The Casual Vacancy & Lord Peter Wimsey

[donnaimmaculata]

So, the posting challenge that has been going around has finally inspired me to make a post with fannish contents. This makes me very proud (I'm easily pleased).

Over a month ago, I finally read JK Rowling's The Casual Vacancy. (I actually wanted to make a post about it straightaway, but... yeah.)

How had nobody pointed out to me how good it is? I loved it, deeply and passionately. It is precisely my kind of book. Despite my love for the Discworld novels and Harry Potter, I have never considered myself a fan of the fantasy genre. I like novels in which nothing of any earth-shattering relevance happens, that dissect the lives of ordinary people, provide a social commentary of close-knit (and narrow-minded) communities, where everybody is self-righteous and prejudiced and in some way or another a horrible human being. I started reading The Casual Vacancy with no expectations whatsoever, tore through it in the space of three days, and then listened to the audiobook that for some miraculous reason is available on YouTube. It's probably my favourite of all the books that I've read this year (50+). (The runner-up would be World War Z, which is the exact opposite, genre-wise.) I am very much looking forward to the BBC adaptation, because if done right, it has the potential to be absolutely fabulous.

The month of August has so far been dedicated to reading Dorothy L. Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey novels. I've never read them before and thought it's about time to rectify this.

How has there been no adaptation lately? They adapt just about anything, and surely, Lord Peter Wimsey has all the necessary ingredients to appeal to today's audiences: a mind-blowingly attractive* detective who is also an aristocrat, an athlete and a scholar, has an angsty past and a vaguely homoerotic relationship with his gentleman's gentleman. The Lord Peter/Bunter hurt/comfort scenes alone would bring fandom to its knees.

Plus, they could cast David Tennant, if he can do the posh accent.

*Dorothy Sayers goes out of her way to point out that he had "no pretentions to good looks", but we know how well that works out, don't we, Professor Snape?

Comments

[shocolate.livejournal.com]

1) I loved it, too - all such fallible, petty, normal people.

2) agreed, but we've had the Inspector Lynley Mysteries quite recently, with the earl!detective.

[pauraque]

I recently read The Casual Vacancy too, and keep meaning to post about it. I found it a really surreal read because JKR's author voice is so distinctive that it was hard to shake the feeling that I was reading a HP book! But I think that's more an issue with me than with the book itself.

[magnetic-pole.livejournal.com]

Ah, another recommendation for the Casual Vacancy! I'll have to try it. I also love

novels in which nothing of any earth-shattering relevance happens, that dissect the lives of ordinary people, provide a social commentary of close-knit (and narrow-minded) communities, where everybody is self-righteous and prejudiced and in some way or another a horrible human being.

:) In fact, that line alone is convincing me I need to go to the library.

Have you seen the Lord Peter Wimsey adaptations from the 80s? I remember watching them with my parents while growing up. I wonder if the success of Sherlock will inspire some more updates of the "classic" mysteries series. M.

[hippediva.livejournal.com]

Best adaptation of Lord Peter was done in with Edward Petherbridge back in the 80s. He was practically perfect (as opposed to Ian Carmichael ones---I am a longtime Lord Peter fan and I always hated Carmichael in the role---top big, too bulky, just too much. Petherbridge had the wonderfully effete nervousness and made his Peter absolutely note-perfection. His DVDs are available as the Peter Wimsey/Harriet Vane collection and are worth every cent!

[ellensmithee.livejournal.com]

The BBC's 70s adaptation of the Lord Peter novels was really excellent, but I have no idea if they've remade them since.