English
Where the writers were.
A celebration and guide to all the places that great writers have been.
Tolkien
started by gotiges7 ( 9 July 2008)
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17 July 2008
Alice in Wonderland is a prime example. Alice Liddle being the leading character. The Red Queen etc, I believe, are political figures of the day.
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17 July 2008
Going back to Places..we have Morse’s Oxford and the detective set in Edinburgh (forget the authors name). I know they are not classics but the places are very real.
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17 July 2008
I have recently been rereading my fave books from when I was a child - I used to live in the library as a kid - about 6 books a week. I am currently reading 'A sound of chariots’ by Molly Hunter. Not a well known book but its weirdly reassuring reading books from the past. You see so much more in it as an adult too.
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17 July 2008
I didn’t know that about 'alice’, makes good sense now you have said it though.
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17 July 2008
Has anyone read 'Falling Leaves’ by Adeline Yen Mah?
I would really like to get to see Hong Kong - mostly from reading this book.
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17 July 2008
I havn’t read it, is it good? I’ve only been to Hong Kong airport.
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17 July 2008
Do you remember the Book (And the Film) The Beach? Had Leaonardo Di Caprio in it.
I thought about this all the time when I was in Thailand recently.
It’s a book with flaws but is very entertaining. Tries to be a bit deeper than it really is.
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17 July 2008
Last summer I travelled around Eastern eruope on my old BMW motorcyle with a male friend of mine on the back. Everywhere we stopped people said “Have you read (or seen) Motorcycle Diaries?”
I like to think that I was the Che Gavara character..
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17 July 2008
'Falling leaves’ I really enjoyed its a bit soppy in bits but basically about a young girl who’s mother dies and her dad remarries. She is then alienated from the family and made to eat seperately, go to school seperately etc,. whilst the 'new’ family - the step mums children are spoilt rotten. I guess its a bit like a more gritty modernday take on cinderella - but not quite so romantic. Very philosophical and alot of historical/political content intertwined. Its a true story.
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17 July 2008
I have seen the film of 'The beach’ and was not so keen to be honest. Never did get to read the book. I got that same vibe with the film tho - it was always trying to be a bit too deep and 'art house’ when really it was just typical De Caprio hollywood entertainment. I always think that you cant take the book seriously if you have seen the film first?
I tell you what was quite a good book weirdly was 'running man’ - from the film of Arnie fame. That was really dark and sinister I found - much more so than the film ever manages to be. Another example of how most writers are prone to making the future a 'bad place’?
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17 July 2008
Running man - yeh - that was one of the Bachman Books, when Steven King started writing under a different name. Wasn’t the story called “The Long Walk”? He might have gone back and written another one. I loved all his stuff from the Bachman Books.
I also read recently in The New York Review of Books, (I’m not nerdy enough to read this regularly - a friend had it) that Steven King is starting to be regarded as a great modern writer.
I’ve really enjoyed his stuff over the years - although I get frustrated with his endings. Some of the film adaptions are amazing too. The Shining is one of Jack Nicholsan’s finest peformances.
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17 July 2008
Yes I agree. I am not normally into that kind of book - but when I was ill once all I had available was Stephen King and I did thoroughly enjoy. Its easy to read and he does have interesting ideas. I know what you mean about the endings though. They are one of the very few genre that actually adapt very well to film - but I think he started after a while to bear that in mind whilst writing them as he knows they will be made into film - if that makes sense?
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17 July 2008
The ending to the Running Man bore no resemblance to the book!
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17 July 2008
Yes - the book was much better I thought?
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17 July 2008
Hollywood doesn’t like killing the heroes.
I reccomend his short story “The long walk” Also in the Bachman books, very similar to The running man.
