The World of Poldark by Emma Marriott
| The World of Poldark by Emma Marriott | |
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| Category: Entertainment | |
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Reviewer: Sue Magee
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| Summary: The 'book of the series', with far more depth than you might have been expecting. A perfect gift for any fan. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 224 | Date: November 2015 |
| Publisher: Macmillan | |
| ISBN: 978-1509813612 | |
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Back in the seventies I watched Poldark on television: it was enjoyable, but I'll confess that if I'd missed an episode it wouldn't have worried me too much. When the gentleman rebel reappeared in 2015 I had no intention of watching, but a friend saw the first episode and said how good it was. I caught up on iPlayer, almost for politeness - and was hooked. It wasn't just the story - but perhaps I'm more in tune with it now that I was forty years ago - it was the quality of the production which kept me watching week after week. When Emma Marriott's book landed on my desk the temptation to 'just have a quick look' proved far too much for me.
I don't usually go for the 'book of the series': I've found far too many of them to be rather disappointing. Either there's nothing new or your cherished ideas about the series are blown to smithereens and both ways there are an awful lot of moody pictures of the stars. The World of Poldark does have a lot of pictures (they are lavish) and Aidan Turner's looks don't harm him at all - he was the perfect choice for Ross Poldark - but there's a lot more depth to the book than you might expect.
There are eight chapters, corresponding to the number of episodes and there's a reminder of what happens in that episode at the beginning of each chapter - so if you've yet to read or watch the DVD and don't want to know what happens you should probably defer having a close look at this book. Just avoid the synopsis in italics at the head of the chapter.
You'll see the care and research which went into the making of the series, which isn't just a remake of the original seventies series. Screenwriter and executive producer debbie Horsfield opted not to watch the original before starting work, but rather to go back to Winston Graham's Poldark novels and work from there. Obviously much of the story is the same but there are subtle differences. Interestingly, Robin Ellis, who played Ross Poldark the first time around has a cameo part as Reverend Halse in this series and it was interesting to see the current series from his point of view.
Each of the main characters is explored in depth along with the history of that part of Cornwall and the time, which was one of deep social unrest. It's all delivered in a very user-friendly way and I found the book very easy reading and gently educational. It's not just the big picture of history which is explored - there's even a piece on popular eighteenth-century gambling games. The behind the scenes information (props, costumes, locations) is interesting too. Some people complained about the way that Ross scythed some long grass, but there were reasons why it was done that way. I was touched too by the farewell to Warren Clarke (who played Charles Poldark) who died not long after his fictional death in the series.
The book neatly bridges the gap between the end of the first series and the start of the next. I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.
We've also been quietly impressed by another book of the series: The Hunt by Alastair Fothergill and Huw Cordey.
You could get a free audio download of The World of Poldark by Emma Marriott with a 30-day Audible free trial at Amazon.co.uk.
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You can read more book reviews or buy The World of Poldark by Emma Marriott at Amazon.com.
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