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Join author Lynn Barber for the discussion of our February Book of the Month.. AN EDUCATION (Tue 23 February 8pm)

9 replies

TillyBookClub · 01/02/2010 11:13

Lynn Barber's memoir, An Education (27 votes), has won our February Book of the Month poll, beating Liz Jenson's The Rapture (25 votes) and Sabrina Broadbent's You Don't Have to Be Good (22 votes).

We'll gather here to discuss the book on Tuesday 23 February, 8-9.30pm.

We're hoping that Lynn will join us for part of the evening and answer questions - will keep you posted.

For those who missed it, here were February's Book of the Month choices (and for anyone new to Bookclub, here's how it works).

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MNHQ

GeraldineMumsnet · 12/02/2010 17:55

Yep, please do. We're hoping (it's not definite yet) that Lynn might be able to join us.

Has anyone read it yet? Think it's safe to say that Lynn wouldn't blanch at bumsex threads on MN.

MNHQ

GeraldineMumsnet · 22/02/2010 22:37

Thanks v much for agreeing to come on, Lynn.

Can I ask how you felt about Nick Hornby writing the screenplay for your book? Did you have any say in the choice of who did it and were you pleased it was Nick?

How closely did you collaborate on the screenplay, if at all?

There seems to be a big nostalgia-fest for the late 50s/early 60s going on culturally at the moment (An Education, A Single Man, Mad Men etc). Do you share that nostalgia?

And what book had the most profound effect on you as a child?

Thanks v much .

MNHQ

GeraldineMumsnet · 23/02/2010 15:51

Hi Lynn, sorry about that. We've removed the link to the biog (we couldn't edit it because not on Mumsnet).

MNHQ

Carriemumsnet · 23/02/2010 20:30

The two parts of the book seem very distinct, the bit that was made into the film and then everything else. I can completely relate to that compartmentalising thing of putting a bad memory away for a long time, but do you think the disastrous affair early on affected the way you related to people for the rest of your life?

Also did the title of the book come easily, or did you agonise over it. Did you have any alternatives?

MNHQ

Carriemumsnet · 23/02/2010 20:36

Completely agree on folks making death sound neat. It's such a shock when you actually watch someone die and it's not like the movies. I still found the end of the book terribly sad, but compelling. Have to admit though I was so relieved that you'd misinterpreted the photo.

MNHQ

GeraldineMumsnet · 23/02/2010 20:50

Thanks for your answers, Lynn.

What do you reckon to Kindles, the iPad etc? Do you think newspapers and mags will manage to survive the next technological shift? And do you think there's still the same appetite among readers for interviews, now that so many people have their own blog, websites etc?

(And do you prefer mags or novels for reading in the bath?)

MNHQ

JustineMumsnet · 23/02/2010 20:54

Hi Lynn, loved the book and the movie too which I saw before reading it. Who was it who spotted the potential of that chapter - had it been separately run in Granta?

It's amazing how Nick Hornby fleshed it out into a movie, I think don't you? You say that you had the nous to put a clause in the contract allowing you to comment over the script. Does that mean there was a lot of to and fro/ revisions then? How long did it take? It must be hard letting someone else do the writing when you're a writer yourself, did you at times just want to grab the thing and re-write it in your own words?

(Thanks so much for coming on).

MNHQ

JustineMumsnet · 23/02/2010 21:03

Thanks very much for coming on, Lynn. Do come back any time you fancy (to answer my question ).

MNHQ

JustineMumsnet · 23/02/2010 21:06

Oh there you go, you came back and answered my question - thank you again! And do stop by any time.

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