I know, a novel that is based so much on letters and poetry is going to lose a lot in a visual adaptation. But it was seeing the movie that made me want to read the book. I knew there would be a much richer story there. And while reading it, I had this feeling of wanting to finish it as quickly as possible but also not wanting it to ever end.
I'm surprised you hadn't read it before - it seems very much your sort of thing. The movie was actually better than I'd expected, but then I do like Gwyneth Paltrow (I'm never sure why she seems so despised) and found Aaron Eckhart nice to look at too. They sure don't look like any of the grad students I run across ...
Yes, I have read a bunch of her books. I think The Virgin in the Garden, Still Life, and Babel Tower (they're a series all about the same family) are the best of the rest of her stuff, though I prefer Possession. Babel Tower gets a little weird; I'm still not sure what I thought of it (it's London in the 60s, so maybe it has license to get weird). The Matisse Stories is also pretty good (three short pieces).
When I first read Possession, I didn't know A.S. Byatt was female; in fact, somehow I had the idea the author was male, and I was impressed that a man had written something of that sort, in that style, so successfully. When I found out she was a woman I was slightly less impressed. Strange, huh?
I'm always late getting into things (another example, I am only just now starting to get into Underworld). I also thought Byatt was a man for a while, and don't know why I didn't have any interest in reading her books.
The movie wasn't too bad, but while I like Aaron Eckhart, I think the role called for somebody nerdier and less confident (someone like Mark Ruffalo, if you know who he is, would have been *perfect*). I got a kick out of the scenes in Whitby, because when I was there, I wondered why one of the shops selling jet had a picture of Gwyneth Paltrow in the window. Plus, it brought back good memories.
I'll definitely consider reading the trilogy you mentioned. I've been craving big, sprawling epic books set in the past lately...
I read it this weekend in Jamaica after David Sedaris recommended it to the audience at the live reading I saw him at in Newark the night before my flight (did that sentence even make any sense?). There is so much bizarre-o stuff that happens, I found the ending a tad anti-climactic, but I still really enjoyed the book.
Now that my wings are "clipped" I guess one good thing is that I will have more time to read all these zillions of books I keep buying every time I set foot in a bookstore!
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Have you read any of Byatt's other books?
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Yes, I have read a bunch of her books. I think The Virgin in the Garden, Still Life, and Babel Tower (they're a series all about the same family) are the best of the rest of her stuff, though I prefer Possession. Babel Tower gets a little weird; I'm still not sure what I thought of it (it's London in the 60s, so maybe it has license to get weird). The Matisse Stories is also pretty good (three short pieces).
When I first read Possession, I didn't know A.S. Byatt was female; in fact, somehow I had the idea the author was male, and I was impressed that a man had written something of that sort, in that style, so successfully. When I found out she was a woman I was slightly less impressed. Strange, huh?
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The movie wasn't too bad, but while I like Aaron Eckhart, I think the role called for somebody nerdier and less confident (someone like Mark Ruffalo, if you know who he is, would have been *perfect*). I got a kick out of the scenes in Whitby, because when I was there, I wondered why one of the shops selling jet had a picture of Gwyneth Paltrow in the window. Plus, it brought back good memories.
I'll definitely consider reading the trilogy you mentioned. I've been craving big, sprawling epic books set in the past lately...
Reply
Reply
Reply
I read it this weekend in Jamaica after David Sedaris recommended it to the audience at the live reading I saw him at in Newark the night before my flight (did that sentence even make any sense?). There is so much bizarre-o stuff that happens, I found the ending a tad anti-climactic, but I still really enjoyed the book.
Now that my wings are "clipped" I guess one good thing is that I will have more time to read all these zillions of books I keep buying every time I set foot in a bookstore!
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