It has been hotter than heck lately, by anyone’s standards, I think. With the heat index well over 100, plenty of heat advisories were posted on weather websites. In my heart of hearts, I know this is the new weather pattern for Maine in July, and I have to accept it. But how I long for the old days, when the temperature in July seldom went above 80°F, and the humidity didn’t sap the energy from humans and animals alike. Those days are never coming back, and I feel sorry for the young people who will never experience the glory of a Maine July before the climate crisis hit.
I can only be thankful, then, that we have heat pumps, which not only keep our home pleasantly cool but also act as dehumidifiers. No more clogged salt shakers! Unfortunately, the creatures in the woods do not have this advantage, and I feel so sorry for them. Our dependence on fossil fuels has cast a wide, destructive net that ensnares the innocent.
But, a bit of good news. The flowers seem to enjoy the high heat and humidity, and the evening primroses are now in glorious bloom. There is yellow mixed in amongst the green, and for a while, there was even a splash of orange.
We have had different friends over on two separate occasions, and despite the heat, we spent time in the gazebo. (In late afternoon, when the sun no longer shone in our backyard.)
‘Tis one of our favorite places to be, and although I have featured this picture in a previous post, I thought I’d include it again because the lights are so lovely.
We had planned to serve grilled bread, but a little rodent chewed through the gas line on the grill, and Clif wasn’t able to fix it before our friends came over. Next time, there will be grilled bread.
Along with the heat, July in Maine brings the Maine International Film Festival (MIFF), a ten-day extravaganza of movies, many of them foreign. We have full festival passes and are looking forward to seeing movies we might never have heard of if it weren’t for MIFF. Accordingly, I will be taking a blogging break from July 10 to July 20 or so. I’ll keep track of all the movies I see and report back with my top five. (We plan to see about thirty movies during the film festival.)
Until July 20…
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Reading and Watching
Book: The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow
Television Series: The Other Bennet Sister, adapted by Sarah Quintrell from Janice Hadlow’s novel of the same name
It is a fact universally acknowledged that a good book is usually better than its television adaptation. This is why it is often a mistake to read a book before seeing the series. A series (or a movie) seldom lives up to a reader’s imaginative vision of the story or to the author’s skill in revealing the characters’ inner lives.
Series and movies have their strengths, of course. Acting, dialogue, sound, and cinematography can come together to produce works of art and beauty that can have a profound effect on viewers. But for this reader—a wordy, nerdy woman who has been under the spell of the written word since childhood—books are most always superior to adaptations.
And so it was with The Other Bennet Sister, Janice Hadlow’s sympathetic portrayal of Pride and Prejudice‘s Mary Bennet, the plain and awkward sister plunked among four beautiful sisters. In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen’s depiction of Mary Bennet is humorous but unkind, presenting her as a socially inept young woman who always says the wrong thing and can never read the room.
In The Other Bennet Sister, Janice Hadlow allows Mary to have her say, and she skillfully reveals Mary’s inner life—her love of books, her feelings of never fitting in or measuring up to her sisters. Of never being understood. Indeed, of not being loved by her family. I was with Mary all the way, and as she gradually found her footing, I cheered her on. Hadlow charts Mary’s growth in a convincing way. Mary never becomes the belle of the ball, but she does unfold in a way that is lovely to behold and true to Mary’s inner nerdy self.
The series, on the other hand, presents Mary (Ella Bruccoleri) as a clod whose facial expressions are so extreme and odd that, at times, she seems a bit touched. I was not unsympathetic with the character, but as my daughter put it, it was unbelievable that two attractive men would vie for Mary’s attention. In the novel, it was perfectly believable.
In addition, there is a plot change that makes no sense, given the times and the extreme wealth of two of Mary’s sisters. I suppose the change—Mary’s determination to be a tutor—is slipped in to give Mary some agency. This is all well and good, but it is the opposite of the way Mary feels in the book, and in the early 1800s, a family of means would never encourage one of their own to be a tutor.
I did finish the television series, and I didn’t totally dislike it, but the book was so much better.
As is usually the case.
Readers, have any of you both read the book and watched the series? If so, I would love to hear your reactions.
Notes From the Hinterland 
I’m going to watch the series soon. I juggle subscriptions and have one that will end soon and requires me to apply myself to catch up on And Just Like That (Sex and the City sequel). Ellen Degeneres once said that for her watching that show was like watching a documentary about the life and habit of exotic colorful birds. It wasn’t an insult, and she was interviewing the stars at the time, and I feel the same way.
I am glad I will be watching before reading.
It is almost the beginning of the golden time here in the garden. Just hints of it appearing with some heleniums starting to open (‘Sahin’s Early Flowerer’; I recommend it.)
So sorry about your heat. Not what I pictured when I imagined living in the Maine that used to be.
I used to attend the Seattle International Film Festival when I lived there. It was wonderful. I saw Tampopo in one of the venues and during the film I thought, Wow, I can smell noodles. When it was over and we emerged into the lobby, a replica of a noodle shop had been set up and the vendor was giving out bowls of savory noodles and broth. I had to catch the last bus so couldn’t eat or mingle but I will never forget the amazing surprise of sight and smell.
Nice to hear from you! I have stopped getting notices of posts from your blog and thought that perhaps you had stopped blogging. If this isn’t the case, then I will check in and resubscribe. Sometimes WordPress, in its infinite wisdom, will unsubscribe me from blogs. Don’t know why. If you watch The Other Bennet Sister, let me know what you think of it if you have the chance. Long ago, I saw Tampopo. A delightful movie. Too bad about those noodles.
Breathtaking colors!
Your evening primroses are stunning! And so darned cheerful!
I think I need a gazebo!
The thing about reading the book first is that you already have a clear picture in your mind of the characters and settings and it seldom jives with the film, so you spend a lot of time shaking your head.
Hi. Have you seen the new Spielberg movie? I saw it a few days ago. Didn’t like it too much. It seemed like a B movie to me, with all kinds of typical chase scenes and stilted dialogue.
Yes, we saw “Disclosure Day” and I felt exactly the same way about it as you did. Disappointing.
Oh, how much I love the colours in your garden.
Thank you, thank you! Jaunty yellow.
So lovely to see the primroses in bloom Laurie and please keep your gazebo pictures coming – it’s simply wonderful 💛 xxx
A-w-w, thanks! The gazebo is our favorite place to be in the summer.
I haven’t read nor watched, but from your review might order the book. 🙂 Sundrops do fill the yard with great cheer, don’t they? I need to thin mine, as they are taking over. Enjoy the film fest!
If you read The Other Bennet Sister, let me know what you think of it if you have the time. Yes, the flowers do have a tendency to take over, but I love them anyway.
Will do, I ordered it from the library right after I read your post. 🙂
Thanks for the review! Maybe I’ll give the “other Bennett sister” a try, although it looks like only the first episode is free on Prime. (We don’t get BritBox.) Have a wonderful time at the film fest!
We signed up for a free seven-day trial on Brit Box. As the episodes are only a half hour, it’s easy to finish the series before the trial ends. Let me know what you think of it if you watch it.
Will do!
Have a wonderful time at the Film Festival! During my decades living in the city always took time out to get happily cross-eyed and mentally enriched when the Sydney Film Festival came on! Oh > just love your flowers . . .
How annoying to have your gas line chewed through.
I remember those Maine summers. Gloriously humidity free, no air conditioning needed.
I miss them as well.
Your flowers are lovely.
Primrose is one plant I don’t have, and I’m not sure why because it is beautiful. I have an orange lily, and I’ve been enjoying it.
The rodent eating the gas line hit close to home. About two years ago, one ate some wires in my truck, and it would start, but I couldn’t steer it. It had to be towed, and I got a hefty bill. Glad your repair was quicker.
I haven’t read the book or watched the series, but your take was interesting, and you are definitely the expert. I can imagine your pulse is quickening about the Maine Film Festival. I hope you all have a wonderful time.
I have yellow primrose too…it IS beautiful when in bloom. I’ll pull some of it out once it’s done blooming, because it’s spreading all over. But I’ll keep some for next year too.
I don’t have enough patience or concentration to watch a series. I don’t know if I have ever watched a series. In fact, I’m not even sure what a series IS!
The primroses do spread but I love them and they are relatively easy to control.
I haven’t read the book or seen the TV series to be honest and not sure I really want to. Enjoy the film festival – ours is coming up next month.
Your yellow blooms are just the thing to see on a grey and rainy winter day.
Those yellow flowers are certainly jaunty.
I concur….book over TV every time!
That seems to be the way it works, at least most of the time.
All fine photographs, Laurie. Susan Hill described April as the yellow month over here. No doubt it will soon be different. I agree with you about books and adaptations. I have not read the book, but did enjoy the TV series in my ignorance.
Though it’s not highbrow literature, the TV adaptions of Inspector Morse actually made Colin Dexter revise the way he wrote the stories.
The garden looks lovely. Sorry to hear about the gas line, rodents can be very annoying.
Well, that the film of a book is usually not as good as the book is a widespread cliché. We suppose it has to do with the reader’s imagination. When reading a book, you are kind of producing an inner film. If your imagination doesn’t fit with the film, you don’t like the adaptation. A good example is “Lenz”, the adaptation of Büchner’s famous novel by Thomas Imbach.
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Yes, yes!
The combination of those cobalt blue pots and yellow flowers is marvelous; that combination of colors always makes me think of van Gogh.
I’d never heard of the book, and don’t have a television, so I can’t comment about that. But, just yesterday, the copy of The Forecast for D-Day by John E. Ross that I ordered arrived. I tried to find a book for Pressure, but couldn’t. The only thing I could find was film/play scripts, but the reviews of the Ross book were excellent, so I decided to read that, and then see the film whenever it comes along on one of the streaming services.
Thank you for sharing this lovely post. I hope you stay cool and enjoy a wonderful time at the film festival. Your reflections on books, nature, and Maine were a pleasure to read. Wishing you a refreshing blogging break!
Many thanks!