First the movie, then the book. This happens more than you'd expect. I suspect for most people it goes the other way if at all.
Jane is an orphan who is put into service at age fourteen. Very soon after that she begins a seven-year affair with the son of a neighboring family. Both the house Jane works in and her lover's home have suffered multiple deaths in the first World War. So death is very much a factor in the atmosphere here.
Of course, Jane's lover is not not to marry Jane but instead the wealthy daughter of another family. On the day of a luncheon just before the marriage, he rings Jane and they agree to meet. She has the day off because on Mothering Sunday, servants are given time off to visit their families. Although Jane has none she is sent off to read or enjoy her freedom.
The two lovers enjoy themselves and then he leaves and Jane spends some time wandering naked through the house, admiring books especially. She is a great reader, especially enjoying Joseph Conrad. Since her household was one composed of boys and men, all of the books are "boys" books.
Later she becomes a renown writer and enjoys a marriage with a philosopher.
This novel was very good at capturing the sensuality of its two young characters. It is also persuasive in its depiction of a writer in the making. The young man is trapped by his social class but also by what the war has done to his family. How can he let his family down again? He is not taking advantage of the servant girl. A nice change from so many stories about this period.
This was a terrific book and a terrific movie. It's rich in atmosphere, plot and character. I have liked other books by Swift: LAST ORDERS and WATERLAND,
10 comments:
Saw the trailer for the film and I must admit it didn't look very interesting to me. Ditto the book. But I never seem to get very interested in British novels that cover that period of time. It's probably just me. I did read/see Last Orders and liked that. Swift writes well.
It's not often that the book and the movie are both really good, Patti. This one sounds like an exception to that.
Yes, it is an exception.
If you are looking for a lot of plot, it probably isn't for you. Neither the book or the movie. You need to be willing to luxuriate in the words, the sensuality of it, the beauty of the English countryside. It is nothing like Downton Abbey though, which actually does have plot. Both these characters are unique as is their situation.
I'm a read the book, then see the movie guy. I'll have to check out Graham Swift.
While I generally do read the book first, ever since I was a kid I've done the opposite too - read the book after seeing the movie, starting with OLD YELLER, BEN-HUR and WEST SIDE STORY (novelization). So I have no problem doing it that way. Jackie, on the other hand, is very unlikely to read a book after she's seen the movie.
I tried to get her to read King's 11.22.63 but maybe it was too long for her. But we're watching the Hulu series, which is so odd to me. You'd think there was enough in an 850 page book for an 8 part miniseries, without making major changes, including inventing characters who didn't exist in the book, as well as whole stretches of plot just added for no good reason. Obviously, since they had Josh Duhamel in a role, they might as well build it up and give him more to do, right?
My advice is, read the book, skip the Hulu version.
I think I started both and finished neither. The book was good but I wasn't willing to go through that day again when it came down to it. Even in an alternate reality.
Glad you enjoyed it. I didn't read anything, forgotten or otherwise, except the Costco flyer. It was weak on plot.
I'll occasionally find a fictioneer through the adaptation of their prose. Though it happened more for me as a kid, finding classic films and passing along to their literary sources...not sure I agree at all with the notion that good books and good films are rare birds, at least as pairs. Thanks for further encouragement to look into Swift.
I am usually a read the book first person, then maybe watch an adaptation. Exceptions would be books / films like THE BIG SLEEP and MALTESE FALCON which I saw first on television when I was much younger, and then watched many more times before I read the book.
Often I don't know about the book until I see a movie. Doing that now with POWER OF THE DOG>
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