This is a novel that I believe can be particularly appreciated only by those who are writers and aspire to become (or are) novelists, preferably successful ones, or by those who are fascinated by the author’s craft.
The story is about writing and authors with their extraordinary lives. And in all of this, we find the theft of Fitzgerald’s original manuscripts and the way in which an author who has published only one novel and hasn’t really written for years, due to financial constraints, becomes a spy in a circle of friends that includes some fellow authors and other insiders to unmask the person who is keeping the stolen goods.
The funniest part of the story is precisely the romantic characterisation of this world, which bears only a minimal connection to the everyday reality of the vast majority of authors, who cannot afford to say, as the protagonist does, that they don’t want to do another job, but would rather write another book, as if this represented the certainty of obtaining a financial return from which to support themselves.
I read it with pleasure, but given the way it is narrated, stingy with pathos, I don’t know to what extent it could be appreciated by a generic reader who cares little about how books are written and how a professional (or aspiring) author lives or would like to live their life.
*****
Entertaining alternative sequel to a classic of Gothic literature
This novel
can be considered in all respects a fan fiction of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”.
It starts
from the premise that the end of the story of “Dracula” is different (Dracula
prevails over Van Helsing) and from there creates a sequel in which vampires
live alongside the “warm” in 1888.
Yes, I know
that, being a classic, these types of novels are defined as retellings and not
fan fiction, but using a different name doesn’t change the substance.
That said,
this is undoubtedly an excellent piece of fan fiction that anyone familiar with
the story of Dracula (i.e., those who have read Stoker’s book) and a bit of all
Gothic and non-Gothic literature from that period, as well as the history of
the Victorian era, can only appreciate.
In fact, it
is not only the famous vampire that is involved, but in “Anno Dracula” numerous
characters from other famous works appear (both written and cinematic inspired
by the latter), as well as several historical figures.
By the way,
the edition I read (the Italian one) has a helpful list at the end of the book
to check once you’ve finished reading to see if you recognised them all!
I found the
story itself entertaining. Perhaps a little too slow for much of the book, but
with a truly delightful acceleration at the end.
The ending
is open and therefore leaves room for the sequels that were written later (it’s
a novel from 1992). At the same time, it doesn’t make them absolutely necessary,
as it closes the narrative arc in a satisfying manner.
I’d prefer
not to add anything further as I believe the most enjoyable part is discovering
the events as they unfold and, in the meantime, soaking up the atmosphere.
Being a
horror novel, there are some rather gruesome passages, but it is up to each
reader’s imagination to interpret them in the way they prefer, lingering or not
on the details.
Kim Newman
(who, despite the name, is a man) has certainly created a compelling world,
giving it his own clear stamp, but one that fits in very well with that created
by Stoker and the other authors of the Gothic genre.
I bought
this book way back in 2011 for a few euros on Amazon. And it was sitting there
on my shelf, maturing for all these years.
I can say
that I’m happy I waited.
In a time
when it seems to me that books coming out are more or less all the same based
on a well-defined structure dictated by the genre, this work, almost
experimental at the time, is a breath of fresh air for my thirst for blood…
ahem… good stories!
One of the series I belatedly caught up on is “Mr. Robot” (2015–2019).
I watched all four seasons back-to-back, and it was a truly emotional journey.
The main character is a hacker, Elliot Alderson, played by the very talented Rami Malek, who wants to destroy the “System” and rebuild it from scratch.
It may seem trivial when put like this, but in reality this series offers an extreme representation of the current world that is scary, precisely because we realise how much we really could be moving in that direction, and perhaps we already are.
This “System” is initially represented by E-Corp (renamed by the protagonist Evil Corp, which in reality corresponds to large corporations like Amazon or Google, but which in the story is so deeply embedded in every area of people’s lives (hardware, software, banking, electronic money … everything is managed or sold by this company) that it leaves no room for anything else. Added to this is the Dark Army, a group of “bad” hackers led by a certain Whiterose, but who in fact depend on another financial group that controls the entire world, E-Corp included.
Fighting against all this is our Elliot and his Fsociety.
The protagonist moves in this context, speaking directly to us (Hello, friend…), as if we were a silent presence in his head. And his head is a real mess!
Yes, because Elliot is an unreliable narrator. He suffers from split personality on such a profound level that he cannot remember much of his life and occasionally one of his mental alter egos takes control of him. What we see is what Elliot thinks he sees, not what actually happens.
And so, throughout the series, all these aspects of him are brought to light, leading to unexpected twists that completely change the perspective from which we observe the story.
All this is possible thanks to the masterful interpretation of Rami Malek, supported by an excellent Christian Slater, in the role of Mr. Robot, and by an exceptional DB Wong, who creates two versions of the same character in an absolutely credible way.
I quite enjoyed the first season, but I admit that the second season almost felt like it was dragging on at times. It suffers from having a transitional role. Things improve when the real events start to become clearer, compared to those imagined by Elliot, and this happens even more so in the third. But the fourth is really beautiful!
Apparently, the series’ creator, Sam Esmail, planned it from start to finish and decided to end it after the fourth season, not because he was forced to do so by an imminent cancellation, but because it had reached its conclusion.
This is noticeable in the way that clues to the revelations in the latest episodes are scattered throughout all the seasons. But maybe I should watch it again from the beginning to catch them all.
In the fourth season all the threads of the story are closed with a succession of events that flow at full speed and with a really high number of people killed.
I think the best part is the central one, where Elliot finally discovers something important about his past and at the same time carries out the final blow to the “System”.
The latest episodes, however, shed light on the final mystery of Elliot’s multiple personalities. Maybe they’re a bit weaker than the previous ones, but they close the circle perfectly.
Personally, I had grown so fond of that version of Elliot that I was a little sad about the final reveal (I can’t say what, because it would be a spoiler).
But there is a curiosity that I carry with me and that I fear will never be satisfied.
What exactly was Whiterose’s “machine”?
If you haven’t watched “Mr. Robot”, I recommend doing so in a relatively short space of time, so that you have every aspect of the story fresh in your mind and can piece together the threads of the plot without getting lost.
Roman history seen from the eyes of two
legionaries
Some time
ago, I watched an old series on Sky, “Rome”,
which includes two seasons and was broadcast between 2005 and 2007. It’s an
HBO/BBC production and was filmed in Cinecittà .
The series tells the story of the last part of
the Republican period, from the rise of Julius Caesar to that of Octavian. The well-known historical events,
all too often shown in films, TV series and novels, are intertwined with the totally invented ones of two Roman legionaries.
We know
well what happened to Caesar, Mark Antony, Cleopatra, and Octavian. You don’t
watch this series to learn history (also because it’s heavily fictionalised),
but to have fun imagining it as closely connected to the lives of Titus Pullo and Lucius Vorenus.
In reality,
the two soldiers did exist, but the little that is known about them makes it
unlikely that their fates followed those of the above-mentioned historical
figures. This gave the writers the freedom to imagine them very close to Caesar, Mark Antony, and Octavian, so much
so that they were always present at their side in the most important historical
moments.
I won’t go
into details, as it’s fun to discover them while watching.
Moreover,
the screenwriters repeatedly bent the
real facts to make the plot more suitable and interesting for the viewers.
And I’d say they succeeded. Even though I already knew how it would end, I
remained glued to the screen the whole
time, also thanks to the way in which the
plot mixes dramatic elements with others that are much lighter and more ironic
(in particular those linked to the character of Titus Pullo).
I also
really appreciated the scenography and
costumes. Some reconstructions, such as Caesar’s triumph, are wonderful.
I also
really liked the way the politics of the
time are shown and how its protagonists exploit elements of news
dissemination (such as graffiti on the walls and announcements in the forum) to
their advantage.
All in all,
there is not much difference between the mechanisms of then and those of today
from a conceptual point of view. Of course, what is different is that political enemies were simply killed.
Nowadays, in most civilised countries, there is a tendency to use somewhat less
direct methods (usually!).
Overall, I
really enjoyed this series and I
recommend it.
By the way,
the end of the series partially overlaps, from a historical point of view, with
the beginning of “Domina” (Sky
Original series).
I think
it’s interesting to see how the same characters, specifically Octavian and Livia,
are represented in a completely
different way in the two series, precisely because the objective of the
narration is different.
This is a
list of articles, interviews, and reviews related to my crime thriller series,
the Detective Eric Shaw Trilogy. New
articles are added on the top. Check them
out!
“Mare of
Easttown” is available on Sky/Now, Prime or HBO (depending on where you
live), starring Kate Winslet as Detective Marianne “Mare” Sheehan. It’s
a miniseries of seven episodes of about an hour each.
I’ll say
right away that I really liked it!
The story
seems like something I’ve heard before. In a small town where everyone knows
everyone, so much so that when they have a problem, even the most trivial, they
call Detective Sheehan (known as Mare) directly, instead of the police station,
a girl has been missing for over a year and now another one is found dead in
the woods. Mare
investigates and does it her own way, not always respecting the rules. Is there
perhaps a connection? Could a serial killer be involved?
This is
what you would expect from a classic detective story set in a quiet American
town where a crime is committed that shocks everyone.
But
“Mare of Easttown” doesn’t fall into this category of TV series. This miniseries tells the story
of a woman who has suffered a tragedy and tries to survive by dedicating
herself to her work in the police force and therefore to community service. But
it also tells the complex stories involving various residents of Easttown, which
are intertwined with each other and with the crimes that Mare is investigating.
But no. It’s
an original miniseries made for TV, which is impeccably written and which
develops without any forcing, without excessive use of coincidences and
shortcuts. It is so well written that it could be a true story, banally
tragic as only reality can be, but told with the perfect timing that only
fiction is capable of creating.
Each
episode is intriguing and ends with a new element or an unexpected twist that
leaves the viewer hanging. The real murderer is only revealed at the end, after
many suspects have been identified, and it’s the solution that makes the most
sense to explain the crime, but it’s also the one that’s the hardest to think
about, especially when you think you’re watching a simple crime series instead
of what it actually is: a drama.
In all of
this, Kate Winslet’s talent shines through, whose presence alone is a
guarantee of quality and who, supported by an excellent cast, makes the whole
staging credible and allows you to share the fears and pains of Mare, a
character who, thanks to her intuition and her fallible humanity, cannot fail
to fascinate and involve you.
In short,
it’s a miniseries that absolutely deserves to be watched!
This is a
list of articles, interviews, and reviews related to my action thriller
“Kindred Intentions”. New
articles are added on the top. Check them
out!
This is a
list of articles, interviews, and reviews related to my science fiction series
“Red Desert”. New
articles are added on the top. Check them
out!
All I know Is everything is not as it's sold but the more I grow the less I know And I have so many lives Though I'm not old And the more I see, the less I grow The fewer the seeds the more I sow
Then I see you standing there Wanting more from me And all I can do is try Then I see you standing there Wanting more from me And all I can do is try Try
I wish I hadn't seen all of the realness And all the real people are really not real at all The more I learn (the more I learn) the more I cry (the more I cry) As I say goodbye to the way of life I thought I had designed for me
Then I see you standing there Wanting more from me And all I can do is try Then I see you standing there I'm all I'll ever be But all I can do is try Try Try
All of the moments that already passed We'll try to go back and make them last All of the things we want each other to be We never will be, we never will be And that's wonderful, and that's life And that's you, baby This is me, baby And we are, we are, we are, we are, we are, we are Free In our love We are free in our love Try
Here,
if you like, you can read my review of the novel. I can say
that it’s without a doubt my favourite novel by Hornby or, more
precisely, the one I enjoyed from start to finish. In general, I really like
Hornby’s books, but I tend to find the endings disappointing.
However,
there is a fundamental difference between the book and the miniseries: the former
seems like a true story, while the latter is clearly fiction. The
strength of the novel was precisely the decision to write it as if it were a fictionalised
account of the story of Barbara Parker/Sophie Straw, complete with photos
scattered throughout the text. So, when tackling the series (of which Hornby is
one of the producers), they had to necessarily emphasise other aspects. They
tried to bring the same sense of authenticity into it, using clips from
time to time that looked like archive footage, but it was clear from the start
that this was a made-up story.
In my
opinion, the miniseries has two strong points. One is
the way in which the story has been broken down into six episodes, always choosing the perfect point
to insert the interruption, the one that makes you want to continue with the
next episode, but at the same time you are satisfied enough to stop if you
can’t stay in front of the TV. The
second is undoubtedly the skill of the interpreters. A very blonde (peroxide blonde) Gemma
Arterton is perfect in the role of Barbara/Sophie. She is exactly how I
imagined her, and she proved to be excellent in her interpretation of the former
Blackpool beauty queen who arrives in London in 1964 to seek her fortune.
Inexperienced at first and considered unintelligent because of her appearance,
she soon finds a way to assert herself with a little luck and cunning.
But the
other actors were also perfectly suited to the role and spirit of the
miniseries. Special
mention goes to Rupert Everett as Sophie Straw’s Agent (and the inventor
of her name), who, despite being made even uglier and older by the make-up,
remains a great actor.
I watched
it in English, so I don’t know how they managed to adapt it, but at least in
the original version the dialogue is sparkling, with lots of hilarious double
entendres, but at the same time very British.
In short,
if you want to enjoy something light-hearted and that will leave you in a
good mood, watch “Funny Woman”!
A second season of this series was also
produced, consisting of only four
episodes, which I suppose continues the story of the protagonist beyond
what is narrated in the book, but it has not yet been broadcast in Italy, so I
have yet to watch it.
**** A novel for writers
