Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian is exasperatingly long. A month for all the 700 plus pages of a cross between The Da Vinci Code and some other vampire novel, because frankly I can't remember reading a vampire novel. Yes, even Bram Stoker's Dracula or any Anne Rice even. When vampires are brought to discussion, there's always this pervasive image of a young Kirsten Dunst pronouncing her bloodthirst ("I want some more") and her slashing of poor Lestat's throat.
The Historian has its own twists and that surge brought by the familiar search for something larger-than-life, like Dan Brown's infamous novel, but it feels more scholarly, maybe because of Kostova's background at Yale or something - even the two lead characters are academicians. You feel like reading a lengthy research paper on Vlad Dracula, who by the way, is a real medieval ruler famous for impaling people. The book is not gory though despite the notoriety of its subject matter focusing more on the search which can become tiresome at parts. The characters globe-trot to ancient European cities and Istanbul, an ingredient which could likely make film producers consider adapting it into the big screen.
Speaking of adaptations, David Fincher's visually dazzling The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, would likely go down as one of the memorable last year. I like it that this is unlike anything he's done before though it matched Zodiac's length of almost three hours. The story of course you know is based from an F. Scott Fitzgerald short story, but actually, borrowing more of its premise than what actually happens in the story. I've been looking for Richard Yates' 1950s novel Revolutionary Road now that I saw Sam Mendes' version. So if anybody of you have it, I really need to read it.
Last weekend, the 20-peso booksale was back in one of the malls here. I saw Stanislaw Lem's science-fiction novel Solaris, the basis of both films of the same title by Andrei Tarkovsky and Steven Soderbergh. I saw the Russian film by Tarkovsky but not yet Soderbergh's. Also, there was Gordon (?) Williams' The Siege of Trenchers Farm which was made into a great film by Sam Peckinpah called Straw Dogs and starred a young Dustin Hoffman.
The Historian has its own twists and that surge brought by the familiar search for something larger-than-life, like Dan Brown's infamous novel, but it feels more scholarly, maybe because of Kostova's background at Yale or something - even the two lead characters are academicians. You feel like reading a lengthy research paper on Vlad Dracula, who by the way, is a real medieval ruler famous for impaling people. The book is not gory though despite the notoriety of its subject matter focusing more on the search which can become tiresome at parts. The characters globe-trot to ancient European cities and Istanbul, an ingredient which could likely make film producers consider adapting it into the big screen.
Speaking of adaptations, David Fincher's visually dazzling The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, would likely go down as one of the memorable last year. I like it that this is unlike anything he's done before though it matched Zodiac's length of almost three hours. The story of course you know is based from an F. Scott Fitzgerald short story, but actually, borrowing more of its premise than what actually happens in the story. I've been looking for Richard Yates' 1950s novel Revolutionary Road now that I saw Sam Mendes' version. So if anybody of you have it, I really need to read it.
Last weekend, the 20-peso booksale was back in one of the malls here. I saw Stanislaw Lem's science-fiction novel Solaris, the basis of both films of the same title by Andrei Tarkovsky and Steven Soderbergh. I saw the Russian film by Tarkovsky but not yet Soderbergh's. Also, there was Gordon (?) Williams' The Siege of Trenchers Farm which was made into a great film by Sam Peckinpah called Straw Dogs and starred a young Dustin Hoffman.
1 comment:
Benjamin Button and Revolutionary Road are my faves this year. The former for being grand, the latter for dicaprio and winslet's performances. :-)
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