In seventeenth century amsterdam, an orphaned girl sophia is forcibly married to a rich and powerful merchant cornelis sandvoort an unhappy arrangement that saves her from poverty. Sea fevers scary twist shows that sometimes, even in the face of. In order to cover the expenses they have incurred in hiring a doctor willing to lie and cover up their deception, as well as money they will need to set up a new lives for them selves, jan and sophia get involved in the tulip trade. The book, however, is not particularly about the events of tulip fever.
In researching it, i discovered the tulip mania that had gripped the dutch. About the author deborah moggach is the author of many successful novels including tulip fever and the best exotic marigold hotel, which was made into a topgrossing film starring judi dench, bill nighy and maggie smith. Tulip fever is an interesting examination of the little known time when vast fortunes were both made and lost in the tulip flower bulb industry. Sophia and jan develop an intense attraction, which leads to a torrid affair.
The flowers can make or break futures in an afternoon, and its on this chaotic fluctuation that jan and sophia depend to make their fortune. Jul 01, 2016 tulip fever, the film of deborah moggachs 1999 novel, is released this spring some time later i was asked to take part in a discussion at a film festival. The carer by deborah moggach meet your next favorite book. The plot twists in unexpected ways and is filled with shadowy circumstances. Surprisingly enjoyable book with quite a few twists. As with her other books, this story is exciting, suspenseful, and definitely unique. To celebrate, he commissions a talented young artist to paint him with his young bride. Id love to know how many times the script was rewritten, how many times harvey weinstein slashed the budget, and how many times the film was recut in postproduction. The way the tulip fever which actually did happen in real life is worked into the plot makes no sense at all. Something to hide by deborah moggach penguin books australia. I didnt know the history behind tulip mania in the netherlands. Thanks for exploring this supersummary plot summary of tulip fever by deborah moggach. Tulip fever is the story of how sophia and jan plot to outwit cornelis and run off together.
There are a few unlikely coincidences and ironic plot twists in this novel, which i wont go into for fear of spoiling the plot. It offers curious viewers a very horny, titanicesque forbidden romance, a subplot involving someone pretending to be pregnant for nine months, and then juxtaposes that with indepth sequences about the tulip trade in 1600s amsterdam. Her screenplays include the film of pride and prejudice, which was. Tulips, flowers, and petals play a far greater role in the story than as simply a trading commodity. Jul 09, 2019 a cracking, crackling social comedy, with some brilliant observations about ageing and a devilish plot twist the times from the bestselling author of the best exotic marigold hotel and tulip fever, a deliciously funny, poignant and wry novel, full of surprising twists and turns. Tulip fever is a jangled mess of a film that serves as a classic case of too many creative cooks in the kitchen. A modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, supersummary offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics.
The following version of the novel was used to create this study guide. The sins of lust, greed, and vanity combine with a destructive force in the novel tulip fever by deborah moggach. Hillingdon libraries deborah moggach, author of the carer. She is the prize he desires, the woman he hopes will bring him the joy that not even his considerable fortune can buy. Three lives are changed forever when sophia begins an affair with an attractive, young painter despite her better judgement. From the bestselling author of the best exotic marigold hotel and tulip fever, a deliciously funny, poignant and wry novel, full of surprising twists and turns. The plot moves quickly, things are hinted at and passed over but relevant later.
Written by deborah moggach, i felt the book had all the makings of a crime fiction shakespeare in love funny, witty, and ironic, but with a great james m. The plot is sound but the prose are selfindulgent and a bit add. Deborah moggach is the author of many successful novels including tulip fever and the best exotic marigold hotel, which was made into a topgrossing film starring judi dench, bill nighy and maggie smith. Gripped in tulip fever, the amsterdam of 1636 uses bulbs as a. Id love to know how many times the script was rewritten, how many times harvey weinstein slashed the budget, and how many tulip fever is a jangled mess of a film that serves as a classic case of too many creative cooks in the kitchen. While comparisons are often made between the tulip crash of 1637 and the stock markets plunge in 1929, reading a fictional account of the craze was quite informative. When sophia unwisely falls for the debtladen artist, everything seems nicely set up for some intense domestic doubledealing, but director chadwick drowns the narrative in a torrent of subplots. Moggach, deborah, tulip fever, the dial press, december 18, 2007. A tale of art, beauty, lust, greed, deception and retribution set in a refined society ablaze with tulip fever.
Mar 14, 2000 tulip fever by deborah moggach, 9780099288855, available at book depository with free delivery. Although moggach, a wellknown tv writer and prolific novelist in her native britain, has published here before, this book, a bestseller at home last year, is the one that is likely to be her breakout. Like the scales of a precious tulip bulb, sophias life story is peeled away by the. It takes place in the netherlands in the 17th century when the inflated speculation in tulip bulbs is in full bloom. Considered a flop weekend at the box office due to an expected.
Author deborah moggach will join us for a livestream interview on hillingdon libraries facebook page to give you behindthescenes secrets from the writing of her latest novel, the carer which is currently available as a free audio loan for all library members. It shows through the story of how our insatiable needs can lead to horrible consequences. Then, if youre like me, youll gasp as the consequences reverberate into the various characters fates, positions, wealth, and lives. It stars an ensemble cast featuring alicia vikander, dane dehaan, jack oconnell, holliday grainger, tom hollander, matthew morrison, kevin mckidd, douglas hodge, joanna scanlan, zach galifianakis, judi dench, and. Sophias wealthy husband, cornelis, commissions a young painter, jan, to paint a portrait of him and his wife. Summaries an artist falls for a young married woman while hes commissioned to paint her portrait during the tulip mania of seventeenth century amsterdam. A cracking, crackling social comedy, with some brilliant observations about ageing and a devilish plot twist the times. The novels title suggests the historical phenomenon that may aid the illicit pair. Tulip fever manages to bloom among the weeds the mesa press. Many plot twists followed this, as they do with such things, but finally sixteen. There are numerous, ridiculous twists that tulip fever delivers with a completely straight face, and its all dressed up with a moody not your usual period film look. But as the portrait grows, so does the passion between sophia and the. A story of love, deceit, changelings, and mistaken identity worthy of a restoration dramatist. This is a passage from the book that describes what i love about dutch paintings of the 17th century.
Jasmyne rose tzitziras polkinghorne i just got to this part in the book. Sep 20, 2017 based on the novel by deborah moggach, set during the tulip craze in 17th century amsterdam, tulip fever, directed by justin chadwick, was not only romantic, but engaging and surprisingly suspenseful with plot twists to keep a seemingly predictable storyline interesting and exciting. Turn the paintings round and enjoy their beauty, for they shall outlast us all, writes cornelis in his final note. Despite sophias efforts to avoid falling in love with jan, the two begin an affair. However there are many surprising twists and turns in this novel, with a very clever final denouement that cant be anticipated. In amsterdam during the 1630s, fortunes were made and lost speculating on tulips. It tells the true story of how people bet on the futures of tulip bulbs. Deborah moggach is the author of nineteen successful novels including the bestselling tulip fever. Harvey weinstein on the challenge of growing tulip fever. Adding a twist to the story, sophia and her lover decide to run away together, using sophias faked death in childbirth as their cover. This was well written but the plot didnt hold up though the book started so well. Once maria gives birth, then maria will be able to be with the baby, but of course i see about twelve holes in this plan right here.
Score a book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. In the novel tulip fever by deborah moggach, sophia sandvoort and an artist named jan van loos meet when the artist is hired to paint a portrait of sophia and her elderly husband, cornelis. It is a book about how far one is apt to go in pursuit of love veiled as redemption. The count of monte cristo published by penguin books limited on 20030424 genres. An artist falls for a young married woman while hes commissioned to paint her portrait during the tulip mania of seventeenth century amsterdam. Apr 18, 2000 gripped in tulip fever, the amsterdam of 1636 uses bulbs as a trading commodity, their value based on rareness of color and singularity of bloom. Worst of all, the way the scenes plays out, one has the impression that amsterdam was the most peoplecongested place on earth, and literally in a party mode all the time. Review of the black tulip by alexandre dumas good books.
A cracking, crackling social comedy, with some brilliant observations about ageing and a devilish plot twist the times from the bestselling author of the best exotic marigold hotel and tulip fever, a deliciously funny, poignant and wry novel, full of surprising twists and turns. Nov 03, 2016 tulip fever is a story infused with metaphor and imagery laced through a time in dutch history when the tulip was more valuable than gold. Tulip fever is a 2017 historical romantic drama film directed by justin chadwick and written by deborah moggach and tom stoppard, adapted from moggachs 1999 novel of the same name. Tulip fever amsterdam in the 17 th century was a time when commerce was king and the sale of tulip bulbs made some people very rich and others bankrupt. Dec 05, 2019 the carer is a book that helps us understand what it is to be a parent or a child, whatever our age, and deborah moggach teachers us to understand ourselves just as much as her characters. But tulip fever reveals itself to be so nutty because it explicitly believes its not crazy, rambling through its odd events and obsessions without an ounce of 17th. This is the setting for tulip fever by deborah moggach, when rembrandt and vermeer painted some of the mostrecognised art of our time.
It was a true noir that just happened to take place in 1634 amsterdam with a great hook. Everything is riding on this and i can see it all going terriblmore i just got to this part in the book. The event was at the empire leicester square the very cinema where, some years before, my thenboyfriend, the cartoonist mel calman, had suffered a heart attack and died as we were. Some months later, in 1998, i was asked to give a talk about adapting books into films. Gripped in tulip fever, the amsterdam of 1636 uses bulbs as a trading commodity, their value based on rareness of color and singularity of bloom. But the books excels in terms of plot and settingevery little nuance of 17thcentury amsterdam is described in deep detail. In 1630s amsterdam, tulipomania has seized the populace. Hillingdon libraries deborah moggach, author of the. A sensual tale of art, lust, and deceptionnow a major motion picture in 1630s amsterdam, tulipomania has seized the populace. Tulip fever by deborah moggach penguin books australia. Sophias husband cornelis, an ageing merchant, is among those grown rich from this exotic new flower. Jul 11, 2019 a cracking, crackling social comedy, with some brilliant observations about ageing and a devilish plot twist the times. There are lies, secrets, betrayals, and plot twists that keep the reader totally immersed. From the bestselling author of the best exotic marigold hotel, tulip fever is now rejacketed along with the rest of deborah moggachs books in gorgeous.
From the bestselling author of the best exotic marigold hotel and tulip fever, a deliciously funny, poignant and wry novel, full of surprising twists and turns james is getting on a bit and needs fulltime help. Its a great read and easy to see why it will make for an intriguing movie. Tulip fever by deborah moggach 9781784700805 booktopia. I felt the book had all the makings of a crime fiction shakespeare in lovefunny, witty, and ironic, but with a great james m. Rather like postbellum paper railroads in america, speculation on tulip futures was intense, frenzied, full of graft and greed, and, ultimately, largely built of nothing but grandiose dreams and. An prosperous elderly merchant rescues a beautiful young woman from an orphanage and gives her a wonderful life as his wife. Tulip fever has been recently adapted into a film, which i saw recently. This simple drama does scatter in historical events and social behaviors of the time. The deft switching of viewpoints and each chapter is a single voice, sophia, cornelis, jan the painter, maria their servant and willem marias lover allows for a new take on each situation. To give an indication of its drama, steven spielberg has already bought the movie. But while i loved the unique setting and enjoyed all the factoids i learned, in the end i was disappointted to find that tulip fever was.
Seven booktofilm adaptations you must see this year. Apr 10, 2001 a tale of art, beauty, lust, greed, deception and retribution set in a refined society ablaze with tulip fever. Tulip fever is a 1999 novel by british author deborah moggach, set in. While sophia cavorts with the artist in his garret, her maid has been dallying with a fishmonger in the scullery. Tulip fever tells the tale of sophia, a young woman in 17th century amsterdam, married to a much older man. Everywhere men are seduced by the fantastic exotic flower. Aug 31, 2017 written by deborah moggach, i felt the book had all the makings of a crime fiction shakespeare in love funny, witty, and ironic, but with a great james m. Many plot twists followed this, as they do with such things, but fi. But for wealthy merchant cornelis sandvoort, it is his young and beautiful wife, sophia, who stirs his soul. The characters were generally well developed and you got the feel for tulip fever but the plot became unbelievable and plain daft. So phoebe and robert, his middleaged offspring, employ mandy, who seems willing to. Apr 28, 2010 the black tulip by alexandre dumas also by this author. In seventeenth century amsterdam, an orphaned girl sophia is forcibly married to a rich and powerful merchant cornelis. May 19, 2007 d eborah moggach is perhaps best known for her novel tulip fever 1999, about a romance between an artist and his sitter in 17thcentury holland.
With this one display of vanity begins the twisting plot of a moral fable that dooms. Seventeenthcentury amsterdam is a city in the grip of tulip mania, basking in the wealth it has generated. Author deborah moggach will join us for a livestream interview on hillingdon libraries facebook page to give you behindthescenes secrets from the writing of her latest novel, the carer which is currently available as. Tulip fever manages to bloom among the weeds the mesa. Novels that shock the reader with unexpected plot twists and surprise endings. There are numerous, ridiculous twists that tulip fever delivers with a completely straight face, and its all dressed up with a moody not your. Shortly thereafter, sophia is caught up in pretending to be dead so that she can be with her lover. Tulip fever by deborah moggach book club discussion. A simulated pregnancy and the citys tulipmania are essential elements in the scheme, as are sophias. Her screenplays include the film of pride and prejudice, which was nominated for a bafta. Its a wellwritten novel, but the story is simply told at the same time.
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