Really Good Books That Inspired (Mostly) Good Musicals

Today’s post was inspired (sadly) by the death of Angelica Garnett, the daughter of Vanessa Bell and her lover Duncan Grant (as opposed to Bell’s husband Clive, as Garnett was led to believe until she was seventeen).

Deceived With Kindness: A Bloomsbury Memoir, Angelica Garnett — Finding a copy of Garnett’s difficult, but compelling, memoir in the United States is a bit of a struggle, it’s out of print and used copies are overpriced, but there are loads of options for those in the UK. At any rate, Angelica Garnett has a lot of irritable things to say about the Bloomsbury Group, which, um, does not seem like a great environment for a child, probably. WHICH IS NOTHING about polyamory, mind, it’s more about self-obsession and carelessness and the fact that Angelica wound up marrying one of her biological father’s lovers (no one told her, obvi), who at the time of her birth wrote to a friend: “I think of marrying it. When she is 20, I shall be 46 — will it be scandalous?” At any rate, they had a bunch of ill-fated children, and then her husband wrote a novella which was reasonably steeped in her childhood circumstances called Aspects of Love, which became ASPECTS OF LOVE, the flop-flop-floppy Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. BOOM.

My Sister Eileen, Ruth McKenney — YES. THIS. Okay, so, you’re living in your terrible New York City apartment, and you think “I should totally write a wry, humorous book about my roommate and I and all the colorful characters we meet!” Don’t do that, it’s been done. Ruth McKenney wrote a bunch of autobiographical stories in the New Yorker, which became a play, which became a book, which eventually became WONDERFUL TOWN. Her life did not work out well for her, nor did that of the titular Eileen. If you want to know more about the latter, you’ll want to read Lonelyhearts: The Screwball World of Nathanael West and Eileen McKenney. You actually really do, it’s marvelous.

Les Misérables, Victor Hugo — Hah hah hah hah. NO DUH, right? Oh, I wonder which AMAZING musical that spawned? Hm? Hm? The novel is totally good, I mean, it makes The Phantom of the Opera look pretty weak. It’s tough, though, because you’re saying “ah, what a classic work of French literature. Did I mention I memorized Hugo’s poem Demain, dès l’aube in college, for an assigment?” but you’re thinking “my duty’s TO the law, you have NO RIGHTS, 24601!” and “you know nothing of my life, all I did was steal some bread!” And there’s slash fic. I did not know that until now. The internet is a wonderful thing, isn’t it?

Tales of the South Pacific, James Michener — This is one of those “exotic”-y books that was super well-received at the time, and now you’re not sure whether to give it the side-eye or not (see also: The Good Earth). Happily, Michener is a really good writer, and, much like SOUTH PACIFIC, the incredddddible musical is spawned, it’s dripping with good intentions and attempted usage of the Stick of Righteousness. They’re making a new movie, but it’ll always be the 1958 Technicolor love-in for me.

Don Quixote, Cervantes — People are always saying shit like, oh, you should actually read [very old and dull thing], it’s very funny and does not constantly remind you that you’re reading a seventeenth century novel instead of Shopaholic Takes Manhattan, and they’re usually full of it. But not this time. Not this time. And then, of course, MAN OF LA MANCHA happened.

Matilda, Roald Dahl — OH, did you not know that the London stage is currently being dominated by a musical about your doppleganger, MATILDA? Coming next March to Broadway? You eat that cake, Bruce! Miss Honey, it’s going to be okay! #realtalk: We Are All Matilda.