This photo of Maeve Binchy, clipped from the Globe shortly after her death, hangs above my desk. When I'm stuck, I'll open "Evening Class" to figure out what Maeve might have done.
“Independence? That’s middle class blasphemy. We’re all dependent on each other. Every one of us on earth.”
- George Bernard Shaw
I've been working on a novel for the past few years about a vivacious real estate agent who buys her dream home (actually a crumbling mansion) for her golden years, only to discover her husband's been dreaming with someone else. Rather than do the sensible thing (get an apartment, maybe a cat), she invites a high society outcast, an infirm and icy former exec and a risk-averse single mom to move in with her. I'm inspired by women feisty enough to start over and find family in unconventional situations. Here are some of the books from this particular canon that have inspired me along the way.
1. Maeve Binchy's "Evening Class"
A group of people, all looking for something more in their lives, and all they have in common is their Italian evening class…
The Italian evening class at Mountainview School is like hundreds of others starting up all over the city. But this class has its own special quality – as the focus for the varied hopes and dreams of teacher and pupils alike.
Aidan Dunne needs his new evening class project to succeed almost as much as his pupils do. They too are looking for something more: Bill to find a way to keep spendthrift Lizzie at his side, and Fran to make sure that young Kathy finds her way out from behind the kitchen sink.
The key to their success lies with the Signora. Her passion has drawn her from Ireland to Italy and back home again with a burning desire to share her love of all things Italian – and a secret hidden in her heart… (www.maevebinchy.com)
2. Deborah Moggach's "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" (Originally Published as "These Foolish Things")
Enticed by advertisements for a newly restored palatial hotel and filled with visions of a life of leisure, good weather and mango juice in their gin, a group of very different people leave England to begin a new life in India. On arrival they are dismayed to find the palace is a shell of its former self, the staff more than a little eccentric, and the days of the Raj long gone. But, as they soon discover, life and love can begin again, even in the most unexpected circumstances. (www.deborahmoggach.com)
3.) Frances Mayes "Under the Tuscan Sun"
(Screenplay by Audrey Wells)
Based on Frances Mayes' 1996 memoir of the same name, the film is about a recently divorced writer who buys a villa in Tuscany on a whim, hoping it will lead to a change in her life. (Wikipedia)
4.) The series "The Hot Flash Club" by Nancy Thayer
Meet Faye, Shirley, Marilyn, and Alice, four mature women with different life styles and problems, who meet, eat, and scheme. They help each other, their friends and their grown children. They change clothes, jobs, and men. Their friendship illuminates strengths they never knew they had, and solutions they never would have dreamed of alone. (www.nancythayer.com)
5.) Judy Blume "In the Unlikely Event"
This book isn't a book about women starting over and moving in together, but there is an intergenerational mash-up quality that I love, and I have often turned to Judy Blume for psychic inspiration. I once spent the better part of a vacation in Florida watching the documentary "Makers" , which solidified my admiration for this author. Here's how she summarizes this most recent novel:
When a series of passenger airplanes crashed in Elizabeth, New Jersey within a three-month period in 1951–1952, Judy Blume was a teenager. “These events have lingered in my mind ever since,” says Blume. “It was a crazy time. We were witnessing things that were incomprehensible to us as teenagers. Was it sabotage? An alien invasion? No one knew, and people were understandably terrified.”
Against this background, Blume uses her imagination to bring us the lives of three generations of families, friends, and strangers, who will be profoundly affected by these events, either directly or indirectly. But life goes on and Blume digs deep into her characters—we see them coping not only with grief but with first love, estranged parents, difficult friendships, familial obligations, divorce, career ambitions, a grandparent’s love, a widower’s hope, and everything in between. . . . Most important, In the Unlikely Event is filled with the same warmth and authenticity that have won Blume the hearts and minds of readers of all generations. (www.judyblume.com)
I'm sure I'm missing a few books here. I have a turquoise binder that lives atop my printer where I keep clippings of random photocopies of my favourite bits of dialogue, character descriptions or innovative plot devices. Here are some of the authors whose work lives in this binder: (In no specific order.)
1. John Irving for the intro to "A Prayer for Owen Meany"
2. Zoey Leigh Peterson for many, many parts of "Next Year, For Sure"
3. Zoe Whittall for being a master of emotion in "The Best Kind of People"
4. Alice Munro for her characters in "Dear Life"
5. Nicholas Evans for sexual tension in dialogue in "The Horse Whisperer"
6. Barbara Kingsolver for character description in "Flight Behaviour"
7. Jennifer Weiner for hot sex in "The Next Best Thing"
8. Sandra Barron Rodriguez for physical description in "Stay with Me"
9. Kate Lord Brown for seamless POV switching and POV blending in "The Perfume Garden"
10. Kristin Hannah for tension and atmosphere in "The Nightingale"
Many of my favourite books have in fact been made into films. If I were to match my characters to actors, here are my top picks:
Vivian Osorio- Real Estate Maven/ Misfit Collector Extraordinaire
I want a strong actress with a latino vibe. If I could take Sally Field and blend her wit and grace with Salma Hayek's interpretation of Frida Kahlo, I'd have my Vivian. Nia Vardalos was great in "Greek Wedding". I want her angrier, feistier with all the well meaning bossiness that Vivian needs.
Lily Ravenstein - High society outcast with assets to liquidate
Loved her in Tuscan, loved her in Sideways
Katherine McKinley - This solitary widow has her own reasons for being risk-averse. But love is always a leap into the unknown.
Loved her in "Please Give"
Rita Larsens - Icy & infirm with a heart of gold. She needs friends, though she'd be the last to admit it.
Where to begin? I love Diane Lane.