micah_orsetti | Narrative Muse

Micah Orsetti

Meet Micah. She loves tea, travel, and history. When she’s not telling you about her favorite films and books, she’s acting, writing, and working on community projects in the hopes of empowering the voiceless and challenging them to change the world for the better. Originally from Virginia, Micah now lives in London, England.

Reviews by Micah Orsetti:

Image: Hamnet

Hamnet is an achingly beautiful story of love and loss, hope and grief, failure and redemption. It’s one of the most poignant novels I’ve read in a long time.

For Sama: Image

Al-Kateab’s For Sama is not only an important memoir, it’s a call to action.

Image: Little Women

Gerwig’s adaptation makes sure to let women know that their narratives, no matter how domestic or ordinary they may seem, are important.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society movie poster

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

I expected to enjoy this movie, but I didn’t expect to watch it twice in one day. I loved it that much.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society book cover

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Do you ever open a book and immediately find a mirror’s image blinking back at you from the page? That’s how it felt to read this book.

The Wendy book cover

This book gave me an opportunity to see new possibilities for this favorite classic, ones that grow with the times and include more of us wannabe explorers.

A Piece of the World book cover

A Piece of the World

Every time I opened the book, I felt like I was sitting in the farmhouse’s sun-washed kitchen, listening to Christina share her innermost thoughts with me.

Their Finest book cover

I’ll be honest, I cried after finishing this one, and I’ve never been more sorry not to see a sequel.

The Alice Network book cover

The Alice Network

Spanning two world wars, two women, and one connecting mystery, this book gave me a new appreciation for the heroic women who fought for us all.

The Girl with All the Gifts movie poster

The Girl with All the Gifts

This film is less about zombies eating brains and more about examining what humanity means, and I’m completely on board with that.

Ocean's 8 movie poster

These classy and altogether badass women who capitalized on the knowledge that they’d be ignored are easily some of greatest cons in cinematic history.

Home Fire book cover

In a world where it is easier to nurture an us vs. them mentality in the midst of radicalization, Shamsie offers a bold opportunity for compassion.

Image: Dividing Eden

Twin siblings are pitted against each other in a deadly competition to win the throne. It’s like Cain and Abel meet The Hunger Games, right? Think again.

Image: The Mitford Murders

The Mitford Murders

It’s a slow-burn-yet-gripping sort of mystery that really fits the style of Downton Abbey.

Image: Before We Visit the Goddess

Before We Visit the Goddess

I saw my grandmother’s sadness, my mother’s hard work, and my own determination reflected in each of these women and it moved me deeply.

Image: Carrie Pilby

This gem of a comedy is a superb accompaniment to a pair of fuzzy socks, a blanket, and a hot beverage. It gave us permission to relax and live a little..

Image: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

For good reason, Reese Witherspoon will be bringing introverted dreamer Eleanor Oliphant to the big screen. She’s witty and funny and utterly relatable.

Image: Wonder Woman

It's a glass-ceiling-shattering masterpiece that was worth the inexplicable wait.

Image: The Scent of You

The Scent of You

It may be a light read, but it’s far from shallow as it delves into life’s deeper questions of belonging, growth and purpose.

Image: Far from the Madding Crowd

Far from the Madding Crowd

It’s 1870 and with hard work and steely determination, Bathsheba’s able to rock the boat and hold her own in a man’s world.

Image: The Handmaid’s Tale

The Handmaid’s Tale

The Handmaid’s Tale would be chilling enough if it was written recently, but as it was published in 1985, it’s downright creepy.

Image: Viceroy’s House

Viceroy’s House

I thought that Viceroy’s House would be a heartwarming tale of a new nation being born, but what I saw was far more important.

Image: The Nightingale

The Nightingale

The Nightingale is a rare story of the women left behind in war. It’s a story of resilience, self-sacrifice and courageous

Image: Denial

Not all of us are called to defend the existence of the Holocaust in a high court of justice. But we are all responsible for remembering.

Image: Stories We Tell

Stories We Tell

A vulnerable documentary about Sarah Polley’ vivacious late mother Diane Polley and the rumors following her death that questioned Sarah’s true parentage.

Image: The Cloud Leopard’s Daughter

The Cloud Leopard’s Daughter

The Cloud Leopard’s Daughter stirs both memory and imagination. I feel robbed that I haven’t been exposed to more of Deborah Challinor’s work!

Image: Victoria

Victoria portrays the young, iconic Queen simply as a woman. It shows all of her faults without diminishing her immense potential.

Image: The Help

A collection of women stand together and use every ounce of courage they possess to work outside of the law to right the wrongs of their society.

Image: The Amber Shadows

The Amber Shadows

In some ways, I really hate novels like this. I want to trust someone, but I can’t. And then I realize I’ve been played - in the most riveting way possible.

Image: Things to Come

This film did something different. Nathalie is a woman of incredible self-assurance. She knows who she is and what she doesn’t want in her future.

Image: Testament of Youth

Testament of Youth

Based on Vera Brittain’s memoir of the same name, Testament of Youth takes place during World War I. It’s a remarkable elegy of a vanished generation.

Image: The Hourglass Factory

The Hourglass Factory

Beyond the flying trapeze artists and corset fetishists, Ribchester’s sassy and detailed style is wonderfully dimensional for the novel’s early 1900s setting.

Image: Bend it Like Beckham

Bend it Like Beckham

David Beckham may have retired and the Spice Girls split up, but watching someone achieve their dreams never gets old.

Image: The Night Circus

The Night Circus

Erin Morgenstern’s debut novel is a whimsical delight of autumn, and by that I mean all things wonderful.

Image: As I Open My Eyes

Two Days, One Night

Despite there being no score, no flashy cinematography, and no special effects, it had my stomach in knots.

Image: A Little Chaos

In a series of secretive confessions, each woman shares her burden with Sabine since she’s an anomaly. She’s dared to live life independently.

Image: Dear Eleanor

This movie takes me back. It’s a light-hearted love letter to besties everywhere.

Image: Belle

Dido began to beat and claw at the beautiful, dark skin that signaled to society that the rules were different for her. I cried, people.

Image: Jane Got A Gun

Jane Hammond is the Western heroine we’ve been waiting for.

Image: The Improbability of Love

The Improbability of Love

I laughed (a lot). I told all of my roommates about you as I tried to put into words the window you’d opened into the art world for me

Image: Room

On the surface Room appears to be a haunting tale of captivity, but it’s really a moving story about the bond between a mother and child.

Image: The Dressmaker

I had expected a film with nice clothes and an inspiring story, but what I got was much more. More laughter, more shock, more wonder… more inspiration.

Image: Gemma Bovery

Why did I want to see a retelling of Madame Bovary in modern-day Normandy? BECAUSE FRANCE.