Emma Thompson Books

Most for-sale screenplays are just that -- screenplays. Emma Thompson, who wrote the screenplay for the delightful Jane Austen film "Sense and Sensibility," chose to include journal entries throughout the filming of the movie as well, in addition to the winning entry of a contest to see who could write the best letter from Fanny to Elinor.

There is wit in the descriptions and the photos, all well-captured. The journal entries are entertaining and a good look into the making of a movie. Although be forewarned -- because they dress like the characters of S&S, they do not talk like them. There is definitely some verbal crudeness in the book, men and women alike, but if you can overlook that (or are used to it) then this book will be a delightful read for any Jane Austen fan.

There are three separate parts to this fine volume; introduction, script and diaries. The producer of the film, Lindsay Doran, opens the door for us with her wonderful introduction. At age 13, she was determined that not only was "Jane Austen a very stupid writer," but also she would "never, never read one of her stupid books again."

Fortunately for the rest of the world, Ms. Doran changed her mind, and some twenty-five years after that first erroneous conclusion, has brought us this wonderfully witty, and extremely faithful film version of this first novel by Austen. As producer of the Kenneth Branagh/Emma Thompson film, DEAD AGAIN, she became acquainted with the woman who was not only a phenomenal actress, but also a gifted writer-one with a sense of humor and a strong romantic bent. These two qualities had proven to be the stumbling block over nearly ten years of searching for the right scriptwriter for Sense and Sensibility.

It took nearly seven years to come up with something close to a shooting script, sandwiched as it had to be between Thompson's many award-winning acting chores. Serendipity was obviously at work, however, and eventually, a budget was established, and casting accomplished.

Many of the actors Emma had envisioned in various roles had participated in a read-through the year prior to the filming; they were all in the film, in those same roles.

While the Dashwood ladies are all suitable beautiful, it is the men who are truly gorgeous. ("Repellently so," writes Ms. Thompson in the diary portion, referring to Hugh Grant. "He's much prettier than I am.") With his look-alike Richard Lumsden, they are the brothers Ferrar, Edward and Richard, with Greg Wise as the fickle Willoughby. Alan Rickman (be still my heart!) brings maturity and virility to the role of Colonel Brandon. The sets and costumes are sumptuous.

Interspersed with the actual shooting script and the diaries are some 50 photographs, 36 of them in luscious color. One script looks pretty much like another, but this one allows Ms. Thompson's wry wit to shine, especially in some of the non-spoken words. Of course, not every scene from the book could be included; the movie would have been more than six hours had they been. But the essentials are here, along with all the major characters. Providing testimony to just how perspicacious was the choice of writer is the number of awards garnered by Thompson for this, her first film script.

The diaries portion begin with a production meeting on January 15, 1995 and continue through July 9 of that year. A very small mention is made of Hugh Grant's visit to California, where he'd gone for his next film project after the completion of filming his scenes in England. A final two pages describes the 'location' houses chosen to represent those lived in by the families in the novel.

It may come as somewhat of a surprise to some readers to discover rather explicit language in the diaries. In addition to an apparent fascination with the alimentary process, our Emma has a bit of a potty-mouth, as do some of the gentleman involved, and their words are recorded, one presumes unhappily, all too accurately. They seem curiously jarring and out of place in a book otherwise devoted to the pristine words of Jane Austen.

Nevertheless, this is a lovely, hefty book; one which will bring the reader back to it time and again. There is always a new and enjoyable nugget to be mined from its various depths.

If you read Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility" before or after seeing the 1996 film version then I think it is pretty easy to conclude that Emma Thompson's Oscar for Best Screenplay adaptation was richly deserved. After writing and performing a series of short skits for British television, Thompson was approached by producer Lindsay Doran to write the screenplay. Thompson began by dramatizing every scene in the novel, which resulted in 300 hand written pages to be followed by 14 drafts as the 1811 novel was crafted into the final script. The result was a script that manages to be not only romantic and funny, but also romantic and funny in the best Austen sense of both words.

Be aware that this is the Original Script, not to be confused with the Shooting Script. This should be clear as soon as you beginning reading, because originally Thompson had the scene shifting back and forth between Mrs. Dashwood and Elinor/John and Fanny Dashwood (credit for this revision must go, I believe, to Film Editor Tim Squyres, who recut the scene so that we get all of one side and then the other instead of alternating back and forth as in the original script). Overall the strengths of Thompson's script are in two main directions. First, she manages to convey the scope of the novel in a two-hour screenplay, no mean task. Second, the little details she adds to Austen's story are simply marvelous. For example, her use of Shakespeare's Sonnet 116 ("Let me not the marriage of true minds"), which Marianne and Willoughby share to their great mutual delight and which Marianne repeats standing in the rain looking at Willoughby's new estate. In fact, Thompson revised the first scene to make it even better, having Willoughby misquote a key word in an elegant bit of foreshadowing. Thompson also makes one nice little change at the end. While Austen has Elinor bolt from the room to cry outside during the happy ending. Thompson creates a wonderful moment by having her stay in the room and having the rest of her family flee. There are not too many scenes where you are crying and laughing at the same time, but Thompson certainly created one (and has the added virtue of relying on herself as an actress to nail the performance as well). All of these are marvelous examples of playing to the strength of the cinema to bring Austen's novel to the screen.

But we get much more than just the screenplay in this volume, because Thompson includes excerpts from her diaries kept during both the writing of the screenplay and the actual production of the film. It would be nice if there was more insight into what she was thinking when writing the screenplay as I am always interested in how decisions were made and where inspiration comes from, but Thompson makes up for that with her little tales of working with director Ang Lee and the rest of the cast in making the film. Finally, in the Appendices, there is a very choice little treat, namely Imogen Stubbs' Prize-Winning Letter, written to Elinor from Lucy. Do not worry; by the time you read it you will understand why it is so hysterical. There is also a list of the fine homes and estates where "Sense and Sensibility" was filmed if you happen to be roaming around England and are interested in looking for such things.

I truly enjoyed this work by Emma Thompson. Not only is the screenplay included, with pictures, but also there are diary entries by Thompson that give insights into the making of the movie. If you loved this movie, you should read this book. I really enjoyed it.

The screenplay itself is a must-read for anyone wanting an education in bringing a well-loved story to life. Emma Thompson does an ingenius job of crafting scenes that are faithful to Austen's original while inventing more that add character development and plot intrigue. I especially like her diary, though. For those who wonder what to include in a memoir of an experience, this journal is a rich model of self-disclosure and humor. I heartily recommend it!

This book could not be more beautifully illustrated. Spirin's art has a wispy, dreamlike delicacy combined with beautifully rendered detail. It looks truly magical. One two-page spread depicts a battle royal between armored cats and an armada of rats sailing in ostrich-egg shells -- it's almost too beautiful and fantastic to take in.

The story itself is a lesser-known fairy tale, filled with heroism, romance, virtue, and wicked villains. My four-year-old fell in love with it immediately, and we have played many games of "white cat" in the last few weeks. The cat queen is lovely, brave, wise, strong -- and exquisitely dressed! What little girl wouldn't be enchanted? Boys will love the high adventure and excitement of the story, complete with wicked dwarfs and fire-breathing salamanders. In every respect, one of the finest fairy-tale picturebooks I've ever seen.

My parents bought me this book when I was about 9 years old at a book fair at school. They even got it signed by the Author. 13 years later, I am now 22 and still love this story.
The Story of the White Cat comes to life as you read it. The artwork is drawn in such fine details that when I go to sleep at night I can still remember all that happens in my dreams. The White Cat her self is filled with magic and mystery that it makes one want to know more about her. If you enjoy reading about enchanted castles and Wise Cats in fantasy then this book is for you.

The young prince must search for what his father requests. He immediately finds a magical castle instead, and by trusting the White Cat he finds all he needs. In between there are some great adventures, fanciful and courageous. My daughter enjoys this book and we've read it many times.

The illustrations in this beautiful book are worth getting it for alone. But when you add to this an exciting and interesting story - one that I never tire of reading and my children never tire of hearing - this book is an all-around winner. I highly recommend this book as a mother and a teacher.

This book is full of wonderful text and beautiful photos, both color and black and white. There are black and white photos of the cast members including a full page photo of Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, and Kate Winslet.

There are thirty-six lush color photographs, including locations, characters, including full page photos of Kate Winslet and Alan Rickman.

The book contains generous introduction by Linday Doran, producer of Sense and Sensibility.

The text of the entire screen play by Emma Thompson is included, interspersed with photos from the film.

There is an extensive diary of the filming of this wonderful Jane Austen novel filled with detail after detail of who the original work was painstakingly brought to screen.

Anyone who loved this story and the film production would be in heaven to own this rare and beautiful book.

"The Mysterious Private Thompson" is a first-rate, riveting book about a woman who ran away from home to avoid an arranged marriage and disguised herself as a man to make her way in the world. She first became a successful traveling book salesman and then, astoundingly, served as a Civil War soldier for two years. Not only is the story fascinating as to how someone could maintain a disguise so effectively for so long a period of time, but the story's historical context is so carefully researched and deftly conveyed that you are almost unaware that this is a history book as well as a human interest story. I learned more in this book about the Battles of Bull Run, the Peninsula Campaign, the Battle of Fredericksburg, plus Generals McClellan and Burnside, than I had in all my years of school. Laura Gansler is a brilliant, gifted writer and I highly recommend this book.

Rabbit Ears have truly made many masterpieces over the years and these two stories are no exception.

In "The White Cat," three young princes try to outdo each other in the tasks that their father gives them in order to inherit his kingdom. However, the youngest son soon finds true love when he meets a beautiful white cat who lives in an extraordinary castle and helps him on his journey.

In "The Fool and the Flying Ship," the Tsar of Russia proclaims that whoever builds a flying ship will marry his daughter, the princess. However, when a wacky peasant decides to take the challenge and arrives to the palace with five odd super humans, the Tsar quickly has second thoughts about the proclamation he made.

In "The White Cat," Emma Thompson narrates this story with an aristocratic tone as most of the main characters are of royal blood and Joe Jackson's lovely melodies provides the story with a soothing and romantic tone. In "The Fool and the Flying Ship," Robin Williams narrates this story with such energy and humor that each character becomes alive as he gives each character a different Russian accent. The Klezmer Conservatory Band's music is both raucous and jazzy which makes this story extremely funny to listen to. Both of these stories are about determination as both lead characters are determined to obtain their goals, such as in "The White Cat" when the youngest prince tries to find love in the white cat and in "The Fool and the Flying Ship," the country fool is determined to build a flying ship and marry the princess. This audio CD is an instant treasure to both kids and adults and they will not be disappointed with this CD.

Sense and Sensibility is my favorite film of all time and this book is a wonderful companion piece for any fan of the film as well. Emma Thompson's diary of the production is wonderfully witty and interesting. There are also very high quality portraits of the cast and beautiful production shots included in the book. Highly recommended.

If you read this novel on your own (as in, it is not assigned to you as a form of assigned reading in school) then you will enjoy it because you obviously know what you're getting yourself into: whimsical dialogue between gossiping British ladies. I do realize how ridiculous and inaccurate this description is but I'm mad because I have been forced to read this book for school and I really hate it so therefore my opinion of it is very negative. Teachers should not force these types of books upon their students. The rate of enjoyment for this book is very limited to those who either teach English or have a keen interest in it. Very few students will be able to appreciate and enjoy this novel for its merits, of which I'm sure there are many.

I do not expect this review to be helpful to anyone who is looking at this book as a means of pleasure reading.

I love reading. There is nothing like the printed page. I also love a good movie. In this case, I must definitely say I'll take the movie over the book any day. I will say that I was exposed to the movie first but I don't believe that prejudiced me. I was wanting to view the movie again after not having seen it in a while (it had not been a long while, mind you, because it is one of my favorites) but decided, since I had the book in my library, I would read it first before viewing the movie again so as to discover any subleties that may enhance my enjoyment of the movie further. I had done that with A Room With a View (also by Forster) and it worked fine. I loved the book every bit as much as the movie. Alas, it was not to be the same with Howards End. I have been struggling for the last few weeks (I don't get much time for reading these days) to get through the book. Usually I don't want a book to end but in this case... well, the title of this review says it all. For details on why I feel that way, I refer you to any of the other 2 and 3 star reviews, as they express my sentiments exactly and make me feel better to know it wasn't just me (although I am fully aware that everyone has their own opinion). Suffice to say I will no longer torture myself with trying to get through the book. Instead I will kick back and enjoy, guilt-free, another viewing of a very fine movie. Kudos to Forster for having written the book which provided a story-line for Merchant/Ivory to make a very fine movie. Kudos to M/I for making a very fine movie from, as another reviewer so aptly put it, a "mediocre" book.

Most of us connect the notion of "home" or "childhood home" with one particular place, that innocent paradise we have since had to give up and keep searching for forever after. In Ruth Wilcox's world, Howards End is that place; the countryside house where she was born, where her family often returns to spend their vacations, and which, everyone assumes, will pass on to her children when she is dead.

But will it really? Unbeknownst to Ruth's family, the issue is put into question when Ruth forms a friendship with her neighbor-to-be Margaret Schlegel, like Ruth herself from a middle class background buth nevertheless separated from Ruth's world by several layers of society and politics: That of the Wilcox is epitomized by pater familias/businessman Henry - rich, conservative and without any sympathy whatsoever for those less fortunate than themselves ("It's all part of the battle of life ... The poor are poor; one is sorry for them, but there it is," Henry Wilcox once comments); while the Schlegels, on the other hand, have just enough income to lead a comfortable life, were brought up by their Aunt Juley, support suffrage (women's right to vote) and surround themselves with actors, "blue-stockings" (feminists), intellectuals and other members of the avantgarde. Further complexity is added when Margaret's sister Helen brings to the Schlegel home Leonard Bast, a poor but idealistic young clerk who loves music, literature and astronomy - and with him, his working class wife Jacky, the embarrassment of having to interact with her, and the even more embarrassing revelation which she has in store for Henry Wilcox; eventually leaving her disillusioned husband to comment that "books aren't real," and that in fact they and music "are for the rich so they don't feel bad after dinner."

One of the early 20th century's finest pieces of literature, E.M. Forster's novel is a masterpiece of social study and character study alike; the author brings his protagonists and their environment to life with empathy and a fine eye for detail. The story's strongest character is undoubtedly Margaret Schlegel, a young woman "filled with ... a profound vivacity, a continual and sincere response to all that she encounter[s] in her path through life," as Forster describes her, and whose friendship with Ruth Wilcox, even at the beginning, already brings the two families back together again after Helen has endangered their as-yet tentaive acquaintance by engaging in a near-scandalous affair with Ruth's younger son Paul.

Ultimately, Margaret and Ruth become so close that Ruth eventually decides to give Meg "something worth [her] friendship" - none other than Howards End, a wish that has her panicking family scramble most ungentlemanly for every reason in the book to invalidate the codicil setting forth that bestowal, from its lacking date and signature to the testatrix's state of mind, the ambiguity of the writing's content, the question why Meg should want the house in the first place since she already has one, and the fact that the writing is only in pencil, which "never counts," as Dolly, wife of the Wilcox' elder son Charles is quick to point out, only to be reprimanded by her father in law "from out of his fortress" (Forster) not to "interfere with what you do not understand." And so it is that Meg will only see the house (and be instantly mistaken for Ruth because she has "her way of walking around the house," as the housekeeper explains) when she and her siblings have to look for a new home and Henry Wilcox, who has started to court her after Ruth's death, suggests that the Schlegel's furniture be temporarily stored there - a fateful decision. And while Meg and Henry slowly and painfully learn to adjust to each other, the complexity of their families' relations, and their interactions with the Basts, finally come crashing down on them in a dramatic conclusion.

This brilliant classic of English literature features the clash of the artistic and social Schlegel sisters--Margaret and Helen--with the business oriented and pragmatic Wilcox men--Henry and his sons Charles and Paul. All are wealthy. This is a novel of comfortable upper-class Edwardian life set in London and rural England.

Although written in 1910, Howards End is amazingly contemporary and relevant. Of course, the conflict between the personal and the practical, the artistic and the commercial is ever-present. Also Forster touches cleverly on many other societal issues that are current. We read about the motor car just beginning its dynasty in 1910; indeed the automobile is almost another character in the novel--mute and ominous. There are also insightful passages about pollution and environmental issues, urban sprawl, and a wonderful discussion of the commercialization of Christmas, among many other fascinating discussions some shallow others deep. I was particularly interested in Forster's exploration of the practical and commercial as the necessary underpinning of the artistic and personal. At one point Margaret says that money is the "warp of life," a metaphor based on the warp and woof of the weaver's cloth (a clever pun also).

One aspect of reading Howards End that I felt continually, but seems not to have been mentioned by other reviewers, is the giant tentacles of the ugly octopus of World War I looming darkly over the characters and their futures. Neither the author in 1910 nor his characters, the half German Schlegel sisters nor the very British Wilcoxes, could know that a great war that would end their peaceful and prosperous Edwardian era was soon to begin. Throughout the novel the issues of German and English culture are in the background. The Schlegel sisters met the Wilcoxes in Germany. The Schlegels often have relatives visiting from Germany, and Helen returns there toward the end of the novel. Only slight foreboding hints of a coming disaster are slinking here and there. At one point just in passing early in the book Forster says that war with Germany is inevitable because the newspapers say it is. The war was a result of the commercial and military competition of Great Britain and Germany which was already anxious and worrisome in 1910, although no one could anticipate what a monumental crisis it would provoke. Almost twenty percent of all upper-class British males were killed in action in the war--over 40 million casualties total for all combatants in World War I.

Howards End is just as readable and fascinating now as it must have been in 1910, and it was a popular success. I do not believe, however, that it would have even been conceivable just five years later. So much had changed by 1915. World War I--1914-1918--was roiling the entire civilization of Europe. The old ways were dissolving on the battlefields France and Belgium. The easy intercourse of the Schegels with Germany and their German relatives would be impossible. Indeed the Schegel sisters themselves would be suspect and isolated in England. (Perhaps though they would find their fulfilment as volunteer military nurses as many Germans living in England did.) Paul and Charles would be in the trenches at Ypres if they were still alive, not in business in London or strutting about the colonial empire. Everything would change so fast so soon. As I read this novel I felt every moment the monumental disasters stalking the Schegels and Wilcoxes and their world, disasters that would make their current personal trials seem rather puny. For me this gave the novel an extra frisson of tension and awe.

It's hard to say enough about this book. Forster's novel about the tortured relations between three families and the struggle for ownership of a house is a fundamental tale -- maybe THE fundamental tale -- of class relations in England before the First World War.

The basic plot is so well known, there is no point in repeating it here. But the book is incredibly rich. Forster's depiction of the arriviste commercial bourgeoisie, the monied intelligentsia, and the threatened lower class is incredibly insightful. The manner in which he details their lives, loves, socialization, aspirations, and mentalities tells us more than any traditional history book could.

The writing is lithe and even comical. Forster's witty asides and factual embellishments impress and enhance the text rather than distract from it. It is a brilliant book, both in content and style. It is a must-read for any lover of English literature or history.

A smug but goodhearted society girl learns her judgment isn't as incisive as she thinks it is. "Emma" is a fun, lighthearted version of Jane Austen, with enough misunderstandings and crossed signals to form the basis of a modern sitcom. For all its pleasant enjoyability, however, the novel is also a fascinating character study of one woman being elevated to a nobler level by being taken down several notches.

In this respect, "Emma" is a prime example of the fact that although many see Jane Austen as something of a proto-feminist, she often gave her male characters the most admirable constitutions of her entire cast. Although the female Emma may be the heroine we hope will triumph, the male Mr. Knightley (like Colonel Brandon of "Sense and Sensibility") is the unimpeachably noble person, and the one who helps Emma ascend to a higher plane of virtue when she might otherwise have been left in despair at her failures. In the end, Austen's fourth novel (and the last published during her lifetime) is not a feminist manifesto. Rather, it transcends the gender wars and remains a touching comedy of errors with a profoundly subtle commentary on human pride and folly.

It was a good book, but older writing styles are hard for me to get used to. I liked the characters, but the movie ruined it for me. ALWAYS read the book before you see the movie.

I had already read this Jane Austen classic twice. I decided to buy a copy of my own so that when I want to read it again, I will have a copy here at home. This is one of my favorites.

I purchased 10 of these for my reading club.
They were delighted with the attactive, light
weight book, and the great price!

I'm writing in reference to the Kindle version of this book. Since I like the book itself, I gave 2 stars; however, this version was lacking in extras. I was seriously disappointed to find no footnotes, no introduction, no nothing. Just the book pure and simple. To top it off, there were many instances of multiple words jammedtogetherlikethis. I wish the 'sample' had been available when I ordered it from my Kindle. I certainly would have chosen another one of the available editions.

Emma Edmonds ran away from home to escape her father and an arranged marriage. She eventually settled in Flint, Michigan, where she pretended to be a man, using the name of Frank Thompson, both to protect herself and to enable herself to make a decent living (she sold Bibles door-to-door). When the Civil War broke out, Emma signed up for the Union. Besides being an army nurse, she fought in several battles, went AWOL when she had malaria, to prevent her sex from being discovered, nursed herself back to health, and rejoined the war. Grant sent her on 8 spying missions in Confederate country, all of which she carried out efficiently, disguising herself one mission as a young black man; she was promptly enslaved and forced to dig trenches for the Confederates--ideal, for she had been trying to find out what were the exact locations of the enemy's trenches. The book is full of such stories; there's never a dull page, thanks to Emma's colorful and courageous life. Stevens writes for the young market; I think her writing errs on the side of being too unsophisticated, but that's a fault that can be overlooked when dealing with such splendid material.

As a Kenneth Branagh fan, I fin this book rather interesting but now is antiquated.