Jump to content

An Awfully Big Adventure (novel)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

An Awfully Big Adventure
First edition
AuthorBeryl Bainbridge
LanguageEnglish
GenrePsychological Fiction, Theatre-fiction
PublisherDuckworth
Publication date
1989
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
Media typePrint (Hardcover)
ISBN978-0-7531-5120-4
Preceded byWatson's Apology 
Followed byThe Birthday Boys 

An Awfully Big Adventure is a novel written by Beryl Bainbridge. It was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1990[1] and adapted as a movie in 1995. The story was inspired by Bainbridge's own experiences working at the Liverpool Playhouse in her youth.[2] The title is an ironic reference to the original Peter Pan story, in which Peter says "To die will be an awfully big adventure."

Storyline

[edit]

Set in working-class England in 1950,[3] the story observes sexual politics among 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.

Film adaptation

[edit]

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 few film versions of Bainbridge's works.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "An Awfully Big Adventure". Booker Prize Foundation. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  2. ^ Janet Watts (2 July 2010). "Dame Beryl Bainbridge obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  3. ^ People who love people who love somebody else Retrieved 19/6/21.