7.2 /10 1 Votes
Country United Kingdom Publication date 1989 ISBN 978-0-7531-5120-4 Originally published 1989 Genre Psychological novel Publisher Duckworth Overlook | 3.6/5 Goodreads Language English Media type Print (Hardcover) Preceded by Watson's Apology Followed by The Birthday Boys | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Adaptations An Awfully Big Adventure (1995) Similar Beryl Bainbridge books, Actor books | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
An Awfully Big Adventure is a novel written by Beryl Bainbridge. It was short listed for the Booker Prize in 1990 and adapted as a movie in 1995. The story was inspired by Bainbridge's own experiences working at the Liverpool Playhouse in her youth.
Contents
Storyline
Set in working-class England right after World War II, the story observes sexual politics amongst a troupe of actors working at a shabby regional playhouse. During a Christmas production of Peter Pan, the play turns into a dark metaphor for youth when Stella Bradshaw, an ambitious teenage girl from the slums of Liverpool, joins the company and gets entangled in the backstage intrigue.
The title is an ironic reference to the original Peter Pan story, in which Peter says "To die will be an awfully big adventure."
Film Adaptation
In 1995, Fine Line Features released a motion picture adaptation starring Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant and then-unknown actress Georgina Cates in the central role. The film was directed by Mike Newell and is one of the only film versions of Bainbridge's works.