Did anyone else read the novel by E. L. Doctorow? I’d be interested in knowing. It’s an excellent, excellent novel, for USAians especially.
Thanks.
One of my favorite alltime novels.
Good read,the movie falls way short except for Cagney.
Yes.
Yes a very good book, and even better is the musical! Saw the touring cast and fell in love with the show, rushed right out and bought the CD
I didn’t think much of the novel, in part because of the praise I had read about it before reading the novel. The story itself was okay, but people have often cited it as a great historical novel, and in that respect it did little for me. It seemed to me that the historical characters in the novel were pretty much added to the novel just for the purpose of creating a historical context, as opposed to making these characters an integral part of the story.
I enjoyed the novel. As it usually happens, when I read the novel first, I’m disappointed in the movie.
I enjoyed the novel very much - the movie a little and the musical very little. I will tell you don’t read the sequel - it is very, very weak.
I didn’t realize there was a sequel.
Ironically, the musical stays much closer to the book than does the movie. It’s ironic how many musicals feature Emma Goldman (RAGTIME, ASSASSINS, ONWARD VICTORIA, just to think of three.)
My favorite moment in the novel is probably Houdini’s show for Lavinia Warren (Tom Thumb’s widow). The siege of the Morgan Library was so authentic seeming and realistic that when I read the book as a teenager I had to look it up in several history books to make sure it didn’t actually happen. (Reading the book greatly helps appreciate the musical, incidentally, especially with understanding how the historical characters interact with the fictional, as well as otherwise throwaway lines like “he never spoke of his wife… never!”.)
Yeah, I believe it’s called Water works, or something similar. It is well below Doctorow’s usual level.
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But at least in my mind, the musical was markedly less able to stand on its own for just those very reasons. I felt that much of the strength of the novel were its mini plots and asides that run throughout the book. The movie pretty much ignores them and the musical assumes that if you have come the musical, hopefully you have read the book, so the asides can make sense. If not you are out of luck. I fortuantely had read the book but people sitting nearby were somewhat in the dark.
I believe the musical tells the story perfecty, and most important the MUSIC is incredible and truely adds a lot to the characters for me. I can never forget Coalhouse and Sarah’s “Wheels of a dream” or the very moving “Make them hear you”. And I love how Emma Goldman was potrayed