Having been lent the DVD of Salmon Fishing to watch whilst convalescing [review here] it was very thoughtful of Lesley [who blogs at Calmly Creative] to lend me her copy of the book.
I got a bit sidetracked- and have only just managed to read it [and return it] but I did feel it deserved a proper review.
I know that books which are a collection of letters are called ‘epistolary’ – but this one is all sorts of documents.
Does that make it ‘documentary’ – or is it still ‘epistolary’? [No doubt Liz or someone will be glad to put me right here!]
Major differences
The film is sweet, and feelgood, and [if I remember correctly] happens in chronological order. The book does not hide the less pleasant side of life, and the documents are sometimes out of sequence.
The film has the two romantic leads- DrJones and Harriet, of a similar age – in the book, there is clearly a greater age difference. The PM’s spokesman in the film is played [brilliantly] by Kristin Scott Thomas- but in the book, this character is a bloke.
The film ends with a hopeful nod to ‘happy-ever-after’ – the book is much more open-ended, and leaves you with more unanswered questions [but I didn’t feel that was a bad thing]
Conclusion
I really enjoyed the book – but I am glad I saw the film first. Had it been the other way round, I might have felt frustrated at the changes [even though they were, in many cases, quite reasonable in order to make the film understandable] The book says a lot more about belief and faith, and the thought processes of the people involved. I would certainly recommend it.
Thank you Lesley for lending it to me - definitely *****
I loved the book, and didn't see the movie. You make me want to re-read...
ReplyDeleteYour parcel has arrived - thank you! I am so pleased that you enjoyed the book. I liked it too, although I personally found the ending a little dissatisfying. I like nice happy endings! Lesley x
ReplyDelete