Mention Containing Books The Lady in the Van
| Title | : | The Lady in the Van |
| Author | : | Alan Bennett |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | First Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 96 pages |
| Published | : | March 18th 1999 by Profile Books (first published January 1st 1999) |
| Categories | : | Nonfiction. Short Stories. Autobiography. Memoir. Biography. Humor |
Narrative During Books The Lady in the Van
Life imitates art in The Lady in the Van, the story of the itinerant Miss Shepherd, who lived in a van in Alan Bennett's driveway from the early 1970s until her death in 1989. It is doubtful that Bennett could have made up the eccentric Miss Shepherd if he tried, but his poignant, funny but unsentimental account of their strange relationship is akin to his best fictional screen writing.Bennett concedes that "One seldom was able to do her a good turn without some thoughts of strangulation", but as the plastic bags build up, the years pass by and Miss Shepherd moves into Bennett's driveway, a relationship is established which defines a certain moment in late 20th-century London life which has probably gone forever. The dissenting, liberal, middle-class world of Bennett and his peers comes into hilarious but also telling collision with the world of Miss Shepherd: "there was a gap between our social position and our social obligations. It was in this gap that Miss Shepherd (in her van) was able to live".
Bennett recounts Miss Shepherd's bizarre escapades in his inimitable style, from her letter to the Argentinean Embassy at the height of the Falklands War, to her attempts to stand for Parliament and wangle an electric wheelchair out of the Social Services. Beautifully observed, The Lady in the Van is as notable for Bennett's attempts to uncover the enigmatic history of Miss Shepherd, as it is for its amusing account of her eccentric escapades. --Jerry Brotton
Particularize Books In Favor Of The Lady in the Van
| Original Title: | The Lady in the Van |
| ISBN: | 1861971222 (ISBN13: 9781861971227) |
| Edition Language: | English |
Rating Containing Books The Lady in the Van
Ratings: 3.72 From 8437 Users | 620 ReviewsAssessment Containing Books The Lady in the Van
A very strange and oddly beautiful collection of essays about an eccentric homeless woman that the author allowed to live in her van on his property for 20-odd years. There's no sugar-coating, so you see their strange relationship develop over time with its odd intimacies and uncomfortableness, and a kind of affection. It really gives a face and a dignity to the "crazies" you see on the street everywhere in the world. A quick read and worth it.This book was the unlikely topic of conversation with a friend after a few drinks. Slightly dejected, he recounted his guilt over his grandmothers death and wondered if he had done enough as she spiralled into eccentricity. What brought on this rather morose reminiscence I asked, and he mentioned that he had recently seen the movie "The Lady in the Van", and she reminded him a little of his slightly-batty granny.I looked it up when I got home, and seeing that it was based on a book, I promptly
The structure of this book is just . . .off. Basically, there were four distinct sections. The first two had to do with The Lady in the Van. The initial section was entries from Alan Bennett's diary discussing the filming of The Lady in the Van. The next section was more of memoir recounting the time a homeless woman lived in her van on Bennett's property (the actual Lady in the Van story which apparently was made into a stage play and subsequently a movie).Then, those two sections are followed
I dislike rating plays because they are made to be watched, not read. So in reality the book of the play is probably a three star-it is interesting and funny, saddening, heartfelt, completely Bennettesque (of course) and the dialogue is just superb. But it can only really give you so much and there is very little description beyond the staging, which is fair enough, but not quite enough and the way Bennett writes it (I don't feel like I am worthy of calling him Alan) purposefully in that way
I have a Goodreads shelf called British Charm, and one of my favorites from that group is Alan Bennett's The Uncommon Reader, a delightful novella about what would happen if the Queen of England suddenly became an avid reader. My affection for that book inspires me to seek out anything Mr. Bennett writes.Another Goodreader recommended The Lady in the Van, which is a bittersweet play based on a true story. In 1974, Bennett bumped into a woman named Miss Shepherd, who was delusional and living in
This is really just an excerpt from Writing Home which I read many years ago. Since it has been published on it's own, someone in my book group has chosen it for discussion in December so I had another read. The writing is just wonderful and Miss Shepherd is a true eccentric character. She may well have had mental health issues, but she managed to get things organised to suit herself in a very effective way. I expect AB would have said he was just doing things for her to get her off his back but
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