Reviews

The Beguiled by Thomas Cullinan

jkrudop's review

dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

aika1801's review

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

ashleywantsbooks's review against another edition

1.0

I do not have much to say about this book. I do not feel my expectations were necessarily high - I had watched the movie directed by Sofia Coppola and wanted to see what I might have missed from the book to make the movie make anymore sense than it did. The book made a bit more sense, as we have several more characters that literally create the plot and a more believable situation, the ages of the characters are more realistic, and having the book change character POV is necessary for a more omnipotent reader.

I struggled so much to get into this book. Had I not been so determined to see what the differences were between book and movie I would have dropped it way before hitting the 20% mark. I probably still should have stopped reading when it wasn't keeping my attention. I only enjoyed the comparison that was going on in my head, not the writing or plot.

***POSSIBLE SPOILERS***
I was particularly frustrated at two likely anachronisms: the washing of hands and instruments before surgery (Pasteur did not do his germ theory experiments until 1860-1864) and the possibility of a Gray's Anatomy textbook being available to the school (as the first American edition was not published until 1862). 'Could' the ladies at Farnsworth Seminary have the book from England, yes, but not likely. 'Could' they have also been in the habit of cleaning themselves and their instruments and 'operating rooms' before treating patients, possibly, but also not likely. Besides wikipedia to double check these facts before writing this review, my questions arose because of a history of medicine class I took at university where we specifically referenced The Greatest Benefit to Mankind: A Medical History of Humanity by Roy Porter as our primary textbook.

tasharobinson's review

4.0

I was pretty mesmerized by Sofia Coppola's movie adaptation of The Beguiled up until roughly the last 10 minutes, which gave me such a strong "Is that all there is?" feeling that they colored the rest of the film for me. The original 1966 book also winds up in a somewhat abrupt way, but it earns it more with a much more complicated, nuanced look at the individual characters. All the characterization I was missing in the film, especially from the more minor characters, is here in the individual point-of-view chapters that lets all the story's female characters take turns narrating their feelings around the wounded Union soldier brought into a Southern school for ladies that's trying to weather the Civil War without disturbance or danger. The characters here seem much darker and uglier than in the film, but with the same air of gentility and surface grace projected at everyone around them — except when they feel crossed or insulted or overlooked or slighted. There are a lot of deep, painful strains of feeling running through this book, but it isn't just well-crafted emotionally, it's also a strong series of escalations around McBurney, the soldier, whose lies get progressively more outrageous and obvious as the novel builds. This was a pretty fascinating read, and I'm glad Coppolla brought it to my attention.

caakle's review

2.0

Long and anticlimactic. Marie is the best character in this book.

zmorgason's review

dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.0

jcpdiesel21's review against another edition

2.0

Upon seeing a trailer for the upcoming Sofia Coppola remake, I was quick to pick up the creepy and disturbing 1971 film adaptation of this book, which piqued my interest in the source material. Tracking down a copy was a challenge, but my local library's interlibrary loan came to the rescue and got an old, battered edition into my hot little hands. Unfortunately, after all of that buildup and trouble, I was left unsatisfied after finishing. There is an intriguing tale centered on lies and isolation within these pages, but one has to wade through the meandering, dull plot riddled with repetition and unnecessary detail to get to it. It was interesting to receive the story from so many perspectives, which served to enhance the characters from the movie, but I didn't need to know quite so much about each individual's backstory, especially when the information added very little or went nowhere. Perhaps I would have enjoyed the book more if I had been able to read it first, but overall I found the film content to be tighter and more focused, making it more worth my time.

leysha's review

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.0

cheyenneisreading's review

4.0

It is definitely a slow to warm into book in the beginning. However, once the story builds you find yourself drawn into the residents of the school for young ladies and the wounded soldier. Drama, intrigue and forbidden lust, this was well worth the read.

catvotovich's review

5.0

The movie didn’t even come close to the novel. This was such an amazing thriller and the film fell so short.