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marifox's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
coinchantal's review
5.0
This novel stands independent of the film, and the extra information made it more complete. Loved the movie and loved the book. Very easy to read and could read it very fast. Happy I have read it.
_hollie064_'s review
4.0
I’m not sure if I enjoyed this book because I love the movie or for the same reason I enjoyed the piano teacher. I love reading books about women on the edge of society playing the piano.
_verena_'s review against another edition
3.0
Never saw the film or read the novel.
However, I found the screenplay rather sad and atmospheric. Not sure what to take away from it though.
However, I found the screenplay rather sad and atmospheric. Not sure what to take away from it though.
sarah_dietrich's review
1.0
Unfortunately I didn't like Campion's The Piano at all. The writing is average, the premise doesn't make any sense, the ending is embarrassingly bad. None of the characters have any personality, they are all just cliches. The depiction of Maori people and culture was particularly bad, relying on racist stereotypes instead of adding any depth to the story.
sadiereadsagain's review against another edition
3.0
As I understand it, this book expands on the stories of the characters from the film. From that I expect it was written after the film, and I got that feeling from the book itself - there was a feeling of something being rushed over or left out. By that I mean that the story and the tensions within it would have benefited from being teased out a little slower, given more time to unfurl. I didn't fully believe in the connections between characters as there wasn't enough fleshing them out.
Having said all that, I did actually enjoy this book a great deal. The writing is of a good quality, and it doesn't stumble awkwardly over the sexual content either. It's given me an appetite to see the film too.
Having said all that, I did actually enjoy this book a great deal. The writing is of a good quality, and it doesn't stumble awkwardly over the sexual content either. It's given me an appetite to see the film too.
sannipellikka's review
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I find this story very intriguing and evoking feelings. I could sense the attachment for the piano playing in many ways and the background story about the muteness was well-written and easy to follow. In my opinion the main charachters emotional anguish was portrayted beautifully, also the newly awaken experience with love. I haven't seen the movie but surely will add it to the list for watching.
tigermuffin's review
4.0
If you love the film, read the book.
That's backward, eh? Difficult star-choosing here.
Written as an original screenplay, the book came after and it feels obvious that the writers are looking at the film and writing what they see. It remains a brilliant story. The book gives glorious information about Flora's father and Ada's life before being shipped off as a mail-order bride. There are words to describe what is going on in Ada's mind while she does various things and I found that the authors Jane Campion and Kate Pullinger gave her different things to think about than what I had given to be the contents of her mind. But, IS IT satisfying to know who Flora's father is? Did I really want to know more of Ada's background?
Released in 1993, The Piano won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival as well as three Academy Awards (out of 8 nominations). It was re-released earlier this year.
I would be interested to hear from someone who read the book before seeing the film, or someone who has not seen the film at all.
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/jun/15/the-piano-review-jane-campion-holly-hunter
That's backward, eh? Difficult star-choosing here.
Written as an original screenplay, the book came after and it feels obvious that the writers are looking at the film and writing what they see. It remains a brilliant story. The book gives glorious information about Flora's father and Ada's life before being shipped off as a mail-order bride. There are words to describe what is going on in Ada's mind while she does various things and I found that the authors Jane Campion and Kate Pullinger gave her different things to think about than what I had given to be the contents of her mind. But, IS IT satisfying to know who Flora's father is? Did I really want to know more of Ada's background?
At night I think of my piano in its ocean grave, and sometimes of myself floating above it. Down there everything is so still and silent that it lulls me to sleep. It is a weird lullaby and so it is; it is mine.
Released in 1993, The Piano won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival as well as three Academy Awards (out of 8 nominations). It was re-released earlier this year.
I would be interested to hear from someone who read the book before seeing the film, or someone who has not seen the film at all.
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/jun/15/the-piano-review-jane-campion-holly-hunter