The fact that we need to talk about kevin supplies its firsttime. We need to talk about kevin is the 8th novel by lionel shriver. Its important to book and film that kevin be a monster from the getgo, but seeing that actually. Discover book depositorys selection of the best books online for every book club. The format is a series of letters written by eva khatchadourian to her absent husband, franklin, which are a sort of analytical reminiscence about their lives before the arrival of their. We need to talk about kevin by lionel shriver 18aug2011 paperback. We need to talk about kevin questions and answers discover the community of teachers, mentors and students just like you that can answer any question you might have on we need to talk. It is written from the first person perspective of the teenage killers mother, eva khatchadourian, and documents her attempt to come to terms with her son kevin and the murders he committed, as told in a series of letters from eva to her husband. John mullan on how lionel shrivers we need to talk. What do eva and franklin sacrifice in order to have children.
Full disclosure we need to talk about kevin is disturbing, and it will not leave you with warm fuzzies of any kind. We need to talk about kevin is a cautionary tale about motherhood and should be read before one decides to take the big step. We need to talk about kevin by lionel shriver harper perennial, paperback, 9780062119049, november 2011, 432pp. Its always a challenge for a novelist to take on frontpage events. We need to talk about kevin is easily one of the most harrowing films ive ever seen and left me completely empty. This summary of we need to talk about kevin includes a complete plot overview spoilers included. We need to talk about kevin study guide contains a biography of lionel shriver, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Readers follow a series of letters written by eva khatchadourian to her husband, franklin, over the twoyear period since their 15yearold son was sentenced to a. Director lynne ramsays new film, we need to talk about kevin, returns again and again to phillipss song as it examines the relationship between eva. Lynne ramsey succeeds where so many others dealing with a similar subject matter have failed, as she abstains from sensationalism and bloody detail. The author, lionel shriver, is an american journalist who currently resides in the united kingdom with her husband. I also found in how eva, the mothers character was drawn it was only sufficient to prop the drama rather than really explore and delve into the horror which led to kevin s actions.
I finished the book last week and while reading it i was swaying between boredom and disbelief. It is our intent and purpose to foster and encourage indepth discussion about all things related to books. We need to talk about kevin by lionel shriver mount prospect. Im really not much of a movie buff at all, so im not a good critic in terms of what makes a movie good or bad. Eva struggles with her lack of ready emotion when kevin is first placed in her arms and with the subsequently. Readers questions about we need to talk about kevin.
The movie, based on a 2003 novel by lionel shriver, follows eva tilda swinton, the. I dare say, we need to talk about kevin is powerfully written. We need to talk about kevin alternate upc jan 1, 20. Bookclub, lionel shriver we need to talk about kevin bbc radio 4. So you get on here and you talk to somebody whos really good in their. Lionel shriver joins james naughtie and a studio audience to discuss her book we need to talk about kevin, a novel about an unloved son who grows up to. Tilda swinton, in a bracing, tourdeforce performance, plays the mother, eva, as she contends for 15 years with the increasing malevol. We cling to guidelines like the length of tilda swinton s hair to figure out where we are. Discussion of we need to talk about kevin online book clubs. Many book clubs have sprung up to connect readers during social.
We need to talk about kevin official uk tv spot kevin we need to talk about kevin tv ad kevin. But i still have this one questionwhat is this trial that eva went through where she lost her house etc. We need to talk about kevin by lionel shriver and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. She cannot potty train or exert any kind of control over kevins bowel movements. The first tuesday book club like to read, like to chat about it. In april 1999, drew barrymore had never been kissed, cher told everyone to believe, and two kids shot up a high school in columbine, colorado. Directed by lynne ramsay, we need to talk about kevin is fragments of time, jagged and confusing, lurching around inside her mind. I couldnt wait for it to be over, so disturbing was its terrain. The impossible question of we need to talk about kevin. We need to talk about kevin 2011, directed by lynne ramsay, is a film set in new york from 1900s2001 about a woman, eva katchadourian, who encounters her past life elliptically leading up to her sons massacre. An audience of readers found plenty to discuss in lionel shrivers we need to talk about kevin, says john mullan.
Not beatingthekids bad, but neglectful, cold, selfcentered. We meet monthly at members houses or local venues and books are selected via a rotating roster. The film follows eva, a woman reflecting on the troubled upbringing of her son, kevin, a boy that grew to become a dangerously sociopathic teen. We need to talk about kevin a fabulous book that every parent should read. To me, the most heartbreaking scene is the very last scene. Ive had this book on my shelf for a while, and when a booktuber i follow selected it as the january pick for her online book club, i thought id read along. These book discussion questions are highly detailed and will ruin plot points, if you have not read the book.
A suspenseful and gripping psychological thriller, lynne ramsays we need to talk about kevin explores the fractious relationship between a mother and her evil son. We need to talk about kevin was painful to readlisten to. The book is also written from the perspective of her sending the letters after the school massacre so it could skewer how their relationship was prior to that point. Spoilers just watched we need to talk about kevin for. One such director is lynne ramsay, showing with we need to talk about kevin, how she can masterfully carry the weight of a heavy subject in order to deliver an incredible narrative.
Find out why this is a great book for your book club discussion. We need to talk about kevin author wonders why anyone. I find i both cant, and dont want to, iterate the ending. We need to talk about kevin 2011 we need to talk about. We need to talk about kevin pt 01 dailymotion video. Reading guide for we need to talk about kevin by lionel.
Review we need to talk about kevin the cinema cult. For the most part, the narrator eva talks about kevin, why she decided to have him, what it was like to raise him, and examine the ways in which she failed as a mother and a wife. After you see we need to talk about kevin finally opening on. The first episode featured kevin nguyen talking about his debut. Well, its pretty selfexplanatory, yet eva sure takes her sweet time talking about kevin, doesnt she. American dirt, identity politics, and the art of fiction. Were considering expanding this synopsis into a fulllength study guide to deepen your comprehension of the book and why its important. I thought it made sense not to have thursday come after tuesday, because once there was a generic for a school. We need to talk about kevin is a 2003 novel by lionel shriver, published by serpents tail, about a fictional school massacre. Reading these comments has helped me understand the movie a bit better. The film moves without any pattern between past, present and who knows when. By contrast, american writer lionel shriver we need to talk about kevin has long defended the idea that authors should be free to try on. Where we need to talk about kevin goes awry is kevin himself, whose domestic interactions with his mother mainly involve him giving the stanley kubrick glower from the shining and full metal jacket.
If you are already a parent, this book will make you count your blessings but if you have yet to become one, bewarethis book will scare the hell out of you and could quite possibly reduce your eggsperm supply just by reading it. But the early teasers for the film made it look almost like a comedy as. We need to talk about kevin is an eyeopening novel from lionel shriver that might change your answer to that question. She is a writer, known for we need to talk about kevin 2011, the book quiz 2007 and sky news tonight 2014. We need to talk about kevin by lionel shriver first published. The struggle, in the beginning, is offset by the spectacular ending. She is unable to extend any influence over kevins masturbatory habits. Nonmaternal, ambivalent mothers are one of the last taboos and eva is a prime example. We need to talk about kevins abject mother bitch flicks. We need to talk about kevin i havent read the book, but i watched the movie last night.
No one says this if youre getting a raise or going on a family vacation. On a deeper level, the novel is about a mothers love and if a mothers love can influence a persons upbringing. It is written from the first person perspective of the teenage killers mother, eva khatchadourian, and documents her attempt to come to terms with her son kevin and the murders he committed, as told in a series of. The mother of an incarcerated teenager who murdered seven of his fellow high school students tells of his upbringing and her own shortcomings in a series of letters to her estranged husband. We need to talk about kevin won the orange prize, now known as the womens prize for fiction.
We need to talk about kevin expands to more theaters this week. And she and her husband never actually talk about kevin. The book is titled, we need to talk about kevin but we never do, not really. Analysis of we need to talk about kevin 841 words 4 pages. Spoilers just watched we need to talk about kevin for the first time. Lionel shriver was born on may 18, 1957 in gastonia, north carolina, usa as margaret ann shriver.
Like many of you, when i love a book, im a wee bit sad when i finish. If you have a child and you dont want to, heshe might become a mass murderer so better mind your own business and stay childless. In each video i will also showcase the next 2 months book club picks. We need to talk about kevin is a searing and complex look at the reasons couples decide to have children, the parentchild relationship, marriage, and the limits of love and loyalty. We need to talk about kevin challenges the notion of the ideal nuclear family and suggests that lack of communication and failure to express feelings to one another may be part of the cause of problems within the average family. The scene i am referring to is last scene where tilda swintons character, eva, finally has a breakthrough with kevin. The discussion that follows that phrase is almost guaranteed not to be easy. In we need to talk about kevin, eva refuses or is unable to exert this maternal authority in order to keep kevins body clean. We need to talk about kevin introduction we need to talk, isnt a phrase you want to hear from anyone, whether its a parent, a partner, or your boss.
112 1354 1255 54 1553 583 1636 913 1078 1670 466 444 1247 998 346 296 717 1099 1399 279 1476 1456 1608 742 58 250 514 295 1262 1413 972 1203 459 665 1476 825 931 41 54 12 195 670 985