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A review by jmiae
The Clothes They Stood Up in and the Lady and the Van by Alan Bennett
4.0
Three stars for The Clothes They Stood Up In, and five stars for the The Lady in the Van.
It's interesting how Bennett's fiction differs so greatly from his more essayist/memoirist style in the latter story. I suppose my preference shows in my rating.
Because I watched the 2015 film adaptation of The Lady in the Van, I couldn't help but impose my recollection of the film's cinematography and characters onto my reading of both stories. The Ransomes were, in my mind, embodied by the snooty couple that lived in the house across from Bennett's in the film. And perhaps The Lady in the Van read so much more richly because the film had stayed so close to it.
The story of the Ransomes felt a bit cartoonish, though quite fun to read with lots of quirky moments and funny supporting characters. It helps to remember the weight of the story falls less on the robbery than on the effect it has on Mrs Ransome's outlook on her life and marriage.
The Lady in the Van grabbed my by the heart and felt so very up-close and personal - perhaps because it's nonfiction, but also again perhaps because I saw the film and Maggie Smith and Alex Jennings are just so damn good in it and their portrayals guided my reading. In any case, I loved how Bennett writes so frankly of his own character in respect to Miss Shepherd, and how sharp his writing is. Miss Shepherd herself is so utterly wonderful, though I cannot truthfully answer that I would have been able to do what Bennett did for her.
I've now read three works by Alan Bennett this year and it's only the start of April. As much as I enjoyed The Uncommon Reader and The Clothes They Stood Up In, I'm now convinced that what I'm really after is Bennett's essays and, if possible, his diaries.
Happily, I've just discovered he's written at least three 600+ page volumes of essays: Writing Home, Untold Stories, and Keeping On, Keeping On. Thanks, Goodreads.
It's interesting how Bennett's fiction differs so greatly from his more essayist/memoirist style in the latter story. I suppose my preference shows in my rating.
Because I watched the 2015 film adaptation of The Lady in the Van, I couldn't help but impose my recollection of the film's cinematography and characters onto my reading of both stories. The Ransomes were, in my mind, embodied by the snooty couple that lived in the house across from Bennett's in the film. And perhaps The Lady in the Van read so much more richly because the film had stayed so close to it.
The story of the Ransomes felt a bit cartoonish, though quite fun to read with lots of quirky moments and funny supporting characters. It helps to remember the weight of the story falls less on the robbery than on the effect it has on Mrs Ransome's outlook on her life and marriage.
The Lady in the Van grabbed my by the heart and felt so very up-close and personal - perhaps because it's nonfiction, but also again perhaps because I saw the film and Maggie Smith and Alex Jennings are just so damn good in it and their portrayals guided my reading. In any case, I loved how Bennett writes so frankly of his own character in respect to Miss Shepherd, and how sharp his writing is. Miss Shepherd herself is so utterly wonderful, though I cannot truthfully answer that I would have been able to do what Bennett did for her.
I've now read three works by Alan Bennett this year and it's only the start of April. As much as I enjoyed The Uncommon Reader and The Clothes They Stood Up In, I'm now convinced that what I'm really after is Bennett's essays and, if possible, his diaries.
Happily, I've just discovered he's written at least three 600+ page volumes of essays: Writing Home, Untold Stories, and Keeping On, Keeping On. Thanks, Goodreads.