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Telling the Pictures
'In Belfast, in 1942, lived Belle, a mill-girl with a gift. Every morning at work, she enthralled people with the story of the film she saw last night'
And as Belle brings magic to the grim rows of looms, a handsome newcomer watches silently, and Juliet meets her Romeo.
Telling the Pictures is a powerful exhibition of sheer storytelling: but in its understanding of injustice, it also defines the prejudices that dominate Belfast life fifty years on.
And as Belle brings magic to the grim rows of looms, a handsome newcomer watches silently, and Juliet meets her Romeo.
Telling the Pictures is a powerful exhibition of sheer storytelling: but in its understanding of injustice, it also defines the prejudices that dominate Belfast life fifty years on.
490 pages, Paperback
Published August 1, 2003
About the author
Frank Delaney
60 books615 followersFrank Delaney was an author, a broadcaster on both television and radio, journalist, screenwriter, playwright, lecturer, and a judge of many literary prizes. Delaney interviewed more than 3,500 of the world's most important writers. NPR called him 'The Most Eloquent Man in the World'. Delaney was born and raised in County Tipperary, Ireland, spent more than twenty-five years in England before moving to the United States in 2002. He lived in Litchfield County, Connecticut, with his wife, writer and marketer, Diane Meier.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 27, 2020
Too many words to tell such a small story. Took along time for anything meaningful to happen. Alot of unnecessary detail.
February 16, 2012
This book starts out more like Beauty and the Beast-where you meet Belle, so sweet and loved by everyone-she sings, and enchants the people and they love her, but it's nothing like Beauty and the Beast.
Belle, is sweet and she is living the dreams of many women in their little town and they love her-mostly they love the fact that she's what they demand her to be, so naive and full of hope. She meets Gene and falls in love with him. Gene, a lapper, is smart, principled and an honest man-but after witnessing something at work-(a boy crying, after being sexually molested) his bosses are quick to get rid of him and they frame him for a murder he did not commit. Meanwhile the women make Belle jealous of Noreen-after she sees her with Gene-and she begins to believe that Noreen is taking him away from her-Belle stabs Noreen to death in front of everyone. The two-Gene and Belle are taken to jail-but though the women and the people in court see that Gene is innocent the jury rules against him and he is to be hang. The Governor here and his wife remind me of Pilate-in the Bible and how he knew Jesus was innocent but still him not taking a stand saw Jesus crucified. The Governor knows Gene is innocent and even though the wife does everything to make them even appeal his case-they are overwhelmed by the people and Gene is hanged. I cried reading this book-for the town in an attempt to keep Belle under their chains destroyed the one true aspect of her which was her love for Gene-they hang him not because he was guilty, but because they were-they were guilty of prejudice and envy, and most of all they knew not what love was and so they killed Gene-but found Belle not guilty-and as the women carried her out of court back to her home-in reading the book you cannot help but feel they carried an empty soul out of that room-and Belle was the Belle she knew no more-rather a puppet-an entertainer-their entertainer.
If people think Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare is sad, they have not read Telling the Pictures...
Belle, is sweet and she is living the dreams of many women in their little town and they love her-mostly they love the fact that she's what they demand her to be, so naive and full of hope. She meets Gene and falls in love with him. Gene, a lapper, is smart, principled and an honest man-but after witnessing something at work-(a boy crying, after being sexually molested) his bosses are quick to get rid of him and they frame him for a murder he did not commit. Meanwhile the women make Belle jealous of Noreen-after she sees her with Gene-and she begins to believe that Noreen is taking him away from her-Belle stabs Noreen to death in front of everyone. The two-Gene and Belle are taken to jail-but though the women and the people in court see that Gene is innocent the jury rules against him and he is to be hang. The Governor here and his wife remind me of Pilate-in the Bible and how he knew Jesus was innocent but still him not taking a stand saw Jesus crucified. The Governor knows Gene is innocent and even though the wife does everything to make them even appeal his case-they are overwhelmed by the people and Gene is hanged. I cried reading this book-for the town in an attempt to keep Belle under their chains destroyed the one true aspect of her which was her love for Gene-they hang him not because he was guilty, but because they were-they were guilty of prejudice and envy, and most of all they knew not what love was and so they killed Gene-but found Belle not guilty-and as the women carried her out of court back to her home-in reading the book you cannot help but feel they carried an empty soul out of that room-and Belle was the Belle she knew no more-rather a puppet-an entertainer-their entertainer.
If people think Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare is sad, they have not read Telling the Pictures...
January 27, 2011
Fantastic story!
A group of Northern Irish mill-workers cannot afford tickets to see a movie every week. They pool their resources and send one of their own -- a young woman of great energy and personality - And at their lunch hour, she stands on the table and all through the week, in episodes scaled to their time away from the machines, reveals the story of the movie they've sent her to see.
Of course, the films live in the imagination and in Belle's eloquent and energetic telling, more vividly than MGM could have ever hoped to create them.
At the center of the book is a love story -- very Romeo and Juliette, between a Catholic boy who works the line, and the brilliant Protestant Belle who captures his heart.
A group of Northern Irish mill-workers cannot afford tickets to see a movie every week. They pool their resources and send one of their own -- a young woman of great energy and personality - And at their lunch hour, she stands on the table and all through the week, in episodes scaled to their time away from the machines, reveals the story of the movie they've sent her to see.
Of course, the films live in the imagination and in Belle's eloquent and energetic telling, more vividly than MGM could have ever hoped to create them.
At the center of the book is a love story -- very Romeo and Juliette, between a Catholic boy who works the line, and the brilliant Protestant Belle who captures his heart.
December 17, 2012
Read it many years ago. Must read again!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews