If you tell a lie – your nose will grow…or so that's what the classic tale of Pinocchio tells us.
That’s the story that Disney’s insanely popular adaptation made us believe in 1940. Disney’s popular adaptation was slightly different from Collodi’s serialized story turned novel. You could note the changes needed to the scenery to release an American film about an Italian Puppet when it hit a theatrical release in 1940. But the most glaring difference? Collodi’s Pinocchio was not a nice boy and had some terrifying interactions with other characters in the story. While they chose to theme adaptation more along the lines of the truth setting you free, Collodi decided to theme the tale more along the lines of the importance of education and the coming-of-age ability to have compassion for others.
At its core, The Adventures of Pinocchio is a book for children, but adults can empathize with the base coming-of-age tale about a boy who understands that he makes mistakes yet continues to make the same ones to his frustration until he gains the author’s core values.
This week, we’re pairing The Adventures of Pinocchio with 2017’s The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. This romance weaves a similar line of mistakes throughout the book pulling at the main character’s frustrations and eluding her opportunity for true happiness.
The Advenutres of Pinocchio
by Collodi, Carlo
Pinocchio is a marionette who aspires to be a real boy but encounters a series of moral dilemmas that keep him from reaching his goals. This classic tale is an unconventional hero's journey, highlighting the importance of integrity and discipline in a world filled with distractions.
Geppetto is an elderly and impoverished carpenter who's gifted with an enchanted piece of wood. He uses it to create a marionette, which he fashions after a young boy, calling him Pinocchio. He quickly learns that Pinocchio can walk, talk and has a brash attitude. His most distinguished feature is his nose, which is prompted to grow whenever the puppet tells a lie. As Pinocchio explores his surroundings, he encounters various characters who attempt to show him the error of his ways.
The Adventures of Pinocchio is one of the most famous books in the world. It's been translated into over 300 languages, selling more than 80 million copies. Its most popular adaptation came in 1940 with the Disney animated film, Pinocchio. Despite the many interpretations, the original maintains the story's core values with greater nuance and depth.
Our Modern Companion - The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses an unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
by Reid, Taylor Jenkins
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
"If you're looking for a book to take on holiday this summer, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo has got all the glitz and glamour to make it a perfect beach read." --Bustle
From the New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & the Six--an entrancing and "wildly addictive journey of a reclusive Hollywood starlet" (PopSugar) as she reflects on her relentless rise to the top and the risks she took, the loves she lost, and the long-held secrets the public could never imagine.
Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?
Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.
Summoned to Evelyn's luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the '80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn's story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique's own in tragic and irreversible ways.
"Heartbreaking, yet beautiful" (Jamie Blynn, Us Weekly), The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is "Tinseltown drama at its finest" (Redbook): a mesmerizing journey through the splendor of old Hollywood into the harsh realities of the present-day as two women struggle with what it means--and what it costs--to face the truth.