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Film & BooksIssue: Scorpio 07

On Chesil Beach

If only Florence and Edward could communicate. McEwan’s characters deny themselves the intimacy they desperately desire because they loathe the idea of embarrassment. The possibilities of their love are governed by their fears of offending each other. McEwan describes Florence’s playing the violin as

sinuous and exact, and she was known for the richness of her tone. 

ianmcewanceamonmccabesmall_150_01Ian McEwan, Photo Eamon McCabeIn essence McEwan is also describing his own writing. The undulations in tone and the curves in plot make this a delicious story, a beautiful orchestrated symphony. In the end the reader is somewhat pleased to be left with a faith in love and patience. 

Upon conclusion of this novel McEwan wrote a follow-up stating that:

The characters in this novel are inventions and bear no resemblance to people living are dead. 

While this statement should be received as truth, it is interesting to note that McEwan’s themes, like so many good authors, are driven by his own life lessons. During an interview with Liliane Louvel, Gilles Menegaldo and Anne-Laure Fortin at the University de Poitiers in 1994, which is thirteen years prior to the publication of On Chesil Beach, McEwan shared an anecdote about his relationship with his father as compared to his relationship with his son. McEwan explained that:

He [his father] was a loving man who did not have the means to express his love. I remember once when he came to stay in my house and my seven-year-old son climbed on my lap while we were talking and put his arms around my neck. I hardly noticed; one of the joys of having children is that you simply inhabit this terrain of love. We went on with the conversation. And then my father pointed at little Gregory and said, ‘That’s amazing, that would never have happened between us. You were too frightened of me.’ And I nodded, rather sadly. 

The themes reflected here are aptly applied to the lives of Florence Ponting and Edward Mayhew. The description of Florence and Edward’s life after that wedding night felt hurried, but I respect the fervency with which McEwan ended their story. It is sad to live in a constant state of being too frightened to not only feel but also express such love. McEwan knows this, so he does not ask us to endure the anguish any longer than necessary. He simply makes his point, which is why his literary prowess will resonate with readers time and time again. dots

 

by Kendra RickerbyScorpio

Film & Books Archives (total entries: 29)

Capricorn 08 - The Career Issue

Dispatches from the Edge

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Sagittarius 08 & Honest Self Expression

Rachel Getting Married

Like real life-families who have a member struggling with drug or alcohol addiction, the focus of “Rachel Getting Married” isn’t on Rachel, even though it should be. It is on her narcissistic sister, Kym, who is out of rehab for the weekend to attend Rachel’s wedding.

Scorpio 08 - The Money Issue

Review of “The Good Society: The Humane Agenda” by John Kenneth Galbraith

At a time when our nation’s security is in question and our economy is in shambles “The Good Society: The Humane Agenda” by John Kenneth Galbraith has much to teach the abiding liberal as well as the dutiful conservative.

Libra 08

How We Choose to Be Happy

Honestly, I have never been one for self-help books, but what I liked most about "How We Choose to Be Happy" is that it celebrates the wisdom of a variety of literary greats balanced by the stories of ordinary people.


Leo 08

The Great Man

This book won the 2008 PEN/Faulkner Award for fiction for good reason. I started the “The Great Man” on Saturday morning and had to finish it by lunch the next day. When it started to rain I traded my lawn chair for the couch and kept on reading. This novel is fabulously funny, mischievous, and easy to read.

cancer 08

Son of Rambow

A quirky look at boyhood and film-making in the 1980s, “Son of Rambow” is a welcome diversion from the current deluge of blockbuster remakes and super hero epics in theaters this summer. Written and directed by Garth Jennings and produced by Nick Goldsmith, I like the way this film spins a standard, winning movie formula at a slightly awkward angle.

Gemini 08

The Maytrees

Although “The Maytrees” by Annie Dillard is marketed as a novel, it reads from beginning to end as a poem. Like body surfing, the poetry will move emotions in directions that the mind may not understand. When this wave brought me to shore, I needed air and I wasn’t quite certain where I had been or where I had landed, but I was, in the truest sense of the word, in awe of the experience I just had.

Taurus 08

The Best Films of 2007

April and May are notoriously bad months to go to the movies. The Academy Award hopefuls of 2008 won't be released until the fall, and the summer blockbusters won't be out for a few months. So what is a film reviewer to do when all the movies in the theaters are lame? This reviewer is going to suggest that you catch up on the best movies of 2007!

Aries 08

Three Cups of Tea

After an unsuccessful attempt to climb K2, Greg Mortenson stumbled into the village of Korphe in Pakistan’s Karakoram Himalaya region. The generosity and hospitality of the Korphe villagers inspired Mortenson to establish the Central Asia Institute (CAI). Since the establishment of CAI ten years ago, the organization has built 55 schools serving Pakistan and Afghanistan’s poorest children, especially girls.

Pisces 08

Persepolis

Based on Marjane Satrapi's books, the film “Persepolis” tells the poignant story of a young girl coming of age in Iran in the midst of revolution and war.