About Me

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Recent retiree--35 year's experience teaching reading, English, adult basic education and volunteer leadership skills. Started this blog to exchange ideas and commentary with friends and others having an interest in joining the discussions. Greatest life accomplishments include: 1.organized my 3rd grade class to check out library books for me to get around librarian's weekly limit--Amazon.com, the Mullins Elementary 3rd Grade Class of 1956 is still waiting for "thank you" notes; 2. volunteered in the Peace Corps, island of St. Kitts, West Indies; 3.taught adults to read, earn their GEDs., and speak English as a second language; 4. bought a border collie puppy for $6, got evicted rather than give him up, and began a life-long love affair with all things "Dog"; 5. joined a physical fitness boot camp in my mid-50s--don't mess with someone who's been doing regulation pushups in wet grass at 5:30 a.m.; 6. walked across Northern England with best friend Sally--over 80 miles from the Irish to North Seas; and 7. travelled to many foreign countries for pleasure and work.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Teaser Tuesday Book -- The Painted Veil


I've chosen a classic for this week's Teaser Tuesday book selection. I read it just recently and wish I'd known about it years ago. Before I read the book I saw the film based on the story. Sometimes seeing the story in film, especially for a classic, helps me appreciate the book so much more.

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly book swap hosted by Miz B over at Should be Reading that is open to all booklovers. Miz B's rule of play are simple:

--Open your current read to a random page (I sometimes cheat on this.);
--share two teaser sentences from that page, being careful not to be a spoiler;
--post your link in the comments on Miz B's webpage and, best of all, check out other players' selections and leave a nice comment for them.


The Painted Veil
by W. Somerset Maugham

Kitty Fane: "I'm coming with you to that place."
Walter Fane:
"Oh, good."
KF:
"When do you want me to be ready?"
WF:
"Tomorrow night."
KF:
"I suppose I needn't take more than a few summer things and a shroud, need I?"

p. 85

Synopsis: The Painted Veil is a modern day retelling of one of the stories from Dante's Inferno of an Italian gentlewoman whose husband suspected her of adultry and punished her by banishment and, when he dared, death. Somerset Maugham set his story in England and China in 1925. Kitty Fane, a pretty and shallow young woman, impulsively marries Dr. Walter Fane, a socially awkward civil servant posted in Hong Kong as a bacteriologist. Kitty marries a man that she does not even like to escape her mother's demands that she find a husband to support her. Walter fell in love with Kitty the first time he saw her and asked her to go with him to Hong Kong.

In Hong Kong Kitty soon tires of Walter and has a short-lived affair with Charlie Townsend, an assistant colonial secretary. Walter finds out about the affair and gives Kitty two choices. She must accompany him to a cholera-infested village in inland China where he has been assigned to help treat the villagers and find a way to stem the epidemic. If she refuses, he will divorce her and expose her as an adulterer. Bitterly she accepts her fate and they travel to the village as combatants under one roof. But gradually the horrible conditions help them to lift ". . .the painted veil which those who live call life" and find a way to change and forgive each other.

The motion picture for The Painted Veil was released in 2006, starring Edward Norton as Dr. Walter Fane and Naomi Watts as Kitty Fane. Here's a brief trailer for the film so you can see how right they were to play the Fanes. I also found the cinematography of inland China just breathtaking.

13 comments:

Lane Mathias said...

Well this one - both the book and the film - have somehow completely passed me by. Sounds right up my street too. Thanks Faye - I'll add it to my list now.

Unknown said...

That one´s been on my list for some time. The film looks good as well :)
Here´s my teaser:
http://ifyoucanreadthis.wordpress.com/2010/05/18/teaser-tuesday-23/

Jenny Q said...

I've seen the movie but I think I would enjoy the book more. Thanks for sharing! Here's my teaser for Daughters of the Witching Hill

Alayne said...

I didn't realize this was a book. It sounds so intriguing! Great teaser. My teaser is from THE PASSAGE and it's at The Crowded Leaf.

E.J. Stevens said...

Beautiful trailer.

My teaser is here.


Happy reading. :)

xx,
E.J

Audrey said...

Haven't heard of the book or film either. Looks interesting though.
HERE is my teaser for today :)

Emma Michaels said...

Great Teaser! Here is my Teaser Tuesday:
http://emmamichaels.blogspot.com/2010/05/teaser-tuesday_18.html

Feel free to stop by tomorrow for my review and GIVEAWAY of the book and a new ARC, by the same author, next Spring when it is released!

Sincerely,
Emma Michaels

Deborah Carr (Debs) said...

I haven't read the book, but loved the film and agree that the scenery was magnificent. Loved it.

pussreboots said...

Sounds fascinating. Mine is from God of the Hive.

Michelle said...

I don't think I would enjoy reading the book.
But, I would love to see the movie.

My `teaser` is up
http://newhorizonreviews.blogspot.com/2010/05/how-sweet-it-is-by-alice-j-wisler.html

Laurel-Rain Snow said...

I saw the movie...your teaser reminded me of why I should read the book.

Here's mine:

http://rainysnowday.wordpress.com/2010/05/18/teaser-tuesdays-12/

philosophia said...

I loved both book and movie -- although, interestingly, I loved the movie more. Usually it's the other way around! Anyway, nice teaser :)

~Black Sheep

Pamela said...

I would like to see this .. sounds like a great movie.

Or... read it.

usually I won't see a movie after I've read the book, tho
(too often disappointing. what is in my head is so much more clever)