Atonement
So when I started this blog, I told myself I wasn't going to go on and on about whatever book I'm reading at the moment. But I just finished "Atonement," by Ian McEwan, and I have to write about how amazing it was.
Actually, the book fits perfectly into a discussion about reading. I'm not going to give away the ending, but suffice it to say the book ends up being about an author who plays with reality, making the reader question everything she has just read. It really makes you think about the creative process and the nature of literature. You should all go read it.
I have to admit, I saw the movie version before I read the book. (In fact, I drove straight from the theater to the bookstore to buy a copy. I know, I have issues.) I wish I had read the book first, but that isn't because the movie did it a disservice. On the contrary, I thought the movie adaptation was exceptionally well done. See, the first three sections of the book are all about imagery. That's because the main character, like McEwan himself I would imagine, is a writer trying to develop her powers of evoking images and settings. This translates particularly well to the screen.
The only part that isn't fully adapted on the screen is the last 20 pages. That's the part that deals with the nature of literature, and because it's about the power of words and writing, it's much more powerful in the book than in the movie.
So in conclusion, read the book and see the movie. My husband, who works at Best Buy and is therefore a whole other kind of geek, wants me to remind you that the movie version comes out Tuesday. Enjoy.
Mar 20, 2008 at 6:29 a.m.
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Thanks for the info. on the book, as soon as I am done with the big fundraiser I am working on that will be the one I will get to recover!!!! The Coffee house blog was nice, it bought back memories of what life was like before I had 3 kids:0) I have taken Max to the Starbucks downtown and had coffee (he had hot chocolate) and carrot cake. That was fun in a different way:0) I love looking at all of your articles and blogs.
Mar 13, 2008 at 7:31 p.m.
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Yes, the movie comes out Tuesday, along with 'Enchantment,' another lovely movie that includes differing realities. Of course, it's "real" reality and a Disney reality, but it's still a fun little movie.
Just some other good books that deal with the creative process and the nature of reality (or, the ones I've read, as there's a zillion out there):
1. The Dark Tower by Stephen King
The series of seven (and also other King novels and now comic novels) is about the last gunslinger in a destroyed world fighting to reach the Tower, King's nexus of reality. It connects other King novels (such as "The Stand), but also "our" reality, as King himself enters the series. If you're a King fan, you must read this series, as I do it no justice here.
2. Animal Man by Grant Morrison
To be exact, this is #1-26 of the 1988 series Animal Man from DC Comics. It starts out like any other superhero story, but eventually turns down a weird road. Buddy Baker (Animal Man) eventually learns that he's not exactly a real person, but a fictional character, as is his entire world. Read the 3 volume collection to check it out.
3. The Man In The High Castle by Philip K. Dick
Remember World War II? Where Germany and Japan won and divided the US? No? Well the characters in this book do, but they have a book there that tells the unbelievable story of a world where the US won. But is their world real, or is the world of the book? What about OUR world? Are we just a book somewhere? Yeah, I just blew your mind.
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