”'Its stylishness, and this low-voiced lack of emphasis are a pleasure throughout, its moral and human positions invariably sympathetic. ”'Wise and ironic, funny and humane, Fitzgerald is a wonderful, wonderful writer.” - David Nicholls Then, after a mile or so, someone throws the steering-wheel out of the window.” - Sebastian Faulks

Everything is of top quality - the engine, the coachwork and the interior all fill you with confidence. Playing: Starts Aug.”'Reading a Penelope Fitzgerald novel is like being taken for a ride in a peculiar kind of car. Rated: PG, for some thematic elements, language, and brief smoking Ultimately, despite its flaws, the film possesses such a clear passion and advocacy for writing, knowledge and personal expression that it emerges as a largely worthy and poignant accomplishment, especially given the vanishing state these days of that beloved institution known as the bookshop. That it’s delivered with such finesse by the great Julie Christie (who starred in the 1966 film version of “Fahrenheit 451” - coincidence or not?) is a plus, particularly when it stirringly pays off in the end. Milo (James Lance), a foppish ne’er-do-well who befriends Florence with one hand and undermines her with the other, also factors in with mixed results, an amusingly repellent hanger-on whose base motives are never all that clear.Ĭoixet’s inclusion of voice-over may hark back to the novel but it can often feel superfluous, telling us what we either already are or should be seeing. If Violet may not be the most well-developed character, often more symbolic and predictable than truly flesh-and-blood (the deft Clarkson tries, but it’s a tough role to nail), she’s still a chilling reminder of the kind of status-, and status quo-, seeking prigs who, to this day, lie in wait to derail smart, independent thinkers like Florence.

The chief thorn in Florence’s side, however, is Violet Gamart (Patricia Clarkson), a wealthy, delicately ruthless grand dame who, for reasons that have more to do with power than intellectual fervor, claims that she wants to turn the Old House into an arts center - and will stop at nothing to have her way. That is, if the store can deliver.įlorence and the erudite Brundish develop an increasingly warm and appreciative relationship via letters and, later, in person, as the bookseller introduces him to such key tomes of the times as “Fahrenheit 451” and, more problematically, “Lolita.” The initial face-to-face between these two longing souls is one of the film’s most well-realized moments. Another of her great supporters is the reclusive Edmund Brundish (Nighy), a seemingly well-off widower and bibliophile pleased there will finally be a more proximate way to quench his literary thirst.

The bookshop penelope fitzgerald review