GROUP READ for September 2013 - Laura by Vera Caspary (NO SPOILERS!)

Laura

This is an old mystery, so let's try not to post any spoilers.

If you've not seen the movie, it's a MUST!


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_%281944_film%29

Who's with me? :)

I have read the book already, so I won't be joining in, but I'm so excited that this group read exists! And I second fuzzi -- the movie is fabulous!

Yeah, love the movie! Gene Tierney is fantastic.

I've got my copy and I am really looking forward to this book. I love the old classic mysterys!

Me too, DQ. I have also read another 'oldie', The Big Sleep, which was a great movie as well!


...ahhh, Bacall and Bogart...

I may take it with me on our vacation in September. We'll be driving a lot, but there'll be down time in the motel every evening, and I don't care to watch TV. :)

I'll be joining in September too! At first, I thought I wouldn't because there's no copy in our local libraries or bookstores and there's no e-book version available in Canada. However, on our way to a friend's cottage this weekend, we passed a used bookstore that by chance had a copy! It's really musty smelling as it was buried in a box in the store's basement so I'm trying to air it out now.

@mathgirl40, glad you're joining us!

I've aired out musty books in different ways:

If you have a gas oven, open the book so the pages are fanned, put it on the oven rack and shut the door. The minimal heat from the pilot light dries out the mold, removing the musty smell.

If you don't have a gas oven, find a table or surface near an air conditioner or heater or even by a fan. Keep the book as open as you can.

I've used both methods to de-must books, though the oven worked best.

Thanks, fuzzi! I'm trying the air-conditioning vent right now.

If anyone who is reading Laura in September also participates in the TIOLI Challenges, I've listed Laura in Challenge #13.

Edited - Trust me to have written down the wrong challenge nbr. is it correct now.

I have finished reading Laura, and my review has been posted.

Good review, fuzzi. I'm about two-thirds of the way through and enjoying the novel so far. Even though I'm a big fan of mystery novels, I've not read much in the American hardboiled genre and would like to read more.

Is anyone else reading Laura this month?

I am hoping to get to Laura, it will probably be the next book I pick up.

I have finished Laura and thought it was fantastic, although I was a little surprised that the simple, slight change in the character of Laura from the book to the film made such a difference in how I perceived both Lauras.

I was also surprised that the author chose to honor The Woman In White through the pages of Laura as well. From the varied viewpoints, to Waldo Lydecker being so like Count Fosco, to the use of the name Laura. I thought this was really cool.

Now I am ready for a big bowl of popcorn and a viewing of the movie!

Wow, I never picked up on that homage! My copy of the book has an afterword so maybe I should read that.

What caught my eye first was the description and the character of Waldo Lydecker. He is very different from Clifton Webb, the actor who played him in the film who is on the thin side. In the book Lydecker is described as being big and overweight.

I finished the book a week ago and just posted my review in my main challenge thread. I enjoyed both the book and the movie, but there were aspects of the book I particularly liked, such as the changes in perspective and the deeper exploration of the relationships between Laura and each of the men.

Judy, I was also struck by the differences between the Lydecker of the book and the Lydecker of the movie! Also, I've not read Woman in White and did not notice the references but I do hope to read this classic one day.