Hey Amanda,
Since we settled on a "what tickles your fancy" approach for this thread...
There is something I need to get off my chest.. ;)
After reading TTV (which was after falling in love with the TV version of the story), I found myself wishing they'd kept Florence true to SW's character. Don't get me wrong, I love Movie!Flo; I think Jodhi May did a fine job with her. But... SW's Flo had somewhat more intensity and was the more experienced of the pair (another aspect of the story that was 'reversed' in the movie).
I remember reading an interesting SW interview where she talks about this "role reversal". I hunted it down and here it is:
There are a couple of scenes where Nancy takes Florence to a gay pub and in the book, it's the other way around. I still would've preferred to have kept it that way because the whole point is that it's Nancy's sexual education in the book and its crucial she gets that from Florence rather than initiating Florence into a queer world. I felt it was maybe something to do with the mainstreaming of Tipping, that actually mainstream culture can handle coming-out stories but actually to present grown-up lesbians in a grown-up lesbian world of their own was too much. They had to have it that Florence was all innocent.
{ http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/books/features/sarah-waters-interview.shtml }
Interesting, isn't it? :)
What did you think of how Flo's brother is portrayed in the film and in the story?
I see your point about post-Diana Nancy! ;D
I suppose Nan might've been experienced in the "sexual act" but was very much a novice/innocent in the sense that she didn't know the ins & outs of the "queer lifestyle" like Flo did... like she'd never been to a queer bar and was amazed to see all the other "toms" dressed in men's clothes like she usually did.
I'll have to go and re-read a few sections, I'm sure. :)
Movie!Ralph was a darling. Who wouldn't want a brother or friend like him? :)
I loved his compassionate, shy nature..
I particularly loved the scene where he stumbles into Flo and Nan sleeping together after their night out. It was too adorable.
Gosh, I'm gonna have to go read the story again.. :P. .but was Book!Ralph that different from Movie!Ralph?
Re: Tipping the Velvet 2009..
I had already heard and read on a few sites that Sofia Coppola is working on a TTV movie.
There were rumours online that two actresses who'd signed on to the project were Eva Longoria and Beyonce Knowles.. ???
But it turned out to be just that - a rumour.
Good, 'cause I didn't know how well that would've worked out. lol.
You are right about the miniseries and I too liked the scenes at the lesbian bar...
Of course, it was also the setting where the phrase "tipping the velvet" was used in the film. :)
I remember one scene in particular when she stands in the shadows and watches Nan sing to little Cyril in the kitchen. Flo's expression in that scene has always stayed with me - it was filled with awe, lust, hunger and a sort of repressed excitement all in one. Loved it. :)
*sigh*
All this talk of TTV is getting to me..lol.. I think I'll pop the DVD in shortly.. ;)
I just watched Fingersmith not too long ago. But, now, I agree, I'll definitely re-watch TTV tomorrow after work. ..
I wonder if there are any plans in the works to do screen versions of Affinity or Night Watch?
In these period pieces the moments when the women are dressed as women in their beautiful dresses (not in their men's costumes, etc.) really highlight the dilemma of how to recognize the classic question of "what does a lesbian look like?".
Do you happen to have an image of Kitty from this "morning after" scene in TTV?
The timing and that dating for the actual period for TTV has always made me wonder a bit. Do we know during what year(s) TTV is supposed to take place?
Couldn't agree with you more on this point.
When dressed in their elegant women's clothes, you couldn't tell by looking at any of the ladies: Kitty, Nan, Flo, Diana.. that they were "toms".
Diana was in a different league though. As respectable as she looked, she was clearly more open about her sexuality than the other ladies. She was frequently escorted to very public occasions by the "boy" in her life and she seemed to have absolutely no worries as to how that might be interpreted by others. My guess is that she must've also been known outside her household for her Sapphist gatherings as well (I would imagine her servants gossiped about it..). She probably didn't care what others thought of her because she was wealthy, independent (financially & otherwise) and didn't necessarily need anything from anybody to lead a comfortable life.. I am sure we'll discuss Diana to some length in the very near future..
Back to Nan - I think she knew how to blend in when the situation/circumstances called for it. You had to back then, I would imagine.
I don't know if she was more comfortable in men's clothes or not... what do you think? She certainly looked good dressed either way.. ;)
More on the discussion and on your last post soon, Amanda.. :)
But for now, here is a pic of Nan & baby Cyril..
(http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i285/Lucise/Movies/TippingTV/7c793f7d.jpg)
Her identity and past experiences disappear into those clothes don't they? She just becomes a girl carrying a little child on her hip. Love that.
Has anyone seen On The Waterfront 1954??
With many known actors in it, even Marlon Brando!!
Were they all known then??
What do you think of that movie??
Hugs!
...
What do you make of Flo's story about Cyril's mother (I think her name was Lillian)? That seems like such a huge, huge back-story. Does it sound to you like Lillian loved Flo in return? I can never really tell if we're supposed to believe Lillian and Flo had a true affair... or if their relationship was mostly just a really intense platonic friendship. Flo seemed so naive about things (in a certain way) that I really wonder about how she was perceiving that relationship with Lillian. Essentially, was it an unrequited-love situation for Flo?
Let’s turn to Ralph for a sec…
When he came into the living room that morning and found Nan and Flo lying together after their night out at the lesbian bar, he didn’t seem surprised or upset by it… he was a little embarrassed if anything. No doubt he was aware of her sexuality and was accustomed to the idea that his sister’s lover would be a woman. How wonderful it must’ve been for Flo to have such an open-minded and loving brother, especially at a time when it was so undoubtedly unacceptable to be queer. I love that he accepted her, despite what the neighbors might've said.
"Evenin' sweetheart.." Nan notices Flo for the first time..
Still overcoming her Kitty-blues and starting to get a sense of her "old self" back..
(http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i285/Lucise/Movies/TippingTV/292199b0.jpg)
So, on another topic relating to TTV... how do you feel about the representation of Kitty and Nan's first kiss... and the sort of explosive way that they reveal their feelings to each other in the carriage following the dinner/dancing out? Kitty gets so angry all of a sudden watching Nan dancing with the guy from the band. It's interesting that this was the moment that tipped the balance and made the situation clear to both Kitty and Nan.
I really enjoyed the way those crucial scenes were delivered in the movie. I think this is one instance where I almost prefer the movie version of their first kiss to the way it was originally written in the book. The movie also added the line Kitty says in the carriage: "I hate the way you make me feel..". Simple words that reveal her helplessness and the fact that she is falling for Nan. :)
Do you think that Walter Bliss suspected that they were lovers later on (before it all came out, that is)?
Even before that, at the dance, when Nan asked Kitty to dance, do you think he (or anyone for that matter) ever guessed that there was a romantic interest there? I guess people were not so easily shocked in 'artistic circles' but I am sure there must have been talk. :)
(By the way... what do you make of that plot line with Tony being bisexual... and Alice dumping him when she found out?)
Thinking about Walter makes me think a little bit about the mini-series of Fingersmith and another difficult prominent male character. What's you're take on "Gentleman" from Fingersmith? How much did he understand about Maud from the beginning? I think he figures out her specific attraction to Sue during the watercolor lessons... but, I often wonder if he knew about Maud almost from the first time he met her. I think he's completely stunned about Sue. And, I also wonder about what's meant to be implied between Gentleman and the "shoeshine" boy (the one that seems to have such a crush on Gentleman in a very naive way). Are we meant to believe that Gentleman is gay too? He never seems to indicate real sexual interest in the women for himself... even after the marriage he seems willing to leave Maud alone and proceed with the facade of the marriage very much like play-acting. His entire motivation through the whole thing really seems to be the money (and ego)... at least as far as I can see.
Here are two rather gorgeous pics of Nan and Kitty I found recently: :)
(http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i285/Lucise/Movies/TippingTV/8ba17bb1.jpg)
(http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i285/Lucise/Movies/TippingTV/51472b67.jpg)
And with Diana:
(http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i285/Lucise/Movies/TippingTV/27f4e25a.jpg)
Back to Tipping... ~
How about we drift off to Nan and Diana for a sec.
What did you make of Diana, of the 'arrangement' she had with Nan, or of her very open Sapphist lifestyle? :)
<img src="http://www.divshare.com/img/3859590-0bc.jpg" border="0" /> (http://www.divshare.com/download/3859590-0bc)
So, now I actually quite like that segment (even though it's not a positive segment, so to speak). I love the way Diana's portrayed and I think it's important in illustrating a certain kind of lesbian sexuality (seen in Diana's attitude) that's really all about lust... and not about true love or living happily ever after. It just makes lesbian culture seem very complex.
Going back to Flo for a sec... how do you feel about the ending of the TTV mini series? How do you think Nan's family will respond to Flo? I'm sure it would be rough going with Alice. And, I wonder if the revelation about Nan's sexuality will come as a complete shock to the rest of her family. Her parents and brother seem very sweet but seem to be portrayed as rather naive.
Howdy Amanda! :)
Wish I could find a larger version of this pic..
Do you have it?
Diana fascinates me – she is a woman of bountiful means, a Victorian too… her lesbian nature does not eradicate her classist arrogance. Her wealth and position play a vital role in the story. We know that she had many lovers she took in and discarded in the end; Nan was a good example. Diana is no different from other Victorians in her class (sapphist or not). I was not concerned that she shed a negative light on lesbian culture because at the end of the day, people are just people, whether they are gay or not. She definitely used her ample station/power to get what she wanted from the people around her, whether they were her lovers or her servants (not that there was any difference between those groups, in her case).
What I appreciate about Diana’s character is her audacity, her openness about her sexuality, her ability to simply live the life she wanted. Her story with Nan was not a love story, far from it, it was based on lust and skewed power dynamics. It was a story line that showed that there isn’t always a happy-ever-after in life’s relationships, whether they be queer or not.
Your turn, what do you think happened after the end we saw? :)
How do you feel about Kitty?
OK and now I have another question about Fingersmith (completely unrelated to the Kitty topic). How do you feel about the ending, when Maud becomes a writer of erotica herself? What do you make of that decision on her part? And Susan's pretty quick acceptance of the situation?
I was not surprised that Maud became a writer of erotica in the end.
She had just found out that she was “a nobody” as Gentleman put it; she had lived a lie most of her life, the money, the house she’d been kept prisoner in – they were not hers in the end. I don’t think she felt she had much more to offer anyone.
A statement Nan made comes to mind here – it is her feeling of being “too stained for love” (what with her relationship with Diana and her sexual exploits before that)… In a way, I see that statement applying to Maud as well; I see her thinking of herself along those same lines. She sees herself as a young woman who has been “inoculated with poison” from a very tender age and damaged irreparably by her uncle’s actions. Then Sue comes along; she falls in love with Sue and then betrays her, only to discover that she was being played as much as Sue was. Everything she knew to be true was gone, except the art (albeit objectionable and unusual) she had acquired from her uncle – the erotica. I recall the way she calmly asked Sue, "Have you come to kill me.." when Sue returned to Briar, as if she had been waiting and expecting such an outcome. At the end, I don't think she cared much about what became of her - everything was lost, including Sue (or so she thought).
With regards to Sue's acceptance of the issue...
By the time Sue finds Maud at Briar after everything has happened, I think she is ‘shocked-out’ i.e. there isn’t too much that can surprise her anymore, what with everything that transpired at the madhouse, with Gentleman, Maud and Mrs Sucksby. I think it was more important to her at that point to determine whether Maud knew who her (Sue’s) real mother/identity was from the very beginning… because Maud’s knowledge of such a fact would’ve taken things to a level of deceit so deep that it could’ve destroyed everything & sent her feelings for Maud crashing down completely. I don’t think that Sue was prepared to lose Maud again after the culmination of all the events that had transpired over the previous months.
I was just glad that they made their peace in the end and found that the love they felt for each other was still there. Besides, with Sue being the true heiress of Briar and all the money, there would be no need for Maud to keep writing erotica for a living (she could just write it for Sue ;) )…
What did you think about the ending? :)
Thought I'd post this rather beautiful picture of Kitty..
love the Victorian outfits! :)
(http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i285/Lucise/Movies/TippingTV/4259f6cd.jpg)
I just noted something...
Is it just me or is there something a little masculine about Kitty's sitting posture in this pic?
I am referring to the general legs apart, elbows resting on the knees pose... Makes me wonder if she sometimes found that her adopted masculinity for the stage bled into her day-to-day feminine side .. ;)
Still, as much as the relationship between Sue and Maud is folded into the wider story of Fingersmith... at the end I'm really ready to focus on how they'll make their relationship work. So, in a way it's frustrating that it ends there so abruptly.
How early do you think the relationship with Walter started? When Nan first meets Kitty, Walter's already in Kitty's dressing room. Kitty proudly says that she won't "do things to please the manager" in the way that many stage actresses would. But, in the end, by turning to Walter... is that what she ultimately is doing? And, really, how early did this affair begin?
And, my other question is... what do you imagine Kitty's upbringing to be like. We know she doesn't want to talk about it with Nan. Because she only wants to talk about "happy things." And, when Nan asks Kitty how she came up with the idea to dress as a boy on stage in the first place... Kitty gives a sort of general answer about it being fun to be bold, etc. But, really, how do we think Kitty got involved in that kind of act to begin with?
When I was going through the book again, looking for some of the details mentioned above, I came across a conversation between Nan and Kitty that I found very interesting. Nan and Kitty were in the change-room of a theatre when they met two women – a singer and her dresser, a couple that Nan thought was rather like she and Kitty”. After the singer’s show, she came back to the dressing room and invited Nan & Kitty to a party afterwards. Kitty declined and said that they had a prior engagement with their manager. She had lied. When Nan asked her why she had lied, she said that she ‘didn’t care for them’; to which Nan said:
“ Why not? They were nice. They were funny. They were – like us.”
Kitty stiffened at Nan’s words and grew quite agitated, saying –
“They’re not like us! They’re not like us at all. They’re toms.”
Their conversation after that was mainly – Nan trying to understand why Kitty thinks they are different from those women; Kitty growing grave and uncomfortable by the whole topic…
The day after they met the two women, when they returned to the theatre, Nan observed that Kitty tried to physically distance herself from the women in the change-room..
"Kitty chose a hook that was far from theirs.."
(Did she think that their “tomness” was contagious or something? )
Kitty’s reaction here reminds me of Ennis again. Her denial is deep, her fear is even deeper.
It all boils down to her own homophobia, self-hatred.
It says a lot that she couldn’t admit to her own lover that she was having a lesbian relationship or that she was a tom, even though she had admitted to having prior relationships with other women.
(http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i285/Lucise/Movies/TippingTV/e92c8b53.jpg)
I'm quite a Sarah Waters novice but...here I am! I just obtained Tipping the Velvet today and I'm looking forward to reading it, at the recommendation of friend Amanda!!
Who else is up for joining us on this read-a-thon?
Just in case anyone forgot... 8)
The Affinity release (on Amazon) is in 6 days!
Lee ~ Great to hear you are enjoying it so far! Looking forward to hearing your impressions later.I'll remember that by thinking of her as the narrator's Rhett!! Right now, I'm reading about the impending visit of Kitty to the familiy abode.
Btw... and the music hall singer is Kitty Butler. ;)
Yayy! :)
I think mine will be here by Monday. I hope!
Yay! Well, if all goes well, maybe we can schedule our coordinated viewing for Tuesday or Wednesday next week. It sounds like lots of fun! Do you want to be on BetterMost as we watch it and post our reactions during the viewing? Or, should we just plan to come onto BetterMost and discuss is right after we both finish watching?
(http://bestsmileys.com/excited/3.gif)
I just got an email from Amazon saying that my order has been shipped! ;D
I put Affinity in my movie renting queue! Wouldn't want to cause any hardships!!
On Tiipping the Velvet, things are getting more interesting now that Kitty and Nan are in London!
On Tiipping the Velvet, things are getting more interesting now that Kitty and Nan are in London!
(http://bestsmileys.com/excited/3.gif)
I just got an email from Amazon saying that my order has been shipped! ;D
Sorry to be a buttinsky, but please let me know how you like Affinity. I am a big fan of Sarah Waters, I loved the book and film of Tipping The Velvet and have Fingersmith on my list of books to read, having seen the miniseries on Logo. Thanks!
Juan
Sorry to be a buttinsky, but please let me know how you like Affinity. I am a big fan of Sarah Waters, I loved the book and film of Tipping The Velvet and have Fingersmith on my list of books to read, having seen the miniseries on Logo. Thanks!
Juan
But, Milli, I'm still waiting on my DVD too. I'll be sure to post here as soon as I get it.
This is reminding me of waiting for my BBM DVD to arrive from Amazon when it was first released. I remember that I pre-ordered it, and then I ended up waiting about a week or so after the release date to actually receive my copy. It was very frustrating at the time.
Excellent news, Amanda. ;)
Did you see I'm Not There in theatres? (I never got the chance..)
Hey Amanda,
I simply can't wait to see it now! :)
I was sorta depressed after reading the novel, but hopefully the blow will be softer this time around (then again, maybe not..).
Cant wait to get into the discussion of this film....
Thanks for reporting back with a positive review, Bud. =)
~M
Thanks Milli! And, for the record, I fully intend to watch Affinity again for our joint viewing once you receive your copy.
:)
It looks like I won't get my Affinity until I return The Prestige, and I'm not ready to return it cause I can't figure it out!!
Heya Milli! Any sign of your Affinity copy yet??
While I've been stomping my foot waiting for Affinity, I've been reading another wonderful period novel by Elana Dykewomon (Love her name.. 8)) called Beyond the Pale.
I typed out the summary (from the back of the book)..Here goes:
Set in the early 20th century, Beyond the Pale follows the lives of Chava and Gutke, two women born in a Russian-Jewish settlement who ultimately immigrate to New York's Lower East Side. This is an honest and passionate look into a specific past: a world of midwifery; Russian pogroms; the immigrant experience and the New York suffrage movement. It is an enduring tale of triumph, love and courage over inhumanity. But at its heart lies the most universal story if all: the devotion of one person to another.
I have not finished it yet and I must say it is really hard to put down. It has been a very fun/moving read so far and I can't seem to stop thinking about the world I experience when I pick up the book and dive right in.
Amanda - I think you will so love this book. Have you read it yet? I gravely encourage it. :P
There is so much to discuss in it too.
I think I may just hound you until you order the book and start reading! 8)
Hey Amanda,
Isn't Lonesome Dove like 900 pages or so??
My copy of Affinity has finally arrived!!! :)
I am watching Affinity tonight!! 8) Yay.
You are going to re-watch it, right Amanda?
Hey Amanda!
I am a minute or two away from my Affinity viewing.
I guess you are two hours ahead of me here.
When I am done, I'll come over here and see if you are around.
If not, we always have tomorrow to commence our chitchat. :)
~M
Ok.
Maybe even late tonight.
Let's see how it works out. :)
Gosh.
Where shall we begin this discussion.
I think tomorrow, my thoughts would've settled down a bit.
My heart still aches for Margaret. :'(
Shall we continue tomorrow? :)
There is much to discuss, I am sure.
Night.
~M
Hey Amanda, :)
I might be able to check back here on and off through the day, but I've been thinking of Affinity (of course) and thought to get the ball rolling.
I'll come back with my thoughts too...
What part/scene of the movie haunts you the most?
Also, I'm very curious about her thoughts at the very, very end when she's in Venice. The filmmakers make it seem like she's (mysteriously or psychiclly) responding emotionally to Margaret's suicide. But, her emotions may be tied to simpler notions of guilt, regret, etc.
So, what do you make of the relationship between Selina and Ruth Vigers? It's hard to really get a grasp on how the dynamics of their situation work... and how much genuine affection they have for one another.
And, certain elements of Selina's trickery with "Peter Quick" and the unsuspecting young women, really are pretty disturbing. : (
...
No worries. I'll read Beyond the Pale. :)
As Margaret immediately notes, it's very sad when she talks about her married life not being "so bad."
A little bit about Helen...
You are right. She is a likeable enough character... even though she is a source of pain for Margaret.
We know that they must've loved each other a lot when they were younger. But Helen 'grew up' and decided that it was time to live more 'conventionally'.
Remember when Kitty told Nan: "Can't you see? We couldn't carry on as we were.." before going off and marrying Walter Bliss... Same kind of deal here. Margaret was still very much in love in Helen. We can see that. It didn't help that Helen was married to her brother and was forever in her life, never allowing Margaret the space to completely move on.
How do you think Selina figured out that Margaret was a lesbian?
So, I have another question about Margaret... she seems to have a pretty good capacity for being "sneaky"... figuring out how to be left alone in the room with the prisoners' belongings... figuring out how to run back to Selina's cell for a quick final word towards the very end, etc. What do you think this says about her? It seems a bit like an anomaly compared to her overall image.
Speaking of surprise plot twists, I just encountered one in Tipping the Velvet. It's a good thing there was a bit of a spoiler about it here, because if I'd read it cold, it might have caused me to choke on my chardonnay!!
I also have a big overarching question about these 3 Waters' stories that have been turned into film versions... What common denominators do you see in Waters' themes/issues/plot devices and storytelling strategies do you see. To me one of the most obvious storytelling device that Waters uses in all three... and to varying degrees of subtlety... is the surprise plot twist that changes the reader/viewer's understanding of the entire situation. But, it seems like there are actually a lot of themes, etc. that run through all 3 of these stories.
Hey Amanda!
Interesting point about the common theme of crime in the three novels! :)
I guess the only gay characters in the three books who didn't resort to crime were:
* Flo, as you rightly pointed out.
* Diana, and for obvious reasons - she was a wealthy woman who wanted for nothing. I guess her 'crime' was the way she treated, used and discarded the lovers in her life... take Nan for example. Still, she had no reason to resort to criminal activity.
* Charlie, remember him? The boot/knife boy from Briar. He was most definitely in love with Gentleman. I guess his only 'crime' was naivete. :)
...
I'm fairly sure that laws pertaining to men and women might have been different in Victorian times (and at least country to country) when it comes to homosexuality. I think in some cases lesbianism was so "invisible" to the powers-that-be it actually slipped under the radar of certain laws that targeted men. But, a better sense of the laws pertaining to men would be interesting when it comes to a character like Gentleman.
At the very least, I think the theme of crime does serve to highlight the ideas of "outsider-status" and the idea of desperation that might come along with that kind of status. In TTV, I think the world of vaudeville theatre also serves to represent a "fringe" area of society or a subculture that had it's own rules outside of the mainstream.
I found the part about Nan's devastation upon discovering Kitty with their agent so distressing that I needed to take a little break. I have been in a similar situation before, and revisiting it was, to put it mildly, uncomfortable!!
I saw Affinity last night! It was well acted and highly entertaining! It reminded me a bit of The Prestige with much better diction. The two lead actresses were hauntingly beautiful with the meltingest eyes and lips. The scenery was lovingly shot, even making the shower of a prison look beautiful!! Who else has seen this...I'd love to discuss.
I just found out that my friend Offline Chuck is a bit of a Sarah Waters fan, so we are planning to have a mini-SW festival and watch Tipping the Velvet sometime this winter!
Something to look forward to! I'll let everyone know when the Sarah Waters mini-festival in Denver will take place.
I think I am going to watch Tipping again this week (before I have to lend my dvd out to a friend).
Have fun re-watching!!!
And, a big congrats goes out to Sally Hawkins for winning a Golden Globe tonight!!! What a huge upset in her category of best actress in a comedy film.
I know!
Big congrats indeed, to our very ownSusan TrinderSally Hawkins! 8)
(http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i285/Lucise/Celebres/sallyhawkins_1236783f.jpg)
The Little Stranger
by Sarah Waters
To be released on April 30, 2009.
(http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i285/Lucise/Misc/Books/sw2.jpg) (http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i285/Lucise/Misc/Books/sw1.jpg)
Review [amazon.com]
Waters (The Night Watch) reflects on the collapse of the British class system after WWII in a stunning haunted house tale whose ghosts are as horrifying as any in Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House. Doctor Faraday, a lonely bachelor, first visited Hundreds Hall, where his mother once worked as a parlor maid, at age 10 in 1919. When Faraday returns 30 years later to treat a servant, he becomes obsessed with Hundreds's elegant owner, Mrs. Ayres; her 24-year-old son, Roderick, an RAF airman wounded during the war who now oversees the family farm; and her slightly older daughter, Caroline, considered a “natural spinster” by the locals, for whom the doctor develops a particular fondness. Supernatural trouble kicks in after Caroline's mild-mannered black Lab, Gyp, attacks a visiting child. A damaging fire, a suicide and worse follow. Faraday, one of literature's more unreliable narrators, carries the reader swiftly along to the devastating conclusion.
— Publishers Weekly Starred review
I am looking forward to this new novel as well, Amanda.
SW definitely has an affinity for mysteries, no doubt. ;) So I'm anticipating this new novel (will pre-order it next week or so).
Like you suggested - maybe we can read it together and discuss in here. :)
~M
Hi Milli,
I like the idea of reading it together. :) I think I'll probably just run to a bookstore and buy it once it's released on the 30th. I'll keep you posted.
A,
The Little Stranger is already available on Amazon.com.
I'll have to wait another week or so before I can order it on amazon.ca. :)
Will let you know when I get my copy!
~M
:)
I'm planning on stopping by a few bookshops this weekend, so hopefully I'll be able to pick up a copy in the next day or so.
I'll wait to start reading it until you get your copy. I probably won't start reading it until after the NYC Brokie event next weekend.
Also, in other news... I watched Fingersmith again last night! :) Good times. The more I watch that movie the more I'm struck by what a clever story that is. I remember being genuinely surprised and totally caught off guard by the big twist in the middle when I read the book for the first time.
Like I said, I'll hold off on starting The Little Stranger until you get your copy... so we can begin at the same time.
It has finally arrived, Amanda! :)
Love the hardcover (wish my other SW novels were not paperback). Anyway...
When shall we begin?
Okay. Tonight is good.
So how do we set up this little book club of ours, bud?
Should we convene here after we have read a set number of chapters..
Or should we just leave whatever comments we might have?
I think it would be more fun to discuss chapters we have both covered...that's for sure.
Methinks we can 'get together' after chapter one and go from there.. :)
Thoughts?
~M
...
For this session, yeah, we can read the first chapter and give our initial impressions. :)
I'll post tomorrow about it for sure.
**report on Chapte 1**
Heya! So, I finished reading the first chapter of The Little Stranger last night. It's 36 pages and seems mainly to be about setting the scene and introducing a bunch of characters. So far the narrator/ protagonist is a man, which is certainly different for Waters. And, there's no hint of a lesbian subject yet. The writing is very strong, but I don't feel like I have a lot to react to yet... in terms of feeling attached to the characters or even yet having much of a sense of how the narrative will progress.
So, on to Chapter 2!
Oh. Well, somehow I forgot the detail that there's no lesbian plot or character. It's extremely disappointing to me, because that's why I read Sarah Waters. I thought part of her whole approach to writing was to re-insert lesbian characters, plots and points of view into otherwise conventional genres (where lesbian identity would be eliminated in conventional books). It also seems that Waters is turning her back on the core of her audience who really look to her as one high-quality writer who tackles lesbian topics in a serious way. To me it's the element that makes Waters as a writer special and different... as opposed to the sea of conventional books and authors out there.
Aside from all that, I'm finding this book to be very slow and so far I'm not finding myself very attached to any of the characters.
:-\
Oh. Well, somehow I forgot the detail that there's no lesbian plot or character. It's extremely disappointing to me, because that's why I read Sarah Waters. I thought part of her whole approach to writing was to re-insert lesbian characters, plots and points of view into otherwise conventional genres (where lesbian identity would be eliminated in conventional books). It also seems that Waters is turning her back on the core of her audience who really look to her as one high-quality writer who tackles lesbian topics in a serious way. To me it's the element that makes Waters as a writer special and different... as opposed to the sea of conventional books and authors out there.
Aside from all that, I'm finding this book to be very slow and so far I'm not finding myself very attached to any of the characters.
:-\
The book did remind me of THE TURN OF THE SCREW. Is it psychological or is there something sinister going on? After reading the book, I have my theories. Wish I had someone to discuss it with as I don't want to post any spoilers on this thread. ???
I just learned (via the Taking Woodstock thread in CT) that Imelda Staunton who played Mrs. Sucksby in Fingersmith is in the new Ang Lee movie!
Neat!