The Line of Beauty
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| Author | Alan Hollinghurst |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Gay, historical novel |
| Publisher | Picador Books |
| Released | 2004 |
| Media Type | Print {Paperback and Hardback) |
| Pages | 300 pp (hardcover edition) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0330483218 (hardcover edition) |
The Line of Beauty is a 2004 history novel by Alan Hollinghurst.
Contents |
[edit] Plot introduction
Setting in early to middle 1980's in United Kingdom, the story surrounds the post-Oxford life of the protagonist, Nick Guest.
[edit] Plot summary
The novel concerns the post-Oxford life of Nick Guest. Nick moves in as the lodger of one of his friends from university, Toby Fedden, whose father, Gerald, has just been elected as a Member of Parliament in the 1983 General Election. While Nick's sexuality develops — falling in love with a black council worker — as he becomes more confident, Gerald fosters an increasingly frantic desire for Margaret Thatcher. Nick finds himself caught in a situation where he is only partially accepted by the family — expected to make up the numbers at dinner and go on holiday with them, but always remaining semi-detached from them. He is not a natural part of the society in which they move, and his sexuality is tolerated only as long as it is hidden: he remains a "guest" for four years.
Hollinghurst has received praise for his portrayal of life among the privileged governing classes during the early to middle 1980s.[1] The book touches upon the emergence of HIV/AIDS, but what is less typical is the relationship between politics and homosexuality, its acceptance within the Conservative Party and mainstream society. The book also looks at the sexual hypocrisy towards homosexuals that straight people often exude regarding promiscuity.
[edit] Awards and nominations
The book won the 2004 Booker Prize.
[edit] Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
The novel was adapted for television by Andrew Davies as a three-part mini-series for BBC Two, broadcast from 17 May 2006. It stars Dan Stevens as Nick Guest, with Hayley Atwell, Tim McInnerny, Alice Krige, Alex Windham, Oliver Coleman, Joseph Morgan, Lydia Leonard, Elize Du Toit, Don Gilet, Kenneth Cranham and Barbara Flynn.
[edit] Sources, references, external links, quotations
[edit] Footnotes
| Preceded by: Vernon God Little |
Man Booker Prize recipient 2004 |
Succeeded by: The Sea |
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