This is a review for the book, not the newly released movie or the old Clint Eastwood version (but reviews for those appear below), or the original book from the 70s.
Quick Review – 3 stars
- story has slowly drawn tension with a predictable ending
- characters were developed but somewhat annoying
- style is readable but confusing in the beginning
- there are minimal technical errors
- history isn’t the focus, and I didn’t learn much
Full review
This is an interesting bit of American Gothic set in the Civil War Era. My sister saw the new movie and told me about it, but before I could see it Amazon ran a $1.99 special on the kindle version. I figured I’d start there before seeing either version of the movie. I have no idea how much of a revamp the book went through from its original printing in the 70s.
From the beginning, it is quite clear that everyone at the Farnsworth school is either hiding something or is a bit off the norm personality wise. This creates sufficient tension to keep you reading despite the slow pace. There were only so many possible conclusions and the situation made it easy to predict the ending. Clues were there if the reader was paying attention, which given the genre one should be looking for them. The backdrop of the war close by adds immediacy to the situation.
The problem for me was not that Martha Farnsworth was unlikeable, which was clearly by design, but that there were inconsistencies in her character. Her exacting nature was hard to reconcile with her sexual perversions. Some of her actions in dealing with the soldiers she encountered seemed unrealistic. Sometimes she cares about the safety of her students but does things that endangers them.
As a former high school teacher, I found the teenagers rather immature for their ages but I gave leeway here since we are talking a different era. I found a couple of the girls very similar so it was hard to keep them straight. Since there were multiple main characters, I could overlook the few I found annoying. The most likeable character is the slave woman, Mattie, who is oddly missing from the movie, I understand.
The other missing character in the movie is Martha’s sister Harriet. She is the character that the reader most sympathizes with. So with the two most likable characters not present on screen, I have to wonder if this will improve the story or make it weaker.
The style is straightforward with the chapter titles making it clear which of the characters perspective the reader is getting. But the multiple narrators make it a bit confusing until the reader learns all the characters. There were a few times I did a “Which one is she again?” I found a few technical mistakes, but not enough to detract from the story.
The story had sufficient history in it, to add to my enjoyment, though it was not the focus. The facts were accurate enough but I feel like there was a lot of leeway taken with social norms and behavior standards. Both the students and teachers actions did not fit my idea of the period. But I will concede that people don’t always live up to behavioral standards and the genre lends itself to the quirky character.
So, overall this was an entertaining read, though it did not impress me. Had it been set in any period but the Civil War, I would probably not have read it. I have to believe, as always, that the book is better than the movies, but since I haven’t seen either yet I will update this review later. The book was worth what I paid but I feel like I wouldn’t think so had I paid the full price of $9.99 for the kindle edition.
Update – Bonus Movie Reviews –
2017 movie – 2 stars – Beautiful but no substance, the story suffered for the cinematography. The screen play failed to give the characters sufficient dialogue that explained the reasons for their actions. Acting was flat all around but not a surprise for me since I found Nicole Kidman flat in Cold Mountain as well. Her southern accent is awful. Costumes were lovely but totally inaccurate. By the third year of the war, the dresses would no longer look pristine as their frocks did. They left out Mattie and Harriet the two pivotal characters as expected and the story suffered. This movie was a disappointment. If it was supposed to speak to female empowerment, it failed because it came off as stupidity on the part of the women.
1971 Movie – 3 stars – Low tech on the cinematography compared to the newer version, but more substance. It had better acting, better dialogue, less clean costumes but was still just average. Clint Eastwood way outdid Colin Farrell, no surprise again. You got better idea of the real story since they left in Maddie though they changed her name for no apparent reason to Hattie. They also left out Harriet, and this vexes me as she was the whole key to her sister’s tale. So it was missing too much as well. Had I not read the book first I might have liked the movie better. Do yourself a favor and read the book rather than watch either of these poor adaptations.
Links below take you to the book and both movies. Have you seen either of the movies? What did you think?
Civil War Book Blog 