homology and rational cuspidal curves, Forum Math. Sigma 2 (2014), Paper No. e28, 23. MR 3347955, DOI https://doi.org/10.1017/fms.2014.28
Peter Feller and David Krcatovich, On cobordisms between knots, braid index, and the upsilon-invariant, Math. Ann. 369 (2017), no. 1-2, 301–329. MR 3694648, DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/s00208-017-1519-1
Stefan Friedl, Charles Livingston, and Raphael Zentner, Knot concordances and alternating knots, Michigan Math. J. 66 (2017), no. 2, 421–432. MR 3657225, DOI https://doi.org/10.1307/mmj/1491465685
Matthew Hedden and Liam Watson, On the geography and botany of knot Floer homology, Selecta Math. (N.S.) 24 (2018), no. 2, 997–1037. MR 3782416, DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/s00029-017-0351-5
Robion C. Kirby and W. B. Raymond Lickorish, Prime knots and concordance, Math. Proc. Cambridge Philos. Soc. 86 (1979), no. 3, 437–441. MR 542689, DOI https://doi.org/10.1017/S0305004100056280
David Krcatovich, The reduced knot Floer complex, Topology Appl. 194 (2015), 171–201. MR 3404612, DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.topol.2015.08.008
R. A. Litherland, Signatures of iterated torus knots, Topology of low-dimensional manifolds (Proc. Second Sussex Conf., Chelwood Gate, 1977) Lecture Notes in Math., vol. 722, Springer, Berlin, 1979, pp. 71–84. MR 547456
Charles Livingston, Notes on the knot concordance invariant upsilon, Algebr. Geom. Topol. 17 (2017), no. 1, 111–130. MR 3604374, DOI https://doi.org/10.2140/agt.2017.17.111
Charles Livingston, Concordances from connected sums of torus knots to $L$-space knots, New York J. Math. 24 (2018), 233–239. MR 3778502
Robert Myers, Homology cobordisms, link concordances, and hyperbolic $3$-manifolds, Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 278 (1983), no. 1, 271–288. MR 697074, DOI https://doi.org/10.1090/S0002-9947-1983-0697074-4
Peter Ozsváth and Zoltán Szabó, Knot Floer homology and the four-ball genus, Geom. Topol. 7 (2003), 615–639. MR 2026543, DOI https://doi.org/10.2140/gt.2003.7.615
Peter Ozsváth and Zoltán Szabó, Holomorphic disks and topological invariants for closed three-manifolds, Ann. of Math. (2) 159 (2004), no. 3, 1027–1158. MR 2113019, DOI https://doi.org/10.4007/annals.2004.159.1027
Peter Ozsváth and Zoltán Szabó, On knot Floer homology and lens space surgeries, Topology 44 (2005), no. 6, 1281–1300. MR 2168576, DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.top.2005.05.001
Peter S. Ozsváth, András I. Stipsicz, and Zoltán Szabó, Concordance homomorphisms from knot Floer homology, Adv. Math. 315 (2017), 366–426. MR 3667589, DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aim.2017.05.017
Dale Rolfsen, Knots and links, Mathematics Lecture Series, vol. 7, Publish or Perish, Inc., Houston, TX, 1990. Corrected reprint of the 1976 original. MR 1277811
C. T. C. Wall, Singular points of plane curves, London Mathematical Society Student Texts, vol. 63, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2004. MR 2107253
R. Yozgyur, Knots not concordant to L-space knots, arxiv.org/abs/1905.02461.
Ian Zemke, Connected sums and involutive knot Floer homology, Proc. Lond. Math. Soc. (3) 119 (2019), no. 1, 214–265. MR 3957835, DOI https://doi.org/10.1112/plms.12227
Maciej Borodzik and Charles Livingston, Heegaard Floer homology and rational cuspidal curves, Forum Math. Sigma 2 (2014), e28, 23. MR 3347955, DOI https://doi.org/10.1017/fms.2014.28
Robert Myers, Homology cobordisms, link concordances, and hyperbolic $3$-manifolds, Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 278 (1983), no. 1, 271–288. MR 697074, DOI https://doi.org/10.2307/1999315
Retrieve articles in Proceedings of the American Mathematical Society with MSC (2010): 57M25
Retrieve articles in all journals with MSC (2010): 57M25
Affiliation: Department of Mathematics, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755
Email: samantha.g.allen@dartmouth.edu
Received by editor(s): March 18, 2019
Received by editor(s) in revised form: August 1, 2019, and August 20, 2019
Communicated by: David Futer


is pretty important to your job.
Using the trigger events and collision events is going to make your job a lot easier.
Of the two, trigger events are generally the more performant.
They're only interested in the collider that triggered them.
That means a lot less data's coming through.
a collider is passed through and you're able to access also information.
Right here, I've changed trigger test in order to access online information.
it's highly recommended that you use the collider's tag if possible.
Searching by name is a bit more expensive as it involves a string.
if any, that was attached to it.
Then we're going to see if that collider was a trigger.
Now, If I go back into here.
and I've added the trigger test script back onto it.
When I play, I'm going to get some debug information.
do check your collision matrix.
You may have not set that collision backup.
it does not have a tag which is accurate.
The rigid body is the movable top and it is not a trigger.
trying to debug why a trigger may or may not be happening.
run into some unexpected situations.
quicker than just trying to figure out where in the code it went wrong.
help you figure out why things are happening as they are.
not on the update loop.
They only run as often as your physics are running.


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Remind the customer why they visited your site by showing content they previously viewed. This is done through your advertising and having visited earlier to your site. Serve a display advertisement at other sites they may be visiting.
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Keemi has decided to retarget her past customers. What retargeting method would you suggest Keemi use and why?
Post your recommendations to the Comments area below.


text:
Lower unemployment rate in J&K: CS tells Labour Department
CS J&K, Dr Arun Kumar MehtaFile: DIPR J&K
06 Jan, 2022, 7:30 pm
Jammu: Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta Thursday asked the Labour and Employment Department to lower the unemployment rate in J&K.
An official spokesman in a statement issued here said that chairing the meeting to review the functioning of the Labour and Employment Department in Jammu and Kashmir, Mehta said that as per the CMIE data, the unemployment rate in J&K had decreased to 15 percent in December 2021, and impressed upon the department to further improve employment avenues in J&K.
He said that during the meeting, it was informed that the department had registered 10,95,404 workers with 41.50 percent female and 58.49 percent male engaged in the unorganised sector.
The spokesman said that the Labour Department evacuated 48,780 migrant workers through 33 special Shramik trains during the COVID-19 lockdown.
He said an amount of Rs 6.05 crore had been disbursed as medical reimbursement in favour of the registered workers.
The spokesman said that the chief secretary directed the department to develop the hospital and dispensaries as model healthcare institutions and further link the registered beneficiaries with benefits under other insurance schemes as well including Ayushman Bharat and PradhanMantriSurakhshaBeemaYojana to ensure maximum health benefits and accidental cover to workers.
Mehta directed the rollout of an extensive IEC campaign to generate awareness of these schemes and benefits to further boost registrations.


Diego has a pet, but not an ordinary one, like a dog or cat. He has a sea turtle named Tuga. Tuga is always hungry and loves to eat jellyfish. Tuga Sea Turtle is an excellent game for the youngest players because, besides the beautiful colors, excellent background music, your child can learn more about the animal world and appreciate it. Swim with the turtle simply by moving your mouse. To eat a jellyfish click with your mouse and Tuga will open its mouth. It will swim faster if you repeatedly click and point at a jellyfish or a letter, which is a bonus. Avoid garbage, because it makes Tuga sick. So, come on, all of you animal fans, let`s feed the turtle and have fun!
is one of our selected animal games which can be played for free at horse-games.org. It has been played 5538 times and has been rated from administrators of horse-games.org with 4.60 stars out of 5.
Tuga Sea Turtle is a great free online Animal Game. Remember, Horse Games is also home to one of the widest selections of Dora, Horse and Pony games that you will find anywhere online. These games are so popular among our players that we have created dedicated pages to all of them. Check out Dora Pony Adventure and feel the difference.


text:
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Preview — Keeper by Jessica Moor
Jessica Moor
3.58 · Rating details · 1,351 ratings · 409 reviews
An addictive literary thriller about a crime as shocking as it is commonplace
When Katie Straw's body is pulled from the waters of the local suicide spot, the police are ready to write it off as a standard-issue female suicide. But the residents of the domestic violence shelter where Katie worked disagree. These women have spent weeks or even years waiting for the men they' An addictive literary thriller about a crime as shocking as it is commonplace
When Katie Straw's body is pulled from the waters of the local suicide spot, the police are ready to write it off as a standard-issue female suicide. But the residents of the domestic violence shelter where Katie worked disagree. These women have spent weeks or even years waiting for the men they're running from to catch up with them. They know immediately: This was murder.
Still, Detective Dan Whitworth and his team expect an open-and-shut case--until they discover evidence that suggests Katie wasn't who she appeared. Weaving together the investigation with Katie's final months as it barrels toward the truth, The Keeper is a riveting mystery and a searing examination of violence against women and the structures that allow it to continue, marking the debut of an incredible new voice in crime fiction. ...more
Published March 10th 2020 by Penguin Books
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I'm just curious to see if any other December giveaway winners have received their copy yet? I have not as of 1/27. This is now the 2nd giveaway in which I haven't rec'd anything. Rats!
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Ann-Marie I am still waiting for a book that was supposedly mailed out Dec 23, called "In Our Prime," about how older women are having an effect on the modern w…moreI am still waiting for a book that was supposedly mailed out Dec 23, called "In Our Prime," about how older women are having an effect on the modern world. By the time I get it I will be " Past My Sell By Date. "(less)
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Mystery & Thriller 2020
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· 1,351 ratings · 409 reviews
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Dec 11, 2019 Paromjit rated it it was amazing
Shelves: literary-fiction, mystery, netgalley, women-s-fiction
This is a powerful and assured character driven debut from Jessica Moor, looking at the tragic, secretive and harrowing complex world of domestic violence, so common place in our contemporary society, yet a world from which so many would prefer to avert their eyes away from. When Katie Straw's body is recovered from the river, close to a well known suicide spot, it is deemed by the police to be a straightforward case of suicide. The only reason the police, the old school DS Whitworth and DC Broo This is a powerful and assured character driven debut from Jessica Moor, looking at the tragic, secretive and harrowing complex world of domestic violence, so common place in our contemporary society, yet a world from which so many would prefer to avert their eyes away from. When Katie Straw's body is recovered from the river, close to a well known suicide spot, it is deemed by the police to be a straightforward case of suicide. The only reason the police, the old school DS Whitworth and DC Brook, look at it more closely is that the women at Women's Aid, a refuge centre, strongly contest this conclusion. They are certain that Katie has been murdered, and in a story that goes back and forth in time, Katie's life is laid bare. It tells of her meeting a personable and charming young man, of Jamie's controlling, volatile and manipulative behaviour that reduces her to a terrified wreck of a woman, stripped of all support systems.
As we are given insights of police procedures, we learn the stories of the other women at the refuge, providing a wide ranging picture of the different types and levels of abuse, brutality and terror that each woman has had the misfortune to experience. The author gives us a bleak social, political and cultural commentary surrounding this issue, about the dire state of funding with budget cuts in women's refuges, leaving many women with nowhere to turn, despite the desperate circumstances they find themselves in. Domestic violence leaves traumatised women and children terrorised on a daily basis, psychologically and emotionally damaged, living in constant fear and threats, with their lives in never ending danger.
I always find stories about domestic violence upsetting as I have personal experience of growing up with it, at a time when domestic violence was never taken seriously. It's such a crying shame that today funding is being withdrawn from this much needed area. This is a dark, insightful and well written novel that shines a light on an issue that deserves as much coverage as possible. Many thanks to Penguin UK for an ARC. ...more
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Feb 23, 2020 Peter rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: literary-fiction, thriller, contemporary-fiction
Assailable
Poignant, probing and beautifully written, The Keeper reminds us how we have a duty to protect and support the vulnerable and abused in our society. A police investigation thriller that reveals a range of colourful characters, their unique stories and the multiple perspectives people have on domestic abuse.
In two time frames, before and after the dead body of Katie Straw is recovered from a river. The story provides the events and life of Katie up to that point, and the police investi Assailable
In two time frames, before and after the dead body of Katie Straw is recovered from a river. The story provides the events and life of Katie up to that point, and the police investigation following it. The obvious conclusion is that it was suicide and the police hope to close the case quickly, however, the women at the refuge centre, where Katie works, think otherwise and claim that she was murdered.
Katie was an abused woman in a relationship with Jamie. A relationship that started with romance and gradually morphed into a life of terror, leaving Katie devoid of psychological strength and frightened how Jamie would next manifest his dominance. The slide from romance to abuse is unfortunately common and Jessica Moor vividly builds this up with great care and attention to detail.
"She learns to name the demon. To understand that, just as cities can fall without a shot being fired, a woman can relinquish herself, piece by piece."
The characterisations are excellent and our emotions are pulled towards and driven away from Katie and Jamie as we would want them to be.
The police investigation into Katie's death exposes many real issues facing abused women, the refuge centre staff and the resourcing pressures to continue providing these essential services. The narrative to the plight and range of domestic abuse is powerful and wonderfully observant. Jessica Moor was very clever in her characters and establishing DS Whitworth as someone who doesn't really want to deal with this issue and who can sweep it away as quickly as possible, gives us the laissez-faire attitude that impairs real action being taken to address this devastating social disease. DS Whitworth along with DC Brook seem out of place as two disconnected men responsible for investigating the death of Katie and being sympathetic towards the horrors faced by many of their female witnesses.
While this is a genuinely tough story, with a crucial moral and social message, Jessica Moor has encapsulated the theme in a drama with wonderful dialogue between fascinating characters and a plot that offers surprises. Described as a literary thriller - yes absolutely!
I would highly recommend this book and I'd like to thank Viking, Penguin Book UK and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC copy of the book in return for an honest review. ...more
Jun 12, 2020 Kaceey rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Recommended to Kaceey by: Kelly (and the Book Boar)
Shelves: buddy-read, edelweiss
The premise of this book quickly drew my attention!
The body of a young woman found floating below a bridge notorious for suicide leaps. Is this woman just another sad statistic? Or, could there be a more sinister reason for her death.
The Keeper isn't a novel that received a lot of attention, though it deserves it! A powerful look inside domestic violence.
You may think you know how this will end? You may think you have it all figured out! Not so fast all you clever bookies and junior detecti 4.5*
You may think you know how this will end? You may think you have it all figured out! Not so fast all you clever bookies and junior detectives! You're in for one of the biggest shocking literary moments of your reading career! Pretty bold statement, right?
A buddy read with Susanne that we both picked up on a whim but couldn't put down once we started! Highly recommend!
Thank you to Edelweiss and Penguin Publishing Group for an ARC to read and review ...more
Nov 25, 2019 Ceecee rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
4-5 stars.
This is a gritty, disturbing, vivid and tense suspense novel about domestic violence. . The central character is Katie and her relationship with Jamie who inserts himself into her life, takes it over so profoundly that she can't think, breathe, eat or sleep. He stifles her, stunts her freedom, controls her so she becomes a bundle of anxiety, grinding her down to nothing. The story has multiple perspectives which works well as it allows you to see the different kinds of abusive relatio 4-5 stars.
This is a gritty, disturbing, vivid and tense suspense novel about domestic violence. . The central character is Katie and her relationship with Jamie who inserts himself into her life, takes it over so profoundly that she can't think, breathe, eat or sleep. He stifles her, stunts her freedom, controls her so she becomes a bundle of anxiety, grinding her down to nothing. The story has multiple perspectives which works well as it allows you to see the different kinds of abusive relationship. Katie's story is told 'Then' which charts the control of her life by Jamie and 'Now' which looks into her apparent suicide. The other perspectives are women in the Widringham Womens Aid, a refuge centre run by Val Redwood who seems very fierce but is hanging on to the centre by her fingernails.
Katie's suicide is investigated by DS Whitworth, approaching 60, a bit old school and judgemental and annoying in some ways as he doesn't pay enough attention to the women in the shelter who may have something useful to say. His sidekick is DC Brookes who has more apparent charm and is good at placating. They seem a good team as they work to each other's strengths. The tension in the story build really well and there are sections where you almost daren't breathe! It's well constructed, well written and there is originality in the writing which deserves particular praise. It gives you an uncomfortable insight into domestic violence and it feels authentic. You do not see the end coming and it jolts you to the core and it is unresolved which matches the tone of the book. Domestic violence is ugly, destroys lives and it can't be parcelled up neatly and tied with a bow nor is the ending. Another book? Possibly - I do hope so because I would really like to see where this leads and follow some of the characters through.
Overall, an excellent debut and we have here a writer with great potential and damn, she's had some outstanding mentors (Jeanette Winterson, Val MacDermid for example) !!! It's dark, full of suspense, there's the occasional injection of black humour, it'll make you feel uncomfortable, possibly angry and when you see the statistics of the number of women and children turned away from refuges daily through lack of sufficient places you realise just how relevant and hot this topic is.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin UK for the ARC. ...more
May 16, 2020 Deanna rated it liked it
Shelves: 2020
My reviews can also be seen at: https://deesradreadsandreviews.wordpr...
Timely and thought-provoking.
When a young woman's body is found near a local suicide spot, many believe she took her own life, but those who knew her disagree.
Detective Dan Whitworth and his team are tasked with investigating Katie Straw's death. Katie worked at a shelter for battered women. Could her job have something to do with her death? Police start by interviewing her friends, the women from the shelter, and
Detective Dan Whitworth and his team are tasked with investigating Katie Straw's death. Katie worked at a shelter for battered women. Could her job have something to do with her death? Police start by interviewing her friends, the women from the shelter, and her boyfriend.
They soon learn that Katie may not have been who she claimed to be.
Did Katie take her own life or was someone else responsible for her death?
This was quite an emotional story. The story was told from multiple points of view. Hearing from each woman and learning their individual stories was heartbreakingly realistic. Abuse takes many forms and the author did a good job of showing that.
I thought this was a good audiobook but I did feel the ending was lacking something. I know stories aren't always tied up in a neat bow but I wish there had been a little more information at the end. Regardless, this was still a very interesting read.
Overall, a great debut novel that deals with extremely important issues like abuse, power, control, and more.
May 07, 2020 Diane S ☔ rated it really liked it
When Katie Shaw's body is pulled from the water, the police or sent to investigate. Is this a suicide or murder? Sgt. Whitwort, an old school detective, close to retirement and his trained Sgt. Brookes go to the abuse shelter where Katie worked. At first information is scarce, the head of the shelter is reluctant to let these two men talk to these emotionally fragile women. Plus, no online footprint of a Katie Shaw can be found.
At the abuse shelter the reader comes to know the stories of the wom When Katie Shaw's body is pulled from the water, the police or sent to investigate. Is this a suicide or murder? Sgt. Whitwort, an old school detective, close to retirement and his trained Sgt. Brookes go to the abuse shelter where Katie worked. At first information is scarce, the head of the shelter is reluctant to let these two men talk to these emotionally fragile women. Plus, no online footprint of a Katie Shaw can be found.
At the abuse shelter the reader comes to know the stories of the women and the abuse they suffered. We receive a clear picture of the different abuses as well as their hopes and dreams, their fears. We also see Katie through the eyes of those with whom she worked. Promising beginnings, dashed hopes.
In alternate chapters we learn Katie's story. What had brought her here and exactly how it happened. How a bright and intelligent woman can become ensnared in an abusive realtionship. How an abuser works, step by step. Slowly eroding a person's self confidence, makes himself indispensable. So incredibly evil and tragic.
Although this is slotted as a mystery, it is also I believe and important book on an important subject. Their ate the required red herrings, but it also read for me as nonfiction. It had such a chilling tone, and seemed so real.
ARC from Edelweiss.
Mar 31, 2020 Michelle rated it really liked it
Shelves: goodreads-giveaway-wins
I am shocked that this is a debut novel. Jessica Moor has a very bright future ahead of her.
"Death?
Seen him. Loads of times.
Average height. Brownish hair. Couldn't tell you what color his eyes are but I can tell you he's nothing special to look at.
Death's just a bloke.
He doesn't look angry or sad or evil. Just a bit bored.
At the end of the day, he's a guy with a job to do. So what happens is he comes up to you he opens your mouth and he just pulls the life out of you.
It's like a dentis I am shocked that this is a debut novel. Jessica Moor has a very bright future ahead of her.
It's like a dentist pulling out a tooth.
Imagine that."
Katie Straws body was pulled from a river in a spot in which many suicides have occurred. It looks to the police as if she is just another jumper taking her own life but not everyone is happy with that answer. Katie worked at a refuge for battered woman and the women of this refuge have every reason to believe that something untoward happened to Katie and since no suicide note is found the police are forced to investigate.
The chapters go back and forth between Then - explaining Katie's history, and Now - we meet the police investigators and the other women in the shelter.
Katie's chapters were simply heartbreaking and to bare witness to her decline felt almost voyeuristic. You as a reader can see what is happening and you want so badly to shake her and make her see it too.
All of the women's stories are incredibly sad so please be prepared for some really tough reading.
That ending? I. AM. STUNNED. *shivers* 4 stars!
I won a copy of this book in a giveaway - Thank you to Goodreads and Penguin Books for my copy! ...more
Jun 07, 2020 Susanne Strong rated it really liked it
Shelves: edelweiss, buddy-read
When Katie Straw's body is pulled from the water, Detectives assume she died by suicide.
Investigating is the last thing they want to do however, considering that Katie worked at a battered women's shelter, they must do exactly that.
The women at the shelter are suspicious of Katie's death. Given their pasts, they have every reason to be.
This is however Katie's story and it will blow you away. As for the ending?! Wowza.
"The Keeper is a well written novel about domestic violence. It is a d 4 Stars
"The Keeper is a well written novel about domestic violence. It is a difficult, yet an important novel to read. I am truly impressed that this is Jessica Moor's debut novel and am looking forward to seeing what she comes out with next.
This was another incredible buddy read with Kaceey.
Thank you to Edelweiss, Penguin Publishing Group and Jessica Moor for the arc.
Published on Goodreads on 6.7.20. ...more
Oct 06, 2020 Sue rated it really liked it
Shelves: audio-book, literally-fiction, spine-chilling-sinister, suspense, family-saga, borrowed-from-library, net-galley, busting-my-backlist
Goodreads |
I dare you to figure this out.
It's not the best topic, but it's real folks, it happens. This is a deep story that will make you think, will make you see how domestic violence impacts not just on the person being violated but any children too. The consequences of this and horrific expenditure of a person's wellbeing.
It's ugly.
But we can't hide like it's not happening. It is!
And although this is fiction it could be your neighbor.
So a body is discovered and
So a body is discovered and looks like a straightforward case of suicide.
Then it delves deeper.
I listened to this on audio and it treble impacted this book on me.
What a read! ...more
Mar 27, 2020 Kelly (and the Book Boar) rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: liburrrrrry-book, i-hate-face-covers, skillet-to-the-face, crunken-love, dysfunction-junction, whodunit, black-as-mitchell-s-heart, read-in-2020
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
^^^^That's me upon finishing this book (complete with the petite frame and good looks). But on a more serious note – WHERE THE HELL DID THIS COME FROM? Y'all should be pretty aware by now since I make note of it ALL. OF. THE. TIME. that I am not a fan of "face covers" and NONE of my Goodreads friends have read this. How the heck did I hear about it? I am perplexed. Anyway, who knows how I came to snag this from the library Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
^^^^That's me upon finishing this book (complete with the petite frame and good looks). But on a more serious note – WHERE THE HELL DID THIS COME FROM? Y'all should be pretty aware by now since I make note of it ALL. OF. THE. TIME. that I am not a fan of "face covers" and NONE of my Goodreads friends have read this. How the heck did I hear about it? I am perplexed. Anyway, who knows how I came to snag this from the library, but snag it I did and read just enough of the blurb to see that it was going to be about the discovery of a woman's body near a bridge known for being a place where people commit suicide. Presumed to be the case here as well, however, as no suicide was found protocol must be followed by the local police in order to sign off and release the body.
I wouldn't call this a literary thriller . . . . .
There is nothing particularly "literary" about the writing style. The story, though. Holy mackerel . . . .
Talk about taking a super-sensitive topic like domestic violence and just punching you in the face with it. From sheer brutality, to emotional abuse, to gaslighting, to stereotyping and bias, and all wrapped up in a mystery that at the end of the day doesn't really even matter if it ends as a murder or suicide because everything else covered is so much more important, The Keeper is a difficult book to read, but one that does not shy away from its subject matter.
Highly recommended if you don't mind dark themes in your thrillers.
Jul 07, 2020 Michael David rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Another important read in 2020, this one focusing on domestic violence and emotional abuse.
Katie works at a shelter for abused women. When her dead body is found in the water by a bridge made popular by suicide, the police assume it's an open and shut case. However, the residents of the shelter where she worked don't think it was suicide. If it wasn't, then what happened to her?
Told in the present as the police investigate what happened, we get a glimpse of how Katie came off to the residents o Another important read in 2020, this one focusing on domestic violence and emotional abuse.
Told in the present as the police investigate what happened, we get a glimpse of how Katie came off to the residents of the shelter. We also hear some of their stories. The alternating chapters are told from Katie's POV, leading up to the night she dies. These chapters are where the story is the strongest. I felt a mix of emotions as the heartbreaking and anger-inducing story played out. First and foremost, It's a character-driven drama, but there is mystery as you try to figure out what exactly happened to Katie.
I've read a lot about the shocking twist at the end, which really excited me. Unfortunately, I suspected it about halfway through. Whether or not you figure it out beforehand or end up shocked, you will still hopefully find it a worthwhile read like I did.
Thank you to my GR friends, Kaceey and Susanne, whose FANTASTIC reviews put this on my radar! ...more
Nov 03, 2019 Liz Barnsley rated it it was amazing
This was a novel that once started defies all attempts to put it down, apart from when needs must. Every spare moment today I've immersed myself back into it, I've yelled at it and quietly contemplated it in equal measure.
Jessica Moor is an insightful and realistic writer with an gently urgent sense to her prose, there is an absolutely compelling world weariness to the narrative that grips you immediately. This, after all, is not a story that has never been told, but a story that needs telling o
Jessica Moor is an insightful and realistic writer with an gently urgent sense to her prose, there is an absolutely compelling world weariness to the narrative that grips you immediately. This, after all, is not a story that has never been told, but a story that needs telling over and over again with just about every nuance you can muster and here they are…
From the lead detective whose old school, not unkind but unknowing attitudes are not always helpful, to the women living in the refuge who all have their own stories, to the flashbacks of Katie's prior life, to the final genuinely stunning and heart wrenching conclusion, this author uses truth as her weapon and forces you to look at it in vivid reality. It is melancholy and rage inducing and ultimately horrifically sad.
Keeper has the benefit of not only being a literary character drama but also and equally an edgy, addictive thriller. I thought it was pure brilliance.
Apr 26, 2020 Erin (from Long Island, NY) rated it liked it
3.5. This book is heartbreaking!! That's what i take away from it. The writing is excellent, character driven.. & my heart hurt for several of them. No cliches here- these are unique, traumatic stories of various torments. The women are strong.. Very well done, I feel as though I know them. & actually I'd love to follow up with a few of them.. In fact, I think this would be great as the first in a series. By itself though.. I don't feel there was much of a mystery. It was much more so a characte 3.5. This book is heartbreaking!! That's what i take away from it. The writing is excellent, character driven.. & my heart hurt for several of them. No cliches here- these are unique, traumatic stories of various torments. The women are strong.. Very well done, I feel as though I know them. & actually I'd love to follow up with a few of them.. In fact, I think this would be great as the first in a series. By itself though.. I don't feel there was much of a mystery. It was much more so a character study, or even a sort of memoir on domestic abuse. Even the main detective was so incredibly flawed, but not evil- just a genuine person made up of his experiences (& I appreciated that.) Very well done for what it is, just not a thriller. ...more
Mar 12, 2020 Lou rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Keeper is a powerful, hard-hitting and superb debut literary thriller with a spicy feminist touch to it that is making many top reads of 2020 lists. It broke me into pieces as a domestic and sexual abuse survivor and it's clear either Ms Moor herself has experienced it or has carried out meticulous and extensive research to make the story as accurate and reality-driven as possible. It centres around Katie Straw who works at a women's refuge filled with brave ladies who have had the courage to fl Keeper is a powerful, hard-hitting and superb debut literary thriller with a spicy feminist touch to it that is making many top reads of 2020 lists. It broke me into pieces as a domestic and sexual abuse survivor and it's clear either Ms Moor herself has experienced it or has carried out meticulous and extensive research to make the story as accurate and reality-driven as possible. It centres around Katie Straw who works at a women's refuge filled with brave ladies who have had the courage to flee their home lives in the hopes of stopping the ongoing abuse. DS Whitworth is called in to investigate when Katie looks to have jumped from a bridge into the river below to commit suicide. But Whitworth isn't so quick to jump to baseless conclusions. Plus the women at the refuge who knew her best contest the general police consensus that there was nothing noteworthy happening that needed a deep dive. However, DS Whitworth and DC Brook do exactly that and know they may be on to something when they discover no evidence "Katie Straw" ever existed.
This is a stunning and dramatic character-driven thriller that treats the issue of domestic abuse in a sympathetic manner and puts the women at the front centre of it all. It has a dual timeline of Katie's life "then" and her life " now"; what it illustrates is that abuse survivors are truly never free from their attackers despite being physically separated from them. It's thought-provoking and topical with the plot quickly immersing you and the entirety of the novel you could've cut the tension with a knife. The prose is urgent and Moor pulls no punches when it came to detailing the horrific, harrowing and frankly rage-inducing abuse. It's compelling and incredibly insightful and Moor writes with such eloquence about such heavy topics that it's impossible not to become addicted to it despite the overwhelming sadness and anger you feel every second you're reading. The way it ends is chilling and heart-wrenching in equal measure. A very special book. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Penguin for an ARC. ...more
Mar 20, 2020 Charlie rated it it was amazing
Shelves: first-reads, fiction, novel
This is a gut checking book on women's abuse.
Katie Shaw was one of them. She committed suicide OR was it murder?
A couple of competent detectives are on the case to sort out her life as she
lived it.
It took me a while to figure out how this story was evolving. It started to make sense after I figured out who was who and what was what.
Thanks to Goodreads/authors/publishers for a chance to read this story. This is a gut checking book on women's abuse.
Thanks to Goodreads/authors/publishers for a chance to read this story. ...more
Mar 01, 2020 Nicole rated it it was ok
Even though this book was just over 300 pages it took me days to get through, it was a complete chore.
Unfortunately I really didn't enjoy this book.
Its marketed as a thriller and I really don't think it is one. It wasn't very thrilling nor were there many twists or turns.
I really struggled with the writing style in this book. I found it very difficult to read. It wasn't engaging at all.
I also didn't like any of the characters. Some of the things said did not sit right with me. Ultimately I di Even though this book was just over 300 pages it took me days to get through, it was a complete chore.
I also didn't like any of the characters. Some of the things said did not sit right with me. Ultimately I didn't care about any of them
The only good thing about this book was that it highlights the issue of domestic violence, violence against women and the struggles of women refuges which is of course a very important subject.
However, I just don't think this book really worked. It wasn't interesting, it didn't keep my attention and despite it being not that long took me an age to get through.
Overall, I was very disappointed by this one
TW: rape, domestic violence, murder, suicide and violence against women ...more
Mar 22, 2020 Louise Wilson rated it really liked it
When the body of Katie Straw is pulled from the river, the police think it was suicide. But the women at the refuge where Katie worked think differently. They persuade DS Whitworth and DC Brook to investigate further. But when the police look into her background, it seemed Katie didn't exist. So who is Katie Shaw?
The story is told from multiple points of view. This is a story about domestic abuse. Katie worked as a counsellor at a women's shelter. It's written in the then and now. There's refere When the body of Katie Straw is pulled from the river, the police think it was suicide. But the women at the refuge where Katie worked think differently. They persuade DS Whitworth and DC Brook to investigate further. But when the police look into her background, it seemed Katie didn't exist. So who is Katie Shaw?
The story is told from multiple points of view. This is a story about domestic abuse. Katie worked as a counsellor at a women's shelter. It's written in the then and now. There's references to sexual abuse and violence. There's a twist at the end that I never saw coming. The story is character driven. A good debut novel.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Penguin Books (UK) and the author Jessica Moor for my ARC in exchange for an honest review. ...more
Aug 09, 2020 Julie rated it really liked it
Shelves: mystery
Compelling writing kept me reading even when I wanted to stop. The contents is devastating, all too real, and will haunt me for a while to come.
Nov 23, 2019 Roman Clodia rated it liked it · review of another edition
2.5 stars, skimmed to the end
Stories about domestic control, violence and abuse appear to be the topic du jour in popular fiction - and as important as it is as a live issue, not all these books have new or enlightening things to say. Into the Darkest Corner by Elisabeth Haynes, published in 2007, made me understand convincingly how a contemporary young woman can become isolated so systematically from friends, family, work, an entire social support network that to leave her 'loving protector' (a 2.5 stars, skimmed to the end
Stories about domestic control, violence and abuse appear to be the topic du jour in popular fiction - and as important as it is as a live issue, not all these books have new or enlightening things to say. Into the Darkest Corner by Elisabeth Haynes, published in 2007, made me understand convincingly how a contemporary young woman can become isolated so systematically from friends, family, work, an entire social support network that to leave her 'loving protector' (aka abuser) becomes nearly impossible in her psyche. Many books since just reiterate the same message, becoming 'me too' copies: and that's where I'd place this.
Split into a conventional 'now' and 'then' narrative, one explores the police investigation into the death of Katie, the other takes us through her past relationship with Jamie. Hardly anything happens in the police investigation though it does provide a vehicle to tell other stories of the inhabitants of a women's refuge. If you've read any other books on this topic Katie's 'then' story will be very similar with nothing new to add. And there's a crass and trashy 'twist' at the end that cheapens everything.
It goes without saying that this is a hugely important topic and the author's intentions are undoubtedly well-meaning, wrapping up social messages in a piece of crime fiction - for me, the thriller elements were rather tepid but that's subjective. I'd recommend this to people who haven't read about abusive relationships before: if you have, this is predictable and transparent.
Thanks to Penguin for an ARC via NetGalley ...more
Mar 23, 2020 Rebecca rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: suspense, 2020-release, feminist, free-other, suicide, reviewed-for-blog
Val McDermid and Jeanette Winterson are among the fans of this, Penguin's lead debut title of 2020. When a young woman is found drowned at a popular suicide site in the Manchester area, the police plan to dismiss the case as an open-and-shut suicide. But the others at the women's shelter where Katie Straw worked aren't convinced, and for nearly the whole span of this taut psychological thriller readers are left to wonder if it was suicide or murder.
The novel alternates between chapters marked "T Val McDermid and Jeanette Winterson are among the fans of this, Penguin's lead debut title of 2020. When a young woman is found drowned at a popular suicide site in the Manchester area, the police plan to dismiss the case as an open-and-shut suicide. But the others at the women's shelter where Katie Straw worked aren't convinced, and for nearly the whole span of this taut psychological thriller readers are left to wonder if it was suicide or murder.
The novel alternates between chapters marked "Then" and "Now": in the latter story line, we follow the police investigation and meet the women of the refuge; in the former, we dive into Katie's own experience of an abusive relationship back in London. While her mother was dying of cancer she found it comforting to have a boyfriend who was so attentive to her needs, but eventually Jamie's obsessive love became confining.
I almost never pick up a mystery, but this one was well worth making an exception for. I started suspecting the twist at maybe the two-thirds point, but that didn't detract from my enjoyment. Based on Moor's year working in the violence against women sector, it's a gripping and grimly fascinating story of why women stay with their abusers and what finally drives them to leave.
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck. ...more
Feb 17, 2020 Nenia ✨ Socially Awkward Trash Panda ✨ Campbell marked it as wishlist · review of another edition
This sounds a lot like THE BOOK OF YOU and I really want to read it!
Mar 18, 2020 Eva rated it really liked it · review of another edition
He loves you.
He controls you.
He'll never let you go.
It's insanely hard to find the words to do this novel justice. Keeper is one of those books that requires time to process. One that made me feel so incredibly angry, it left me wanting to punch something. And even after giving myself that time to sit back and think … guess what. Still bloody angry!
When Katie Straw's body is found in the river, detectives quickly rule her death a suicide. But not everyone is convinced. The women at the local ref He loves you.
When Katie Straw's body is found in the river, detectives quickly rule her death a suicide. But not everyone is convinced. The women at the local refuge, where Katie worked, know that danger lurks in every corner and while they may be at what is considered a safe place, somehow death got inside.
Despite the fact that there is a mystery to solve surrounding the death of Katie Straw, this is not your typical crime fiction novel. Keeper is billed as a literary thriller and I'm slightly worried that the "thriller" part will be somewhat misleading to readers who decide to pick this one up. It's not that kind of thriller, it's not a fast-paced solve-a-crime sort of novel but more of a character-driven drama with a thriller-ish element to it. (I know what I'm trying to say here but I don't think I'm doing a very good job of it.) Yet, it is equally compelling, tense and gripping.
To be honest, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect but what I got is a dark and powerful story. Told in alternating chapters, we hear from Katie herself and learn about her past, we follow the detectives who are investigating Katie's death and we are introduced to the women at the refuge. Manipulation and abuse comes in various shapes and sizes and these women's stories really bring that to the fore. It doesn't always come like a bolt of lightning, sometimes it's just there from the beginning and it builds up gradually, so slowly that maybe you don't even realise it's happening.
Needless to say this isn't a comfortable read. It is awfully sad and upsetting. It is unfortunately highly believable and realistic. It is incredibly frightening because it makes you realise this could happen to any one of us. It is chilling, hugely insightful and addictive. Did I mention it made me angry?
Keeper is an incredibly hard-hitting and thought-provoking debut from Jessica Moor and a novel that will undoubtedly stay with me forever. I definitely recommend you give this one a go. Brace yourself for the impact it will have and for the utterly heartbreaking conclusion. ...more
Jun 27, 2020 Stina rated it it was ok · review of another edition
Shelves: british, british-thrillers, 2020, net-galley, abuse, general-fiction
The premise for KEEPER drew my attention and I was thoroughly engrossed for about the first 30%. After that...my interest waned. The concept was promising, as the light on domestic violence really needs to shine a little brighter sometimes and the twist at the end was brilliant, but everything in between was just a little bleh.
Katie Straw worked at a domestic violence refuge for women. But when her body is pulled from the river, at first glance it appears to be suicide. Or is it? Detectives Whit The premise for KEEPER drew my attention and I was thoroughly engrossed for about the first 30%. After that...my interest waned. The concept was promising, as the light on domestic violence really needs to shine a little brighter sometimes and the twist at the end was brilliant, but everything in between was just a little bleh.
Katie Straw worked at a domestic violence refuge for women. But when her body is pulled from the river, at first glance it appears to be suicide. Or is it? Detectives Whitworth and Brookes must piece together Katie's life to work out if she did in fact kill herself or if she was murdered. But the question is, who would want to kill Katie?
As they delve into her background, detectives discover that there is no trace of anyone named Katie Straw. No birth certificate, no tax records, no nothing. The only real reason to change one's name is to hide in plain sight. So who exactly was Katie? And what, or who, was she running from?
Detectives question her boyfriend Noah and the women at the refuge, much to the chagrin of the woman who runs it, to try and get a lead on exactly who Katie was and what secrets she kept. The women, all of whom are a mixed bunch, aren't convinced Katie killed herself. Yes, she seemed sad at times but that wasn't who she was. The reader is slowly let into the confines of both the refuge and the minds of the women who shelter there.
KEEPER is Katie's story told in the past and present - THEN and NOW. As her story unfolds in the past chapters, we soon learn that her boyfriend Jamie is incredibly controlling and abusive. He doesn't hit her but then abuse comes in all shapes and sizes. He uses coercive control, he manipulates her, slowly chipping away at her and breaking her down...ultimately leading to threats. It is obvious from early on that Katie isn't happy. She stops eating and begins to lose weight. Jamie's pointed remarks about her being skin and bone only add to her growing loss of self confidence. It isn't until she finds herself in hospital that she finds the strength to leave.
I found myself more drawn to Katie's past story than the current one which was just so boring. Detective Whitworth was a wet blanket with a somewhat complacent view on abused women. He had no backbone and I kind of felt what was the point of him even being there. The women in the refuge, as sad as their stories were, all seemed to bleat on endlessly and Val, the woman who ran the place, wore a permanent cat's arse expression with tired lipstick. No one was very likable at all. As a domestic violence survivor myself, I found I couldn't relate to any of these women...except Katie, because she's the one we got to know the most.
It was unfortunate that this was such a disappointing read for me as it certainly had the potential to be a fantastic thriller. But it is not a thriller at all. It's not even a crime thriller. But it is a mystery. However, having said that, the best part of KEEPER is the ending. It was a shocking twist that I didn't see coming and it was a clever one at that...which is probably why I am so disappointed in the rest of the book.
So even if you don't like this book, I do recommend you read till the end...that twist may change the entire book for you. It didn't for me, but I still thought it was such a clever ending.
I would like to thank #JessicaMoor, #NetGalley and #PenguinUK for an ARC of #Keeper in exchange for an honest review.
This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/. ...more
Apr 12, 2020 Ellen Gail rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: edelweiss, read-in-a-day
Talk about a gut punch of a book!
Katie Straw is dead. Her body was found in the river, assumed to be yet another jumper from the local suicide bridge. But those who knew her, the women she worked closely with at a domestic violence center, know it's not the case.
Murder framed as a suicide is a trope as old as time (Never Suicide). I could list a million examples, but Heathers comes to mind immediately.
But a pitch black comedic 80s classic, The Keeper is not. At it's heart, it's a slow moving emo Talk about a gut punch of a book!
But a pitch black comedic 80s classic, The Keeper is not. At it's heart, it's a slow moving emotional mystery. Heartbreaking stories of domestic violence and abuse are nothing new, not in fiction and not in real life. These characters have an aching realness to them, an unflinching display of raw emotion.
Jessica Moor's quiet yet open writing style (and in her debut novel no less!) does exactly what it needed to do. It guides you through the mystery and shows you the raw pain of the characters.
The Keeper doesn't break new ground, but maybe it repaves it at least. Thoughtful and well-written, it's a keeper for sure.
Thanks to Edelweiss and Penguin Books for the drc ...more
Mar 22, 2020 Louise Wilson rated it really liked it · review of another edition
When the body of Kate Straw is pulled from the river, the police think it was suicide. But the women at the refuge where katie worked think differently. They persuade DS Whitworth and DC Brook to investigate further. But when the police .ook into her background, it seems Katie didn't exist. So who is Katie Shaw.
This story is told from multiple points of view. This is a story about domestic abuse. Kaatie worked as a counsellor at a women's shelter. It's written in the then and now. There's refere When the body of Kate Straw is pulled from the river, the police think it was suicide. But the women at the refuge where katie worked think differently. They persuade DS Whitworth and DC Brook to investigate further. But when the police .ook into her background, it seems Katie didn't exist. So who is Katie Shaw.
This story is told from multiple points of view. This is a story about domestic abuse. Kaatie worked as a counsellor at a women's shelter. It's written in the then and now. There's references to sexual abuse and violence. There's a twist athe the end that I never saw coming. Thenstory is character driven. A good debut novel
Feb 22, 2020 Theresa rated it really liked it
Shelves: advance-reads-won, 2020-challenge
In compliance with FTC guidelines------I received this book free from a Goodreads Giveaway in exchange for an honest review. The content of this review is not influenced by that fact. The feelings expressed are solely mine. I sincerely appreciate the chance to read and review this book.
3.5 stars but I'll generously raise to 4 stars for Goodreads rating system.
I do not want to appear that I'm being overly harsh with my rating for this book. I think it was a great quick paced read. Definitely a g In compliance with FTC guidelines------I received this book free from a Goodreads Giveaway in exchange for an honest review. The content of this review is not influenced by that fact. The feelings expressed are solely mine. I sincerely appreciate the chance to read and review this book.
I do not want to appear that I'm being overly harsh with my rating for this book. I think it was a great quick paced read. Definitely a good fit for thriller lovers. It was not the greatest of all thrillers I've read but it was certainly entertaining and interesting.
However these three things hold me back from a higher rating as sometimes it is all in the small details.
1. The book seemed to turn to a more literary fiction focus at times.
2. There was a very pronounced author opinion bleeding through the characters. I'm not opposed to that somewhat but it can get distracting when it's overdone. In my opinion that was the case a bit here.
3. The cover art on the version I received was not in the least bit intriguing. I know judging a book by its cover is often frowned upon but it is naive to believe a buyer will not be influenced. It happens daily! If the cover art is not appealing a book cannot compete in the especially over saturated thriller market. This cover had nothing to draw a reader's eye and surely nothing to make them not skip over it. The was nothing new or refreshing. In fact, when I first saw it I thought I'd either read it or seen it on the shelf a million times before.
3.5* (4*)/ 3.84* ...more
Mar 05, 2020 peggy rated it really liked it
Shelves: netgalley, crime-thriller, domestic-noir
This reads more like a domestic drama than a thriller. Set in two time periods then and now. A hard hitting read about all forms of abuse. Set mostly in a women's refuge and most of this book is given over to the women's own personal experiences which brought them to the safety of the refuge. In the meantime a body of a young woman is found floating in the local river suicide or Murder? The body is Katie Shaw an employee of the refuge. Why do the women at the refuge think that Katie was murdered This reads more like a domestic drama than a thriller. Set in two time periods then and now. A hard hitting read about all forms of abuse. Set mostly in a women's refuge and most of this book is given over to the women's own personal experiences which brought them to the safety of the refuge. In the meantime a body of a young woman is found floating in the local river suicide or Murder? The body is Katie Shaw an employee of the refuge. Why do the women at the refuge think that Katie was murdered. As I said before a hard hitting read and admire this author and the way she treated this subject matter. A powerful and emotive read which every woman should read as a warning.
Thanks to Penguin Books UK and Netgalley for the ARC. ...more
Jul 25, 2020 The Coycaterpillar Reads rated it liked it · review of another edition
Keeper was one of those books that had the premise of being outstanding, but it didn't work for me for several different reasons. Firstly, the characterisation didn't work in any aspect. I didn't feel connected or invested in their back stories or their end game. This was a real shame because good characterisation is pretty much a deal breaker for me. Like other readers, I went through bouts of anger and not the type that invoked such emotion that I was intertwined with the plot, the anger was f Keeper was one of those books that had the premise of being outstanding, but it didn't work for me for several different reasons. Firstly, the characterisation didn't work in any aspect. I didn't feel connected or invested in their back stories or their end game. This was a real shame because good characterisation is pretty much a deal breaker for me. Like other readers, I went through bouts of anger and not the type that invoked such emotion that I was intertwined with the plot, the anger was for reasons that I will discuss below.
The main protagonists were so devoid of human kindness and emotion that I seriously wondered how far they had either got/or would get in the police force. I mean, you are dealing with a potential suicide and Detective Whitworth spend most of his time wondering why the deceased partner was such a wimp? We all have different reactions to grief and I was astonished that the Detective would actually voice this. He seems like an overly jaded officer, jaded about marriage, parenthood and women in general.
Katie Straw works at a women's domestic violence refuge. She's later pulled from the river and suspected suicide is considered. There's no note but its suggested that that only happens in Hollywood movies. It's the Detectives job to piece together that last moments of her life to work out if it was indeed suicide or that she was murdered. The question is who would want to kill the shy and reserved woman?
The plot thickens when they discover that there is no-one named Katie Straw – no birth certificate, no university degree and no tax records. Surely this is impossible? Only one plausible reason stands out – that she was hiding from something or someone. Katie's boyfriend is questioned, her employer Val and the women who live in the refuge. Someone must know something? It was a nice touch being able to have the women's take on the situation. We get to see a little snapshot of Katie's day and it wasn't necessarily a pleasant one.
Keeper was written in such a way that it invoked anger and questioning into its narrative. I didn't like the detectives, nor did I like Val. She had the condescending air of a female supremacist. Yes, she wanted to protect the women under her care, but she also didn't think that men were capable of being in the same situation. Ultimately, she conducted herself with an air of toxic femininity. I truly wonder what kind of impact she had on the women and children living there.
The two saving graces for Keeper was the ending and the awareness it tried to show in regard to domestic violence. The ending was a complete doozy and one I didn't see coming. It blew me straight out of the left field and I was utterly gobsmacked. I wish the rest of the book had been as thrilling as that because I wouldn't have felt exasperated whilst reading it. ...more
Jun 25, 2020 Claire rated it really liked it · review of another edition
I was banking on easy crime reading, and while all crime writing is designed to shock and unsettle I got much more than I bargained for here. This story about domestic violence was equal parts quietly unsettling, horrifying, gruesomely violent, and uncomfortable. While I didn't think the writing was anything exceptional, the narrative left me feeling sick in a way a lot of crime writing isn't able to.
May 08, 2020 Gil rated it liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: 2020, contemporary-adult, mystery-thriller-crime, fiction-read, 2020-releases
I was greatly looking forward to The Keeper, as it was pitched as "an addictive literary thriller about a crime as shocking as it is commonplace" (i.e., domestic violence). Some of my favorite books can be loosely classified literary thrillers (Du Maurier's Rebecca; Tartt's The Secret History; Moshfegh's Eileen). Plus, while killings due to domestic abuse are quite commonplace, I've never known them to be the subject of crime fiction. This makes The Keeper doubly intriguing to me.
However, 3 stars
However, few chapters into the book, it became clear to me that this is neither literary fiction nor a thriller. This is probably best described a character-driven murder mystery, similar to Laura Lippman's After I'm Gone. The book opens with the investigation of the apparent suicide of Katie Straw, with the narrative moving back and forth between past and present. The sections titled "Then" give us a window into Katie's life when she was alive, and the ones on "Now" follow DS Whitworth and DC Brookes as they interrogate possible suspects, namely Katie's boyfriend and the women in the shelter that Katie worked with. In the present, we also get the backstories of the five or six women who last interacted with Katie when she was alive.
I liked what this book attempted much more than its execution, so I'll start with what it tried to do. I think by the slow-going, half-hearted investigation and the use of two white men as police officers, Moor demonstrates how the law never takes the cases of domestic violence seriously in the first place. DS Whitworth and DC Brookes also have some galling notions about the women in the shelter. For example, when a woman went back to her husband:
Why, Whitworth wondered with an ancient sort of weariness, can these bloody women not look after themselves?
And, when this woman was found dead, DC Brookes commented:
"We don't know what she did. For all we know, she spent every day dragging her husband through the dirt while she lived off his money. You saw that house. You saw all the things he gave her. And what did she do in return?"
It was infuriating how they tried to justify the man's actions, even when the woman was already dead. A number of other scenes also make this point: the justice system is still inherently biased towards defending the men's actions, and minimizing and dismissing the women's experiences of abuse at their hands, suggesting that she "deserved it" or that she "made him do it".
However, aside from the point it was trying to make, I didn't like anything else about the novel. The women in the shelter were given backstories but not personalities—even halfway through the book, I was still confusing one character for another. I also felt I had to care about the women because the book is telling me to, and because they're all victims. The women's persistent sense of victimhood did contribute to the bleakness of the novel, but I don't think it does justice to survivors of domestic abuse.
Overall, this was a very promising debut novel that fell short in execution, likely because of its noble intentions. The pacing was too slow, the plot was bogged down by too much backstory, and the characters were so similar to each other that they could have been interchangeable. The moralizing was also heavy-handed. However, if you're looking for a noir-ish crime novel with feminist undertones and don't mind the slow pacing, backstory, and large cast of characters, then you might be curious about what The Keeper has to offer. ...more
Thriller > Mystery Thriller
Mystery > Crime
About Jessica Moor
Jessica Moor studied English at Cambridge before completing a Creative Writing MA at Manchester University. Prior to this she spent a year working in the violence against women and girls sector and this experience inspired her first novel, Keeper.
A Debut Novelist's 2020 Reading that Mirrors Our Timeline
Mateo Askaripour is a Brooklyn-based writer whose debut novel, Black Buck—which Colson Whitehead calls a "mesmerizing novel, executing a high...
Trivia About Keeper


Blunsdon House Hotel is situated in Swindon in amongst 30 acres of quaint Wiltshire countryside. With the Cotswolds on our doorstep, there are many places you can go and explore during your stay with us.
In between your time exploring your surroundings, Blunsdon House is also home to many fantastic four star facilities that you can take advantage of. From our fantastic leisure facilities to Secrets Beauty Salon, you can be rest assured that there's always plenty to do for all the family during your stay with us.
Explore the hotel a little deeper by browsing through the images below, and see what makes us the area's leading independent hotel.


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[![Build Status](https://travis-ci.org/dortzur/simple-random.svg?branch=master)](https://travis-ci.org/dortzur/simple-random)  [![npm version](https://badge.fury.io/js/simple-random.svg)](http://badge.fury.io/js/simple-random) [![npm](http://img.shields.io/npm/dm/simple-random.svg)](https://www.npmjs.com/package/simple-random)

A simple flexible javascript library that creates random alpha-numeric strings. Very useful when creating random names for files, folders. Can also create secure random strings for temporary passwords and salts.

Works in both NodeJS and the browser.

###Secure Random
if the `secure` option is set to `true`, we can create a random byte seed with a cryptography library as opposed to Math.random().
In Node we use the default `crypto` library.
In webpack / browser versions we use the Web Cryptography API if supported.

##Installation
```bash
npm install simple-random --save
```
##Usage
###Node
```javascript
var sr = require('simple-random');
var randomString = sr(); // Generates a 16 character alpha-numeric string.
// Example output: "pnxTcl2nOBqTNFQR"
```
###WebPack
```javascript
var sr = require('simple-random/browser');
var randomString = sr(); // Generates a 16 character alpha-numeric string.
// Example output: "pnxTcl2nOBqTNFQR"
```
###Browser
```html
<script src="simple-random/dist/simple_random.js"></script>
<script>
var randomString = window.simpleRandom();

//Secure Random
var secureRandom;
if (simpleRandom.isSecureSupported){
  secureRandom = simpleRandom({secure:true})
}

</script>
```

##Options
- `length`: The length of the alpha-numeric string (default 16).
- `digits`: should allow digits in random string (default true).
- `letters`: should allow letters in random string (default true).
- `caseSensitive`: if set to false, only lowercase letter characters will be used (default true).
- `secure`: Whether or not to use the `crypto` library for secure random byte seed as opposed to `Math.random()` (default false).
- `prefix`: Prefix.
- `suffix`: Suffix.
- `chars`: A string containing all the characters to draw from, defaults to all alpha-numeric characters (overrides digits, letters and caseSensitive flags).

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Jewish Miscellanies
Come and browse through my Anglo-Judaica Library – A blog by Jeffrey Maynard
Second Report of the Joint Emergency Committee for Jewish Religious Education in Great Britain, London, 1942.
Jewish Miscellanies London, Schools March 13, 2022 March 13, 2022
Currently, when children flee from bombing in wartime, they are called refugees. In Great Britain, at the start of the Second World War, they were called evacuees. Between 1939 and 1945, there was a great effort by the Anglo-Jewish establishment to provide Jewish religious education for both children evacuated from big cities, and also refugee children who had escaped just before the war started.
This booklet also includes a very comprehensive list of Synagogue classes for children and teachers-in-charge, and of teachers and evacuated schools in the 'reception areas' demonstrating coverage of small towns and villages where the children had been evacuated and billeted.
Jewish Refugee Children
Jewish Religious Education
Published by Jewish Miscellanies
Jeffrey Maynard is an author and collector of Anglo-Jewish books. View all posts by Jewish Miscellanies
Previous Post Hendon Synagogue Magazine, Hendon, London, October 1959.
Next Post The Historie of the Holy Warre, Second edition, Thomas Fuller, London, 1640.
One thought on "Second Report of the Joint Emergency Committee for Jewish Religious Education in Great Britain, London, 1942."
I was directed to your site by an E mail from Israel. My fathers name ( Rev. B. Greenberg) appears in your Blog about the Jewish Education Report in 1942. (I still have some of his teaching material!)
Bloom's - The Most Famous Kosher Restaurant in Great Britain.
Degel Yosef by Rabbi Zalman Joseph Aloni of Dublin, printed in London, 1949.
Report of the Mahamad of the Proceedings on the occasion of the Bicentenary Festival of the Bevis Marks Synagogue, 5661 - 1901, London 1903.
The History of the Hammersmith Synagogue, Michael Adler, London 1950
In Memoriam - Rabbi Dr. V. Schonfeld, London 1930
Antique Judaica (32)
Cardiff (10)
Charities (8)
Gateshead (1)
Hull (11)
Methyr Tydfil (7)
Middlesborough (4)
Missionary / Conversionist (1)
Newport (Mon) (7)
Orders of Service (14)
Prenumeranten (6)
South Shields (4)
southport (1)
Stockton on Tees (4)
Synagogues (46)
Talmud (6)
Yiddish (45)
Zionism (38)
About Jewish Miscellanies
Jewish Miscellanies is Jeffrey Maynard's blog about his library of Judaica. It has a focus on Anglo-Judaica.
© Jeffrey Maynard 2020


text:
Home Sections Banking and Financial Services
PeoplesBank Issues 2019 Corporate Green Report
Financial Environment
PeoplesBank recently issued its annual Corporate Green Report in conjunction with Earth Day 2019. Through its green values and actions to support environmental sustainability, PeoplesBank believes it can help make the region a healthier place to live, work, and raise a family. The bank puts these values to work throughout the year through its charitable donations, volunteerism, support of green-energy projects, and construction of LEED-certified offices.
"As a mutual bank, we are focused on our values of innovation, community support, environmental sustainability, and employee engagement," said Tom Senecal, president and CEO of PeoplesBank. "Environmental sustainability is really the meeting place of all those other values. It is a way we can be innovative, support the community, and engage our associates in a way that is meaningful."
Added Philippe Michaud, a loan service associate at PeoplesBank and co-chair of its environmental committee, "a business' responsibility is to try and influence its communities toward being more sustainable. The environment is a core belief that is built into the fabric of our organization. That goes a long way toward what we do in the community."
Community banks, like PeoplesBank, are not generally known for building green offices, but PeoplesBank has a LEED Gold-certified office in Northampton, a LEED Gold-certified office in West Springfield, and a LEED Silver-certified office in Springfield. The LEED-certified office in Springfield, the first of its kind in the city, won a Green Seal from the city of Springfield.
The bank's newest branch in Holyoke will also seek LEED certification once construction has finished. Pursuing that objective means the new branch will be constructed and operated as a green building. Some of the highlights include:
• Reuse of a portion of the existing Yankee Pedlar building (the historic Hildreth House);
• Reduction rainwater runoff on the site and use of landscaping that requires no irrigation;
• Use of low-flow water fixtures and high-efficiency HVAC; and
• Use of building materials that have low or zero volatile organic compounds and are sourced locally where possible.
In addition, the exterior wall is highly efficient and allows for the flow of air vapor in two directions, meaning the wall will 'breathe' throughout the year, leading to a cleaner indoor environment.
Three PeoplesBank offices (Northampton, West Springfield, and 330 Whitney Ave. in Holyoke) have electric-vehicle-charging stations. The bank is also launching a "Choose to Reuse" campaign designed to eliminate the use of disposable paper products internally.
"As a mutual bank, we are focused on our values of innovation, community support, environmental sustainability, and employee engagement. Environmental sustainability is really the meeting place of all those other values. It is a way we can be innovative, support the community, and engage our associates in a way that is meaningful."
During the past year, PeoplesBank was recognized by Independent Banker magazine for its environmental sustainability efforts and, for the fifth year in a row, the bank was voted "Best Green Local Business" by Daily Hampshire Gazette readers. The bank is also a past recipient of the Sustainable Business of the Year Award and Associated Industries of Massachusetts' Sustainability Award.
Over the course of the last year, PeoplesBank provided more than $58,000 in support for green initiatives in Western Mass., including:
• A mobile farmers' market that travels to underserved and food-desert areas of Springfield and surrounding communities;
• The Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture Food for All campaign;
• The Center for EcoTechnology's Eco Fellows and support of over 100 community education events;
• The annual Source to Sea Cleanup of the Connecticut River, which also includes hands-on participation by a team of volunteers from the bank;
• The Mount Holyoke Wetlands Restoration Project, conducted by Restoration Ecology Summer Scholars;
• Scientific environmental education at the Hitchcock Center for the Environment; and
• ValleyBike, the region's new bike-sharing program.
PeoplesBank is also a longtime leader in sustainable-energy financing, and the bank's commercial lenders are recognized for their expertise in creating financing packages for green-energy power generation. To date, the bank has financed more than $183 million in wind, solar, and hydroelectric power-generation projects, an increase of $17 million in just one year.
Tags: Corporate Green Report Earth Day 2019 Environment PeoplesBank
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