Latest news with #Thea
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Cure by Katherine Brabon review – moments of grace in meditation on chronic illness
Katherine Brabon's fourth novel follows a mother and daughter with a shared experience of chronic illness who travel to Italy in search of a cure. It feels like a companion piece to her elegant previous novel Body Friend, about three women who seek out different ways of managing their chronic pain after surgery. Cure continues Brabon's metaphoric use of doubles, mirrors and reflections to explore the social dimensions of the body in pain. It opens in Lake Como, where, we are told, in autumn 'clouds devour the hills around the lake' and the water 'reflects the scene of disappearance. [It] cannot help but replicate the obscuring fog.' Vera has been here before; she is now taking her 16-year-old daughter, Thea, to a small town in Lombardy, where she herself travelled with her parents as a sick teen, to seek out an obscure man who promises to heal and cure people of their illnesses. Cure captures the painful intimacies between a mother and daughter: 'Vera has lived this, or a version of this, but she wants it to be different for her daughter,' Brabon writes. Vera and Thea are allied in their shared experience of chronic headaches, fatigue and joints stiffened with pain. Both have been subjected to the banal health advice of others – to take cold showers, hot baths, avoid coffee and consume tea. At the same time the pair are estranged – Thea wants to rebel against Vera's anxious and protective proscriptions; Vera favours curatives such as 'supplement powders, tablets, and tea' over the prescribed medications recommended by her doctor husband. Sign up for our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning The gentle and unassuming narrative shifts between Vera's adolescent pilgrimage to Italy and her daughter's, and between sequences from Vera's early adulthood and scenes of the mother and child at home in Melbourne. Vera is taken to a thermal bath in regional Victoria by her parents, and spends hours connecting with other young women online. In Italy, Thea rests and walks to the lake, meeting a teenage boy called Santo. Writing in her journal, she reflects upon how her mother's journey maps neatly on to her own: the same age, the same bed, a shared illness, a shared purpose. To Vera, her daughter is a 'just a body': 'a mirror of her own body … she cannot see beyond the body, its destruction, its inheritance'. Thea and Vera's nights are long, edged with pain; the days are repetitious, spent managing that burden. Brabon is sensitive to how time can dissolve in these efforts of maintenance, bracketing the hours with temporary relief. Vera partakes in a fortnightly regime of subcutaneous injections, while Thea relies on painkillers to alleviate the 'fatigue and fever and aching eyelids'. As she swallows the tablets, she 'feels her mother come back to her'. In this cyclical experience of illness, Thea looks to Vera as a template of what will come. In Thea, Brabon draws a sensitive portrait of a girl adjusting to life in a body that will be constrained. Vera is a complex figure, anxious and tired, whose responsibility for her daughter both draws them together and drives them apart. They turn to writing as a means of communication and escape: Thea retreats into her journal, diarising her own adolescence and crafting stories about her mother; Vera appeals to online communities, where she can share her own experience anonymously. This secret retreat into fantasy is driven by necessity, for it is there that mother and daughter are free to imagine their lives with a supple and mysterious hope. Vera and Thea must live slowly, carefully, and the narrative reproduces this in its structure – to enervating effect. Between sequences of Vera and Thea in the past and present are italicised passages told from an estranged, omniscient perspective. The pair become 'mother and daughter', 'the woman' and 'the girl'. Thea's upset sleep and swollen knees, initially presented to the reader with first-hand intimacy, are reconsidered with toneless neutrality, a flat recital of events: 'The girl feels both happy and angry'; 'the girl walks to the lake'. In adopting this kind of glacial formalism, Brabon perhaps seeks to capture the effects of bodily estrangement with the sage reticence of a writer like Rachel Cusk, whose novel Parade is quoted in the epigraph. Instead, these italicised passages achieve something more dry, too narrow. The warmer haze of Brabon's other prose better captures the feelings of rupture and dissociation brought about by the sick body and by the family in conflict. Brabon's play with narration in Cure signals her subtle exploration of how stories of sickness can be confining, too definitive. Shifting our attention to the ill body beyond pathology, she re-engages with the relational and affective qualities of this experience, sketching a dim world, foggy with illusion and mythmaking. Narrative intensity is stripped back for something softer, more reflective. If the novel's carefully refined atmosphere is sometimes remote to a fault, it also contains arresting moments of grace, as Brabon meditates on the stories we tell about our bodies, wellness, healing and memory. Sign up to Saved for Later Catch up on the fun stuff with Guardian Australia's culture and lifestyle rundown of pop culture, trends and tips after newsletter promotion Cure by Katherine Brabon is out through Ultimo Press ($34.99)
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Cure by Katherine Brabon review – moments of grace in meditation on chronic illness
Katherine Brabon's fourth novel follows a mother and daughter with a shared experience of chronic illness who travel to Italy in search of a cure. It feels like a companion piece to her elegant previous novel Body Friend, about three women who seek out different ways of managing their chronic pain after surgery. Cure continues Brabon's metaphoric use of doubles, mirrors and reflections to explore the social dimensions of the body in pain. It opens in Lake Como, where, we are told, in autumn 'clouds devour the hills around the lake' and the water 'reflects the scene of disappearance. [It] cannot help but replicate the obscuring fog.' Vera has been here before; she is now taking her 16-year-old daughter, Thea, to a small town in Lombardy, where she herself travelled with her parents as a sick teen, to seek out an obscure man who promises to heal and cure people of their illnesses. Cure captures the painful intimacies between a mother and daughter: 'Vera has lived this, or a version of this, but she wants it to be different for her daughter,' Brabon writes. Vera and Thea are allied in their shared experience of chronic headaches, fatigue and joints stiffened with pain. Both have been subjected to the banal health advice of others – to take cold showers, hot baths, avoid coffee and consume tea. At the same time the pair are estranged – Thea wants to rebel against Vera's anxious and protective proscriptions; Vera favours curatives such as 'supplement powders, tablets, and tea' over the prescribed medications recommended by her doctor husband. Sign up for our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning The gentle and unassuming narrative shifts between Vera's adolescent pilgrimage to Italy and her daughter's, and between sequences from Vera's early adulthood and scenes of the mother and child at home in Melbourne. Vera is taken to a thermal bath in regional Victoria by her parents, and spends hours connecting with other young women online. In Italy, Thea rests and walks to the lake, meeting a teenage boy called Santo. Writing in her journal, she reflects upon how her mother's journey maps neatly on to her own: the same age, the same bed, a shared illness, a shared purpose. To Vera, her daughter is a 'just a body': 'a mirror of her own body … she cannot see beyond the body, its destruction, its inheritance'. Thea and Vera's nights are long, edged with pain; the days are repetitious, spent managing that burden. Brabon is sensitive to how time can dissolve in these efforts of maintenance, bracketing the hours with temporary relief. Vera partakes in a fortnightly regime of subcutaneous injections, while Thea relies on painkillers to alleviate the 'fatigue and fever and aching eyelids'. As she swallows the tablets, she 'feels her mother come back to her'. In this cyclical experience of illness, Thea looks to Vera as a template of what will come. In Thea, Brabon draws a sensitive portrait of a girl adjusting to life in a body that will be constrained. Vera is a complex figure, anxious and tired, whose responsibility for her daughter both draws them together and drives them apart. They turn to writing as a means of communication and escape: Thea retreats into her journal, diarising her own adolescence and crafting stories about her mother; Vera appeals to online communities, where she can share her own experience anonymously. This secret retreat into fantasy is driven by necessity, for it is there that mother and daughter are free to imagine their lives with a supple and mysterious hope. Vera and Thea must live slowly, carefully, and the narrative reproduces this in its structure – to enervating effect. Between sequences of Vera and Thea in the past and present are italicised passages told from an estranged, omniscient perspective. The pair become 'mother and daughter', 'the woman' and 'the girl'. Thea's upset sleep and swollen knees, initially presented to the reader with first-hand intimacy, are reconsidered with toneless neutrality, a flat recital of events: 'The girl feels both happy and angry'; 'the girl walks to the lake'. In adopting this kind of glacial formalism, Brabon perhaps seeks to capture the effects of bodily estrangement with the sage reticence of a writer like Rachel Cusk, whose novel Parade is quoted in the epigraph. Instead, these italicised passages achieve something more dry, too narrow. The warmer haze of Brabon's other prose better captures the feelings of rupture and dissociation brought about by the sick body and by the family in conflict. Brabon's play with narration in Cure signals her subtle exploration of how stories of sickness can be confining, too definitive. Shifting our attention to the ill body beyond pathology, she re-engages with the relational and affective qualities of this experience, sketching a dim world, foggy with illusion and mythmaking. Narrative intensity is stripped back for something softer, more reflective. If the novel's carefully refined atmosphere is sometimes remote to a fault, it also contains arresting moments of grace, as Brabon meditates on the stories we tell about our bodies, wellness, healing and memory. Sign up to Saved for Later Catch up on the fun stuff with Guardian Australia's culture and lifestyle rundown of pop culture, trends and tips after newsletter promotion Cure by Katherine Brabon is out through Ultimo Press ($34.99)
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
These French Girl Names Feel Like a Parisian Daydream
There's just something elegant and sophisticated about French girl names. Whether you're proud of your French heritage and want to pay homage to your ancestry, have sentimental ties to the country, or simply want to give your daughter a name that stands out in a sea of American names, you can't go wrong with one of the beauties on this list! If you're looking for a French girl name that's currently popular in the actual country of France, you won't find many with that quintessentially elegant vibe we find so appealing. A lot of today's popular French girl names are arguably non-French sounding: Jade, Emma, Rose, Alma, and Alice are all in their top 10, per Insee, France's bureau of statistics. And funnily enough, many of the French names we consider perfectly contemporary and timeless here in the States are off the radar in France; names that end in -ette, like Josette, are considered vintage 'old lady' names there (with the exception of Juliette, which is still on France's popularity charts). Although who's to say they won't make a comeback there, just as old-fashioned favorites like Ruby and Hazel have done here in the States? A couple of things to note before you decide on a French girl name: first, many of them contain accents over the letters (such as Anaïs and Zélie). These are called diacritical marks, and are not allowed on birth certificates in some states; you can check to see if yours is one here. Secondly, if you are dead set on using the French pronunciation but live in a predominantly English-speaking area, your daughter may find herself either constantly correcting people or silently accepting that almost everyone is going to say her name wrong. But if you're OK with, say, Théa (pronounced TAY-ah) being largely pronounced as the English-speaking THEE-uh, carry on! Most of the French girl names we've curated on this list are fairly straightforward to pronounce, though — whether you speak French or not! — and so pretty that even the mispronunciations are stunning. More from SheKnows A Top Baby Name Site's 'Playground Analysis' Just Revealed the 'Real' Most Popular Names of 2024 - & They Aren't What You Think Best of SheKnows All the Pregnant Celebrities Who Showed Off Their Baby Bumps on the Red Carpet These 'Old Money' Names Are a Quiet Signal of Wealth & Prestige At 19, I Broke Up With Social Media – & Chose Myself Solène Pronunciation: SAW-LEHN You might think a name beginning with 'Sol-' would indicate its meaning involves the sun — but no! Solène is actually a version of Solange, which is the French form of a name derived from the Latin word sollemnis, meaning 'religious.' Chloé Pronunciation: KLO-EH Chloé means 'green shoot' in Greek — as in a young plant sprout. A beautiful name any time of year, but especially fitting for a springtime baby! Théa Pronunciation: TAY-ah Théa is the French version of the name Thea, which is typically pronounced differently. It has no specific meaning, as Thea itself is a diminutive of names like Dorothea and Theresa. Caprice Pronunciation: kuh-PREES We can't help but love the meaning of this gem — it comes from the Italian capriccio, meaning 'whim' or 'impulse.' Oriane Pronunciation: AW-RIAN The name Oriane is perfect for your golden child … since it comes from the Latin word aurus, meaning 'gold.' Lilou Pronunciation: LEE-LOO Another name with no discernible meaning, Lilou is simply a nickname that has been used as a given name in recent years. In France, it comes from names that end in the sound -li or -lee, with the addition of -lou as a sign of affection. With names like Lila and Lily being so popular, Lilou is a distinctive-but-similar option. Mireille Pronunciation: ME-RAY This one will definitely be one of the harder names for English speakers to pronounce correctly on the first try, but it's so beautiful that doesn't even matter — right? (Plus, you could always call her Miri or Mira for short.) It comes from the Occitan word mirar, meaning 'to admire.' Adélie Pronunciation: AH-DEH-LEE This one comes from the name Adela, which itself was a short form of names beginning with the element adal (i.e., Adalheide), meaning 'noble.' Fleur Pronunciation: FLUUR or FLUR You can't get much more French than using an actual French word as a name! This one is the French word for 'flower' … and if you're a Harry Potter fan, may make you think of one of its characters, Fleur Delacour. Joséphine Pronunciation: ZHO-ZEH-FEEN The French feminine form of Joseph, which comes from the Hebrew name Yusef, meaning 'to increase.' Marjolaine Pronunciation: MAR-ZHAW-LEHN Foodies might be especially drawn to this name — it's the French word for the minty herb marjoram! Bijou Pronunciation: BEE-ZHOO This one is a sparkling choice — it literally means 'jewel' in French! Eulalie Pronunciation: UU-LA-LEE Eulalie is the French version of the name Eulalia (also a beauty!), which is derived from the Greek εὔλαλος, meaning 'sweetly speaking.' Eula could be a cute nickname choice with a vintage flair! Josiane Pronunciation: ZHO-ZYAN Surprisingly enough Josiane is a diminutive form of Joséphine, so it also means 'to increase.' Esmé Pronunciation: EHZ-may You're going to dote on your baby girl, so this French girl name is the perfect choice: it means 'esteemed' or 'loved.' Isaline Pronunciation: EYE-sah-leen This name is sometimes spelled Isoline, and is found pronounced several different ways — with a long E or an 'iz' sound at the front, or with 'line' at the end instead of 'leen.' But no matter how you pronounce it, it is said to come from the Italian isola, meaning 'island.' Anaïs Pronunciation: AH-NA-EES Sadly, the meaning of this beautiful name is unclear; it may be a form of Anne or Agnes, or derived from a longer name like Athénaïs. Coraline Pronunciation: KAW-RA-LEEN This name was invented by French composer Adolphe Adam for his 1849 opera Le Toréador. But he likely based it on the name Coralie, which means 'coral.' Eléa Pronunciation: Eh-LAY-ah Eléa is a diminutive form of the name Eleanor, derived from the name Alienòr — which literally means 'other Aenor,' and was used to distinguish 12th-century queen Eleanor of Aquitaine from her mother, named Aenor. Aveline Pronunciation: AV-eh-leen Though scholars know this name was derived from the Old German awi, they don't know what that element means. But it's the same root word that brings us other names like Ava and Eileen. Veronique Pronunciation: VEH-RAH-NEEK The French version of Veronica (and decidedly more chic), Veronique comes from the Greek name Pherenike, meaning 'bringer of victory.' Emmeline Pronunciation: EHM-ah-leen An Old French name, this beauty means 'unceasing' or 'brave.' Zélie Pronunciation: ZEH-lee Zélie is a short form of Azélie, which comes from the same root word as Adélie: amal, meaning 'noble.' Manon Pronunciation: MA-NAWN (the last N is more of a nasal sound than a hard N) Manon is actually a French diminutive of Marie, which itself comes from Mary. Meanings are debated; some sources say it means 'bitterness' or 'rebelliousness,' while other sources say it means 'wished-for child' or 'beloved.' Sandrine Pronunciation: SAHN-DREEN The French form of Sandra, which comes from Alessandra — ultimately from the male name Alexander — meaning 'defender of men.' Anouk Pronunciation: ah-NOOK They may not sound very similar, but Anouk is the French diminutive version of Anna — meaning 'favor' or 'grace.' Sabine Pronunciation: SAH-BEAN Sabine is the feminine version of Sabinus, which was a Roman surname meaning 'a Sabine' — referencing the Sabines, a people who lived in ancient Italy. Amélie Pronunciation: AH-MEH-LEE Amélie is the French version of Amelial, and it has something in common with Emmeline, mentioned earlier; they both come from the root amal, meaning 'brave' or 'unceasing.' Madeleine Pronunciation: MAD-LEHN This is another sweet name that is pronounced differently depending on where you're from. In French, it's more like MAD-LEHN. In English, MAD-uh-lin or MAD-uh-line. In Swedish, mahd-eh-LEHN. (Or you could just make it easy and call her Maddy!) It's the French form of the name Magdalene, which means 'of Magdala' — the home village of the biblical Mary Magdalene. Colette Pronunciation: KAW-LEHT Colette is a short form of Nicolette — a diminutive of Nicole, the French form of Nicholas (are you still following?), meaning 'victory of the people.' Maëlys Pronunciation: MA-EH-LEES Maëlys is the feminine form of the name Maël, a Breton name meaning 'prince' or 'lord.' Élodie Pronunciation: EH-LAW-DEE Élodie is the French form of the name Alodia, which is said to mean 'all wealth' or 'all riches.' Alizée Pronunciation: A-LEE-ZEH A beautiful name derived from the French word alizé, meaning 'tradewinds.' Noémie Pronunciation: NAW-EH-MEE This gorgeous pick is the French form of the Hebrew name Na'omi, meaning 'my pleasantness.' Ariane Pronunciation: AR-YAHN The French form of the Greek name Ariadne, which comes from ἀρι (most) and ἀδνός (holy) — thus meaning 'most holy.' Pin It! Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The tell-tale signs you're being 'job-ghosted'
'Ghosting' in the jobs market is worse than ever, experts say, as high unemployment rates put all the "power in the hands of businesses". Rich Howell, owner of consumer goods recruitment agency Marvel FMCG, told Yahoo News that in his 11 years in the industry, he has never seen so many candidates 'ghosted' by potential employers. 'It's worse than I've known it by a long way... that's the extreme of how it is at the moment,' he said. Unemployment rates in the UK are at an almost four-year high, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Between February to April of this year, unemployment rates reached 4.6% — the highest level since COVID. And, according to the ONS, latest data indicates that the UK jobs market is weakening, with the number of people on payroll "falling notably" and firms holding back on hiring new employees and refilling vacancies. Yahoo News explains what you need to know about job ghosting. The term job ghosting is when communication is suddenly and unexpectedly cut during a job hiring process, without any explanation. It works both ways and can be done by either the candidate or the employer — although it is more common for the candidate to be on the receiving end. An Indeed survey from 2024 revealed that 77% of jobseekers in the UK were ghosted by a prospective employer during the application process in the previous year, with 10% having experienced ghosting even after getting a verbal job offer — a 'worrying trend' according to James Reed, chief executive of recruitment company Reed. 'We're seeing it on both sides,' he said. 'The widespread shift to remote interviews has also depersonalised the experience for both candidates and recruiters, making it easier to disengage. It's far simpler for either side to cancel or cease contact after a Zoom call than do so in person.' Howell said candidates come to him everyday asking for advice, after sharing that they have been ghosted during a hiring process. 'There are so many people looking for work, which basically then means that the power is in the hands of the businesses. Because there is so much choice out there, the service standards seem to go out of the window — not only for businesses, but recruiters too.' Thea, a 27-year-old from the Isle of Wight, had a similar experience. She told Yahoo News that she was ghosted by a job company after being selected for a freelancing role. Thea says she "spent hours" designing posters and website banners for the company, which was planning a summer event. Although she was promised payment and that the role could lead her to further opportunities, the freelancer could only describe it as "dead ends". She said: "I emailed them over and over, I have not heard back since — I followed up and still nothing, it's now been three months... it made me feel used and led on." The issue is also discussed on social media platforms like Reddit. One user who had posted about their experience on the site told Yahoo News they had quit their job after accepting an offer from a new company. "The company said they'd be in contact the next week about onboarding. I didn't hear from them", they said. "[I] called and left a message. Nothing. Emailed and called. Three weeks later, they tell me that they are no longer able to hire for that position. I had already quit my previous job and was no longer working." Howell says on the candidates' side, it could be helpful to ask for a guideline of the hiring process timeline towards the end of the interview, just to understand when you should expect a response by. According to Reed, signs that you're being job ghosted include: Radio silence after an interview If you are met with silence after the interview, it could be helpful to send a follow up email after one or two weeks to enquire about the status of your application and next steps. If after this, you still don't hear back, then it is likely that they chose to move forward with another candidate or even paused the hiring process overall. Cancelled interviews Cancelled interviews do not always mean that you are being ghosted, it could be due to a schedule clash or unforeseen circumstances. If you stay in communication with the interviewer then make sure to set a new date in stone as soon as possible. If the interviewer continues to cancel, or does not reschedule then it could suggest that they are ghosting you. Declining communication quality, where replies become slow, terse or stop entirely Communication is very important during the job process. In the event that this declines or stops entirely, it could suggest that you are being ghosted but the reasons may not be personal. The hiring process may have been paused, the employers may have went with an internal hire etc.
Daily Record
6 days ago
- Health
- Daily Record
Peter Andre opens up about on his 'guilt' over mum's devastating Alzheimer's battle
Peter Andre has opened up about the heartbreaking reality of living with a parent with Alzheimer's as his mother, Thea, battles the devastating disease. Peter Andre has opened up about the guilt he feels as his mother Thea, who lives in Australia, continues her battle with Alzheimer's disease. The dad of five shared his emotions after former GMTV presenter Fiona Phillips released a candid and heartbreaking account of her own experiences resulting from the neurological disease. Peter's mum Thea was diagnosed with both Parkinson's and Alzheimer's - progressive neurological conditions that impact brain function as well as physical movement in the body. Writing in his weekly OK! column, the Mysterious Girl singer revealed that he and his siblings felt "guilt and worry" as they watched their beloved mum's health decline. He wrote: "I read about Fiona Phillips' experience of Alzheimer's and the strain it has taken on not just her but her family." Before he continued: "It's absolutely heartbreaking. With a disease like Alzheimer's it's so hard, number one, for the person affected, but it's also heartbreaking for those who love and care for them." Fiona, 64, shared a deeply personal article last week, shedding light on her daily life with the condition and the profound impact it has had not only on her but also on those closest to her. In a joint memoir co-written with her husband of 28 years, Martin Frizell, Fiona shared that she was diagnosed with the progressive illness in 2022. She initially believed her brain fog and mood swings were related to menopause, the Mirror reports. Her husband Martin, who was the boss at ITV's This Morning for a decade until he stepped down from the role in February to take care of Fiona, opened up on the extent to which the disease has impacted Fiona's cognitive processes. On difficult days, he revealed, her confusion leads her to ask to see her parents, unaware they have sadly already passed away. In excerpts from their memoir published in the Daily Mail, he stated: "It is January 2025 as I write this, and Fiona needs a lot of help." "She needs help showering and brushing her teeth. She can do these things physically, but is unable now to think about how she should do them..." Peter shared that he's all too familiar with the impact Alzheimer's takes on loved ones, expressing his deep empathy for Fiona and Martin. "With my mum, I see the decline happening, and I know the feelings of guilt and worry that we, her loved ones, feel. It is so painful for everyone and my heart goes out to Fiona, her husband Martin and her boys," he stated. Thea and Peter's father, Savvas, live on Australia's Gold Coast, and he makes regular trips to visit them. During a visit earlier this year in January, Pete admitted that being there often stirs up a mix of emotions. He revealed: "Being with my mum and dad in Australia was incredible, but understandably also very emotional. I went with my brother, Michael, and we got to spend quality time with my sister as well." "The hardest bit for me is leaving them. Both Mum and Dad are on the decline, unfortunately, especially my mum."
