Between the Lines: An Education

Thanks to Deivith's generosity, I've been able to read An Education by Lynn Barber, the memoir that inspired the homonymous film, scripted by Nick Hornby. And I hope the movie to be better. Actually the film (supposedly, for I haven't seen it) is based only on one of the chapters of the book. And certainly, it's the most filmic of all. Her experiences in Penthouse would be useful for a The Devil wears Prada remake or an Ugly Betty storyline, but probably little else.

I have to admit I don't like the idea of memoirs unless I worship the rememberer in question. Even lower in my scale are biographies written by other people. To read those, I have to worship and adore the biographee in question (Nicole Kidman's was so illuminating...). And to be honest I had never heard Lynn Barber's name before tearing apart the gift wrapping.

Anyway, the book is never boring, at times it's quite exciting (the two final chapters come to my mind) but it's not something new or literary astonishing. It won't mark the beginning of a new literary wave or be remembered within a century but it's somehow entertaining.

I believe its main flaw is Lynn herself. Maybe in person, she's lovely and we would be best friends forever, but her literary persona is quite unlikable. I don't think any reader could truly identify with herself. Yet she's real.

That's why I don't like memoirs. A fictional character can be more complete and round than a real person, sad as it sounds. As Barber says it, the Simon debacle meant a lot in her life. It meant that after it, she became a completely different person, and the book resents it. When I was reading the last chapters, I couldn't imagine Lynn to be the same, or a "different" same person, than at the beginning of the book.

All in all, I enjoyed the reading and it made me eager to see the film already. And as of now it still doesn't have a release date in our beloved country. Yay!!