What do you think?
Rate this book
The Piano
In the award-winning film The Piano, writer/director Jane Campion created a story so original and powerful it fascinated millions of moviegoers. This novel stands independent of the film, exploring the mysteries of Ada's muteness, the secret of her daughter's conception, the reason for her strange marriage and the past lives of Baines and Stewart.
215 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
32 people are currently reading
2187 people want to read
About the author
Jane Campion
22 books49 followersCampion was born in Wellington, New Zealand, the daughter of Edith, an actress, and Richard Campion, a theater and opera director.[1] She graduated in Anthropology from Victoria University in 1975, and with a painting major at the Sydney College of the Arts in 1979. She started making films in the early eighties at the Australian Film Television and Radio School.
Her first short film, Peel (1982) won the Short Film Palme d'Or at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival, and other awards followed for the shorts Passionless Moments (1983) and Girls Own Story (1984). Sweetie (1989) was her feature debut, and won international awards. Further recognition followed with An Angel at my Table (1990), an autobiographical and psychological portrayal of the poet Janet Frame. International recognition followed with another Palme d'Or at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival for The Piano,[2] which won the best director award from the Australian Film Institute and an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1994. At the 66th Academy Awards, she was the second woman ever to be nominated best director.
Campion's work since that time has tended to polarize opinion. The Portrait of a Lady (1996), based on the Henry James novel, featured Nicole Kidman, John Malkovich, Barbara Hershey and Martin Donovan. Holy Smoke! (1999) teamed Campion again with Harvey Keitel, this time with Kate Winslet as the female lead. In the Cut (2003), an erotic thriller based on Susanna Moore's bestseller, provided Meg Ryan an opportunity to depart from her more familiar onscreen persona.
Campion was an executive producer for the 2006 documentary Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story.
She has a daughter named Alice (b. 1993).
Her first short film, Peel (1982) won the Short Film Palme d'Or at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival, and other awards followed for the shorts Passionless Moments (1983) and Girls Own Story (1984). Sweetie (1989) was her feature debut, and won international awards. Further recognition followed with An Angel at my Table (1990), an autobiographical and psychological portrayal of the poet Janet Frame. International recognition followed with another Palme d'Or at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival for The Piano,[2] which won the best director award from the Australian Film Institute and an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1994. At the 66th Academy Awards, she was the second woman ever to be nominated best director.
Campion's work since that time has tended to polarize opinion. The Portrait of a Lady (1996), based on the Henry James novel, featured Nicole Kidman, John Malkovich, Barbara Hershey and Martin Donovan. Holy Smoke! (1999) teamed Campion again with Harvey Keitel, this time with Kate Winslet as the female lead. In the Cut (2003), an erotic thriller based on Susanna Moore's bestseller, provided Meg Ryan an opportunity to depart from her more familiar onscreen persona.
Campion was an executive producer for the 2006 documentary Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story.
She has a daughter named Alice (b. 1993).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 226 reviews
September 21, 2025
Jane Campion's "The Piano" is one of my favorite movies, period.
Yes, I saw the film in 1993 when I was a very wee kid. I have seen the film over 20 times in a period of 30+ years. I wore out the soundtrack over and over again too. Michael Nyman's score is one of the most gorgeous and somber out there.
I even talked a relative into purchasing the screenplay for me where I would be drawn to the power of dialogue and the art of film directions, exposing me to a world of how film and art converge.
I also remember buying this novelization at a mall bookstore in 1996 (still obsessed with this film then and now!) and reread it recently as an adult because I wanted to revisit Ada’s world. It definitely isn’t pretty.
I fell in love with the eerie and highly original erotic fairy tale that has become part of cinematic world history. Starring Holly Hunter and Anna Paquin in remarkable Oscar winning performances for Best Actress and Supporting Actress; and supported by Harvey Keitel (one of his best roles) and Sam Neill.
Campion's dark fairy tale is about Ada, a mute woman living with her daughter Flora who are sent to New Zealand as a mail order bride for the selfish, and insensitive (to say the least) Alasdair Stewart.
Along the way, Ada meets their neighbor George Baines, an Englishman from Hull who has "gone native" with the Maoris. His gaze becomes the erotic white heat that will permeate the rest of the story.
But of course, the key to understanding Ada's mind is through the piano she plays as a way of communicating as she communicates with sign language to illustrate her muteness.
The novel expands on how her daughter, Flora was born- the lovechild with her piano teacher, the cowardly Delwar Haussler in Scotland. Fearing commitment as well as possible scorn from her protective father McGrath- Ada is ultimately set up in an arranged marriage to Stewart by him, and sent to New Zealand to a new life out in the wilderness.
Ada even wonders, "if all men were cowardly when pushed" (208). This sets the tone of which all the men Ada has met are not to be trusted: either she will be given away because she’s marked as othered; or that since she doesn’t speak, and follow conventional women’s gender roles.
The book illustrates flashbacks that the film only alluded to and it makes sense as to how Ada's muteness is part of her strength of dealing with the trauma inflicted on her by all the men in her life: Delwar's abandonment; McGrath sending her to New Zealand; Stewart's insensitivity of her need to have the piano, Baines at first being lecherous to use Ada for sex, and ultimately grows to understand her need to play to communicate.
The film is part of cinematic history: Aside from the three Oscars it won, it also won Best Film and Actress at the Cannes Film Festival, and Ms. Campion became the first woman to win Best Director at Cannes, the second woman to get an Oscar nomination for Best Director. She has since won a second Oscar in 2021 for "The Power of the Dog".
For me, Ada remains one of the most stoic film creations out there. Abandoned by her lover, father; victimized by Baines and Stewart, and betrayed by her daughter, she remains self-possessed enough to understand that she will not yield and is completely in control of her decisions.
This sensitive novelization by Campion and Kate Pullinger is a further exploration that tackles only what's alluded in the enduring film.
The result is an unsettling, imaginative erotic novel that is eerie and lush, a work of art with feminist themes that will later be found and continued in later Campion films that came after "The Piano".
Yes, I saw the film in 1993 when I was a very wee kid. I have seen the film over 20 times in a period of 30+ years. I wore out the soundtrack over and over again too. Michael Nyman's score is one of the most gorgeous and somber out there.
I even talked a relative into purchasing the screenplay for me where I would be drawn to the power of dialogue and the art of film directions, exposing me to a world of how film and art converge.
I also remember buying this novelization at a mall bookstore in 1996 (still obsessed with this film then and now!) and reread it recently as an adult because I wanted to revisit Ada’s world. It definitely isn’t pretty.
I fell in love with the eerie and highly original erotic fairy tale that has become part of cinematic world history. Starring Holly Hunter and Anna Paquin in remarkable Oscar winning performances for Best Actress and Supporting Actress; and supported by Harvey Keitel (one of his best roles) and Sam Neill.
Campion's dark fairy tale is about Ada, a mute woman living with her daughter Flora who are sent to New Zealand as a mail order bride for the selfish, and insensitive (to say the least) Alasdair Stewart.
Along the way, Ada meets their neighbor George Baines, an Englishman from Hull who has "gone native" with the Maoris. His gaze becomes the erotic white heat that will permeate the rest of the story.
But of course, the key to understanding Ada's mind is through the piano she plays as a way of communicating as she communicates with sign language to illustrate her muteness.
The novel expands on how her daughter, Flora was born- the lovechild with her piano teacher, the cowardly Delwar Haussler in Scotland. Fearing commitment as well as possible scorn from her protective father McGrath- Ada is ultimately set up in an arranged marriage to Stewart by him, and sent to New Zealand to a new life out in the wilderness.
Ada even wonders, "if all men were cowardly when pushed" (208). This sets the tone of which all the men Ada has met are not to be trusted: either she will be given away because she’s marked as othered; or that since she doesn’t speak, and follow conventional women’s gender roles.
The book illustrates flashbacks that the film only alluded to and it makes sense as to how Ada's muteness is part of her strength of dealing with the trauma inflicted on her by all the men in her life: Delwar's abandonment; McGrath sending her to New Zealand; Stewart's insensitivity of her need to have the piano, Baines at first being lecherous to use Ada for sex, and ultimately grows to understand her need to play to communicate.
The film is part of cinematic history: Aside from the three Oscars it won, it also won Best Film and Actress at the Cannes Film Festival, and Ms. Campion became the first woman to win Best Director at Cannes, the second woman to get an Oscar nomination for Best Director. She has since won a second Oscar in 2021 for "The Power of the Dog".
For me, Ada remains one of the most stoic film creations out there. Abandoned by her lover, father; victimized by Baines and Stewart, and betrayed by her daughter, she remains self-possessed enough to understand that she will not yield and is completely in control of her decisions.
This sensitive novelization by Campion and Kate Pullinger is a further exploration that tackles only what's alluded in the enduring film.
The result is an unsettling, imaginative erotic novel that is eerie and lush, a work of art with feminist themes that will later be found and continued in later Campion films that came after "The Piano".
November 15, 2009
I was sure this book would be one of my all-time favorites because I absolutely love the movie. However, the writing style (I believe it's called the 'passive voice'?) kept me at an emotional distance from the story unlike the movie, which was intensely passionate. It was my visual memories of Holly Hunter, Anna Paquin, Harvey Keitel and Sam Neill that kept me engrossed in the written story. I did appreciate that the book delved into Ada's past, telling the story of why she does not speak. I also thought it interesting how Ada's will is portrayed as an almost separate being, surprising even Ada at times throughout the story. In the case of The Piano, I would break my very strict rule and suggest seeing the movie first and then reading the book.
May 4, 2011
This is a novelization of a remarkable movie about a mute woman handed over in marriage to a man she's never met. She expresses herself through her piano, and when she travels to New Zealand to meet her new spouse, he doesn't get her from the get go, and leaves her piano on the beach. A white, local businessman named George Baines begins to fall for Ada, and buys the piano from Ada's new husband in exchange for some land. But George has ulterior motives, and makes a deal with Ada that she can earn her piano back if she gives him lessons. At first she doesn't want to do it because Baines is uneducated and not in her class, but she begins to fall for him during their lessons and they embark on a dark, passionate love affair that ends tragically. A simply magnificent, poetic movie.
February 18, 2024
this was a good book and just as good as the movie but with more information as to how Ada came to be with her daughter.
February 2, 2017
The piano is one of my favorite movies. I have watched it several times and every times I have watched, I enjoyed more than before and learned a new thing. It's brilliant. It is emotional and impressive. It is about mute woman named Ada who lives with her daughter. She was forced to marry a man who never met him and traveled to New Zealand. She expresses herself with her piano. When she arrived to New Zealand her husband comes to her and don’t let her to bring her piano to home. After that Baine who is a native person wants to learn piano by Ada. Gradually they fall in love and …
This movie shows us Ada fight for her love. Of course this movie has a feminism context. You should watch it!
Merged review:
The piano is one of my favorite movies. I have watched it several times and every times I have watched, I enjoyed more than before and learned a new thing. Of course this book is not good as its movie but I give it five stars because of movie. It's brilliant. It is emotional and impressive. It is about mute woman named Ada who lives with her daughter. She was forced to marry a man who never met him and traveled to New Zealand. She expresses herself with her piano. When she arrived to New Zealand her husband comes to her and don’t let her to bring her piano to home. After that Baine who is a native person wants to learn piano by Ada. Gradually they fall in love and …
This movie shows us Ada fight for her love. Of course this movie has a feminism context. You should watch it!
This movie shows us Ada fight for her love. Of course this movie has a feminism context. You should watch it!
Merged review:
The piano is one of my favorite movies. I have watched it several times and every times I have watched, I enjoyed more than before and learned a new thing. Of course this book is not good as its movie but I give it five stars because of movie. It's brilliant. It is emotional and impressive. It is about mute woman named Ada who lives with her daughter. She was forced to marry a man who never met him and traveled to New Zealand. She expresses herself with her piano. When she arrived to New Zealand her husband comes to her and don’t let her to bring her piano to home. After that Baine who is a native person wants to learn piano by Ada. Gradually they fall in love and …
This movie shows us Ada fight for her love. Of course this movie has a feminism context. You should watch it!
January 7, 2016
I loved the film and the However, the background to Flora's conception and Ada's devotion to the piano are expanded on here a little as is Baines' past. soundtrack and the novelisation brought it all back. However, it doesn't appear to add anything to the film as it is a straightforward narrative of the script. A tale of obsession and a love story, it was an art house movie.
Ada arrives in 19th century New Zealand from Scotalnd, with her nine year old, illegitimate daughter Flora. She is an elective mute in that she has chosen to be so. She is to be married to a local farmer, Stewart, which her father has arranged. They are landed on the coast and the natives from her husband's plantation come out to collect her. It's then that they find that she has brought a grand piano with her. Stewart refuses to transport the piano back to his cabin and, instead he gives it to his neighbour, Baines, in exchange for some land. He has no idea what he has set in motion as Ada is determined to get her hands on the piano and so strikes a bargain with Baines. She can earn it back if she allows Baines to do certain things while she plays...... Stewart has no idea how much the piano means to Ada.
The stage is set for tragedy amidst obsession and control.
Both Ada and Baines are outsiders and content to be so. Stewart is also one but uncomfortable with it. He cannot understand Ada's refusal to conform and takes out his frustration in a shocking scene which has repercussions.
I'm glad I read it as it brought back the vivid imagery of the film and the soundtrack.
Ada arrives in 19th century New Zealand from Scotalnd, with her nine year old, illegitimate daughter Flora. She is an elective mute in that she has chosen to be so. She is to be married to a local farmer, Stewart, which her father has arranged. They are landed on the coast and the natives from her husband's plantation come out to collect her. It's then that they find that she has brought a grand piano with her. Stewart refuses to transport the piano back to his cabin and, instead he gives it to his neighbour, Baines, in exchange for some land. He has no idea what he has set in motion as Ada is determined to get her hands on the piano and so strikes a bargain with Baines. She can earn it back if she allows Baines to do certain things while she plays...... Stewart has no idea how much the piano means to Ada.
The stage is set for tragedy amidst obsession and control.
Both Ada and Baines are outsiders and content to be so. Stewart is also one but uncomfortable with it. He cannot understand Ada's refusal to conform and takes out his frustration in a shocking scene which has repercussions.
I'm glad I read it as it brought back the vivid imagery of the film and the soundtrack.
February 3, 2012
هذه الرواية اللطيفة هي قصة تحمل في طياتها موسيقى عذبة نعم هي أغنية كما كتب على غلافها الخارجي .. بدأت بها ليلا وأنهيتها في نفس الليلة .. تدور حول فتاة خرساء أنجبت إبنة وهي لم تتجاوز سن المراهقة .. خوف الأب من الألسنة دفعه لإرسال إبنته إلى زواج بالمراسلة إلى رجل مغترب يعيش في غابة يحاول شق طريقه بشراء الأراضي كأي مستوطن من سكانها الأصليين
تلعب الموسيقى دور البطولة في هذا النص الجميل كخلفية لقصة الحب التي دارت بين إدا وجورج خارج إطار الزواج .. جورج الرجل الذي استطاع أن يتواصل مع فتاة بكماء تعشق العزف في حين أن زوجها لم يستطع أن يشبع أنوثتها لا جسديا ولا روحيا
ومتشوقة لرؤية الفيلم
تلعب الموسيقى دور البطولة في هذا النص الجميل كخلفية لقصة الحب التي دارت بين إدا وجورج خارج إطار الزواج .. جورج الرجل الذي استطاع أن يتواصل مع فتاة بكماء تعشق العزف في حين أن زوجها لم يستطع أن يشبع أنوثتها لا جسديا ولا روحيا
ومتشوقة لرؤية الفيلم
August 22, 2011
Having watched and loved the film, I was excited to read this novel for my Non-Western literature class. I was pleased to find it both encompassed and expanded on the movie. The novel (since it is written by the film's screenwriter) closely follows the movie, though it gives more backstory for the main character. I felt torn about this. I liked the mystery of the main character in the movie, but it was also interesting to get more details on her life. Of course, what I loved so much about the movie revolved around the music, cinematography, etc., something that obviously doesn't come across in the novel. So, while it was a good read, the movie is far better.
July 19, 2013
I have had this book sitting on my shelf for a lot of years, waiting to be read, being overlooked. When I opened it, I was in for a surprise - there was a post-it note inside the front cover :
Dec'95 - My Dearest Lynne, I know this film moved you, the way it moved me. Remember I love you and that's forever girl !!! All my love, Christopher xxx
Makes you wonder about books and their travels, and what happens in the lives of their owners. Hmm, anyway ...
A good book, I was surprised, I hadn't fancied it, hence being left so long. Not what I expected, not having seen the film.
Dec'95 - My Dearest Lynne, I know this film moved you, the way it moved me. Remember I love you and that's forever girl !!! All my love, Christopher xxx
Makes you wonder about books and their travels, and what happens in the lives of their owners. Hmm, anyway ...
A good book, I was surprised, I hadn't fancied it, hence being left so long. Not what I expected, not having seen the film.
May 1, 2022
Sparse. I liked the movie much better. I didn't find it had much crunch literary wise. Dual authors aren't my cup of tea. I actually avoid them pointedly. I read this travelling (in a workstay) so maybe picked it up nonchalantly knowing it wouldn't compare much to the screen, the movie making it much smarter seeming. I'd have to ask my younger self, and last time I checked, she's much older. Based probably on viewing then rather.
February 26, 2015
حسنا البداية كانت جدا متعثرة ولم ترق لي، حتى كدت أن لا اكملها، لكنني اجب��ت نفسي على المتابعة ثم تصاعدت الاحداث، هذه الرواية كلاسيكية ولمن يفضلون هذا النوع من الأدب
August 27, 2017
I was not impressed by this book. The there wasn't enough depth to the characters for them to be interesting, and the plot was rather boring. I also felt that the conclusion was a cop-out: Stewart chops off Ada's finger and then...lets her go. What? Where's the struggle? And I was creeped out by Baines pretty much molesting Ada while she was playing the piano.
August 13, 2024
This novel stands independent of the film, and the extra information made it more complete. Loved the movie and loved the book. Very easy to read and could read it very fast. Happy I have read it.
July 10, 2022
Bello il film e bello il libro che, con una scrittura semplice ma efficace, è in grado di approfondire la storia personale dei protagonisti principali, soprattutto quella di Ada.
Le immagini cinematografiche hanno aiutato molto le parole scritte, trasferendo al tutto una tridimensionalità perfetta, senza peraltro far acquisire al testo il carattere e la struttura di una sceneggiatura.
Alcune scene mi si sono impresse negli occhi e nel cuore.
Non saranno la perfezione, ma li ho apprezzati moltissimo.
Promossi e consigliati entrambi.
🌏 LdM: Nuova Zelanda 🇳🇿
🔠 Alphabet Titoli: L
🌏 Oceania
📚 Biblioteca
Le immagini cinematografiche hanno aiutato molto le parole scritte, trasferendo al tutto una tridimensionalità perfetta, senza peraltro far acquisire al testo il carattere e la struttura di una sceneggiatura.
Alcune scene mi si sono impresse negli occhi e nel cuore.
Non saranno la perfezione, ma li ho apprezzati moltissimo.
Promossi e consigliati entrambi.
🌏 LdM: Nuova Zelanda 🇳🇿
🔠 Alphabet Titoli: L
🌏 Oceania
📚 Biblioteca
September 4, 2009
Considering the fact that I had never even heard of this book until I was looking for stories that had taken place in New Zealand, I was pretty impressed with it.
The Piano tells the story of Ada McGrath and her piano. Ada is mute. Mute by choice - after the 'incident' when she was a young girl (her father berated her for speaking insolently towards him one evening), Ada hasn't spoken a word. She communicates through sign language and through her music. The piano is her world, it means everything to her. When she and her young daughter Flora are sent to New Zealand by Ada's father (an arranged marriage/mail order bride), the piano comes too. Ada's new husband, Alisdair Stewart, thinks it frivolous and won't take it off the beach. There it sits until Ada convinces their new neighbor, George Baines, of its importance and he takes her to at least play it. Its there that George begins to fall in love with Ada. All kinds of things occur based on this simple act. George trades with Alisdair for the piano telling him that he wants to take piano lessons from Ada. Bargains are made and broken.
The story takes a few interesting turns that you don't see coming AT ALL, so I was surprised by some of the violence in the book, but I do think that they added to the story and weren't unnecessary. I was pleasantly surprised by this story and really enjoyed it, aside from the slow start.
The Piano tells the story of Ada McGrath and her piano. Ada is mute. Mute by choice - after the 'incident' when she was a young girl (her father berated her for speaking insolently towards him one evening), Ada hasn't spoken a word. She communicates through sign language and through her music. The piano is her world, it means everything to her. When she and her young daughter Flora are sent to New Zealand by Ada's father (an arranged marriage/mail order bride), the piano comes too. Ada's new husband, Alisdair Stewart, thinks it frivolous and won't take it off the beach. There it sits until Ada convinces their new neighbor, George Baines, of its importance and he takes her to at least play it. Its there that George begins to fall in love with Ada. All kinds of things occur based on this simple act. George trades with Alisdair for the piano telling him that he wants to take piano lessons from Ada. Bargains are made and broken.
The story takes a few interesting turns that you don't see coming AT ALL, so I was surprised by some of the violence in the book, but I do think that they added to the story and weren't unnecessary. I was pleasantly surprised by this story and really enjoyed it, aside from the slow start.
September 19, 2016
As novelisations go, this one isn't too bad as it tries to delve deeper into the backstories of the characters and reveal more about their lives before they all became entangled. However, the problem is The Piano is such a visually brilliant film with haunting imagery that really can't be recreated on the page. Nor can the music, so important to the character of Ada, be rendered in print. But it is nevertheless an interesting companion piece to the film.
August 18, 2017
I enjoyed the movie when I saw it in university, but reading the book was almost better. It gave answers to all the questions I had wondered about when watching the film. What was Baines' life prior to New Zealand? Who was Flora's father? Etc.
During certain chapters In the book, I found myself going back to the movie to help me envision the scene (e.g. the scene on the beach when Ada is playing)
During certain chapters In the book, I found myself going back to the movie to help me envision the scene (e.g. the scene on the beach when Ada is playing)
July 8, 2015
The emotions run so deep with these characters. They are intense and unusual and the setting is primitive and lush. The Victorian era was one of suppression (mostly for women) and this one particular woman comes to life and regains her life in the most unexpected way. Good story.
September 2, 2020
Hadn’t seen the film, and the book was so terrible I now don’t want to. If this is supposed to add backstory then the film must be about 5 minutes long...
October 8, 2023
3,75! Fikk litt ick av handlingen.. syns det e veldig rart at sÅ mange har dette som favorittfilm. Men eg glede meg te å se den for å høre musikken!! Gøy å lese manuskript, følte meg kul😎
June 5, 2022
Well-written I guess? But really strange, and the primary "romance" comes off more as Stockholm Syndrome to me... Haven't seen the film, but if you have to watch a movie in order to enjoy the book, it probably shouldn't be made into a book.
December 12, 2010
Debo decir que por lo general suelo leer un libro y después, si me entero de su adaptación, la película. E incluso si voy a ver una película y descubro que tiene libro, entonces no la veo hasta que no haya leído el libro como me ha pasado con La última canción ó Querido John, y que espero remendar pronto. En este caso, la película de El Piano la vi hace muchos años, en la televisión, y simplemente debo decir que me encantó por muchas cosas:
-La férrea voluntad de su protagonista
-Su enorme pasión por el piano que le lleva hasta el punto de hacer lo que hace
-La fantástica BSO que tiene
-Los actores, a quien uno de ellos sigo actualmente. Anna Paquin, la pequeña hija de Ada en la película, la conocemos por ser Pícara en X-Men ó Sookie Stackhouse en True Blood
-Una historia diferente y que engancha
Ada siempre ha sido algo especial desde que cumplió los seis años. Una discusión con su padre hizo que se obligara como castigo permanente el no decir una sola palabra desde entonces. Su padre la cuidó como mejor pudo, pues su madre había muerto en el parto. Comprobando que la pasión de Ada por el piano era la misma o mayor que la de su madre, no dudo en contratar a un profesor para que le diera clases de piano y francés.
Aquí se nos muestra a una joven Ada de dieciséis años, tímida e incapaz de mantener amistad con nadie. Encerrada en sí misma. Aunque todo cambie con la llegada del profesor.
Tiempo después, Ada queda embarazada y su padre decide concertarle un matrimonio y concediéndole una pequeña dote. Así es como Ada viajará junto a su piano y su hija hasta Nueva Zelanda.
Gracias al libro, conocemos mejor a los personajes y su pasado. Nos narran la odisea de alrededor de cinco meses de viaje en barco para arribar en Nueva Zelanda y cómo Ada sufrió todo ese tiempo por no poder tocar su piano. La vida que llevó Alistair, su marido, cuando tuvo que abandonar su casa, porque no había trabajo suficiente para dos hermanos y la de George Baine, como ballenero y afincándose durante un tiempo en tierra, para volver después al mar que le llevaría hasta NZ. El libro es super fiel a la película. Tal vez sea porque una de las dos autoras fue quien lo llevó finalmente a la gran pantalla. Se agradece que no haya variaciones que tal vez me hubieran hecho odiar alguna de las dos (libro ó película) ó ambas.
Madre e hija son exactas físicamente pero tan diferentes en personalidad. Ada se deja llevar por su pasión constantemente, ya sea la del piano ú otras facetas propias que tal vez desconocía, mientras que su hija Flora solo quiere que la hagan caso. Se siente desplazada. A su pasión por inventar locas y disparatadas historias se le suma la confianza que cree haber logrado de su padrastro Alistair. Todo ello desembocará en un final aparentemente trágico del que todos los que han tomado parte se arrepentirán de sus faltas.
"Tengo miedo de mi voluntad, de lo que pueda hacer, es tan extraña y poderosa", esta frase creo que resume bastante bien el carácter de Ada.
-La férrea voluntad de su protagonista
-Su enorme pasión por el piano que le lleva hasta el punto de hacer lo que hace
-La fantástica BSO que tiene
-Los actores, a quien uno de ellos sigo actualmente. Anna Paquin, la pequeña hija de Ada en la película, la conocemos por ser Pícara en X-Men ó Sookie Stackhouse en True Blood
-Una historia diferente y que engancha
Ada siempre ha sido algo especial desde que cumplió los seis años. Una discusión con su padre hizo que se obligara como castigo permanente el no decir una sola palabra desde entonces. Su padre la cuidó como mejor pudo, pues su madre había muerto en el parto. Comprobando que la pasión de Ada por el piano era la misma o mayor que la de su madre, no dudo en contratar a un profesor para que le diera clases de piano y francés.
Aquí se nos muestra a una joven Ada de dieciséis años, tímida e incapaz de mantener amistad con nadie. Encerrada en sí misma. Aunque todo cambie con la llegada del profesor.
Tiempo después, Ada queda embarazada y su padre decide concertarle un matrimonio y concediéndole una pequeña dote. Así es como Ada viajará junto a su piano y su hija hasta Nueva Zelanda.
Gracias al libro, conocemos mejor a los personajes y su pasado. Nos narran la odisea de alrededor de cinco meses de viaje en barco para arribar en Nueva Zelanda y cómo Ada sufrió todo ese tiempo por no poder tocar su piano. La vida que llevó Alistair, su marido, cuando tuvo que abandonar su casa, porque no había trabajo suficiente para dos hermanos y la de George Baine, como ballenero y afincándose durante un tiempo en tierra, para volver después al mar que le llevaría hasta NZ. El libro es super fiel a la película. Tal vez sea porque una de las dos autoras fue quien lo llevó finalmente a la gran pantalla. Se agradece que no haya variaciones que tal vez me hubieran hecho odiar alguna de las dos (libro ó película) ó ambas.
Madre e hija son exactas físicamente pero tan diferentes en personalidad. Ada se deja llevar por su pasión constantemente, ya sea la del piano ú otras facetas propias que tal vez desconocía, mientras que su hija Flora solo quiere que la hagan caso. Se siente desplazada. A su pasión por inventar locas y disparatadas historias se le suma la confianza que cree haber logrado de su padrastro Alistair. Todo ello desembocará en un final aparentemente trágico del que todos los que han tomado parte se arrepentirán de sus faltas.
"Tengo miedo de mi voluntad, de lo que pueda hacer, es tan extraña y poderosa", esta frase creo que resume bastante bien el carácter de Ada.
February 8, 2011
I try to read books before watching the movie. I happen to watch the movie before reading the book in this case. While the movie still remains one of my favorite, like always the book was better. There is more detail in the book about Ada's previous life. Her life before she was sold as a mail order bride to a man in New Zealand. The story of Ada and her Daughter Flora going to a new land, a new life filled with new troubles. Ada does not speak, not because she can't but because she chooses not too early in her life after her father tells her not too. She vows to never say a word again. Flora, her daughter, is her voice. Upon arrival to New Zealand shore after months at see, Ada meets her husband but longs for her piano left on the shore. According to her new husband it is to much trouble to carry up the rough terrain to her new home. Ada is lost without out her music, feeling empty inside and chooses to only exist. When a turn of events brought on by a Mr. George Baines who offers land in exchange for the piano, Ada begins to hope that she may play again but not without paying the price. Jane Campion not only the author but also the director of the film, captures the will of a woman to follow her heart no matter the cost. She paints a picture of love, devotion and heart ache all wrapped up in her character Ada. Beautifully told and captivating, a book that I will read again in the future.
March 13, 2017
Well, this was certainly different. I picked this book up because I was missing New Zealand, and this story is set there. It has lived in my library for many years, waiting for me to read it.
I've never seen the movie this novel is based on, so I had no expectations. I see that some reviewers felt that the story was told from too far of a narrative distance, but I rather liked it. I often feel bogged down with characters' tiresome thoughts, especially in romantic stories, and I thought this book included just the right amount of information. I read it in three days, which is unusually quick for me. I didn't feel heavily invested in the characters, but I think I would have liked them less if I'd been too much in their heads.
They're definitely gray-area characters; Ada, Stewart, George, and even the girl Flora. They all behave in both bad and good ways. I wasn't sure whether to like them or hate them or feel sorry for them, which is fascinating. I wasn't sure at first if I liked the ending, but the more I think on it, the more I approve.
My one complaint is how unflatteringly the Maori are portrayed in this story. I haven't looked too deeply into it, but I guess Jane Campion had help from a native in writing the Maori language dialogue for the film, and she wanted to make sure it sounded culturally authentic. Still, I think the way the people are portrayed in this story seems extremely insensitive.
I've never seen the movie this novel is based on, so I had no expectations. I see that some reviewers felt that the story was told from too far of a narrative distance, but I rather liked it. I often feel bogged down with characters' tiresome thoughts, especially in romantic stories, and I thought this book included just the right amount of information. I read it in three days, which is unusually quick for me. I didn't feel heavily invested in the characters, but I think I would have liked them less if I'd been too much in their heads.
They're definitely gray-area characters; Ada, Stewart, George, and even the girl Flora. They all behave in both bad and good ways. I wasn't sure whether to like them or hate them or feel sorry for them, which is fascinating. I wasn't sure at first if I liked the ending, but the more I think on it, the more I approve.
My one complaint is how unflatteringly the Maori are portrayed in this story. I haven't looked too deeply into it, but I guess Jane Campion had help from a native in writing the Maori language dialogue for the film, and she wanted to make sure it sounded culturally authentic. Still, I think the way the people are portrayed in this story seems extremely insensitive.
September 28, 2017
Nee, de film niet gezien. Bewust. Eerst het boek, waar ik vanwege het romantische karakter erg aan moest wennen. Bedacht me ook dat ik sinds lange tijd weer eens een vrouwelijke auteur las. Hoe komt dat? Maar enfin, het boek. Een bijzonder verhaal, al kostte het me moeite het boek telkens weer op te pakken. Hoewel het boek de nodige contrastvolle beelden in me opriep en het verhaal op zich zeer aantrekkelijk was, had ik er toch moeite mee. Om te beginnen: door traumatische ervaringen kan iemand het vermogen tot praten verliezen. Ik denk bijvoorbeeld aan "De geverfde vogel" van Jerzy Kosinsky waarin een jongetje door de diepe ellende die hij meemaakt stopt met praten. Ik vond het wonderlijk dit toentertijd te lezen, maar kon dit wel enigszins begrijpen. In tegenstelling tot Ada uit dit boek. Ook zij verliest haar spraakvermogen, en er is een reden voor, maar ik zie de intensiteit er niet van in. Ik verbaasde me ook over haar dochter die uiteindelijk weinig loyaal is. Kinderen gaan heel ver in hun loyaliteit naar hun ouders. Maar niet in dit boek, of in ieder geval bood het me te weinig inzicht waarom Flora haar moeder al na na drie maanden verraadde en kiest voor een stiefvader waar weinig contact mee is. Dit stoorde me, kwam ongeloofwaardig over.
Ik moest aan de stijl van schrijven wennen, maar het beviel uiteindelijk wel.
Ik moest aan de stijl van schrijven wennen, maar het beviel uiteindelijk wel.
June 28, 2017
Picked this up at a book sale for the New Orleans Symphony Volunteers, it looked interesting and I had seen the movie back in 1993 when it was first released and was really taken in by the movie. I thought it was one of the most romantic & erotic movies without nudity. I did not know that Jane Campion who directed the movie had also written the story. The book is not as intense as the movie but it does tell us more about Ada McGrath and what is going on inside her.
Set in a muddy, dreary, frontier backwater town in New Zealand where this Scottish woman is sold by her father to marry and a New Zealand settler in the 1850's. This 19th century woman is amazingly liberated for her times with an out of wedlock child with whom she has an extremely close relationship. She expresses herself through her piano, sign language and sometimes writes her thoughts. Her new husband is clueless and sells her piano to another man, Baines, in order to obtain more land. He does not realize how important the piano is to her and so their spiritual separation begins. Ada proceeds to fight to regain her piano from Baines but instead they become deeply and emotionally attached. This is a very dark and passionate story that you will surely enjoy.
Set in a muddy, dreary, frontier backwater town in New Zealand where this Scottish woman is sold by her father to marry and a New Zealand settler in the 1850's. This 19th century woman is amazingly liberated for her times with an out of wedlock child with whom she has an extremely close relationship. She expresses herself through her piano, sign language and sometimes writes her thoughts. Her new husband is clueless and sells her piano to another man, Baines, in order to obtain more land. He does not realize how important the piano is to her and so their spiritual separation begins. Ada proceeds to fight to regain her piano from Baines but instead they become deeply and emotionally attached. This is a very dark and passionate story that you will surely enjoy.
May 5, 2012
You can tell this book was not written by a novelist, even though she did have help from one. Interesting idea, think it could have been executed far better though. I think I should probably make an effort to watch the flm sometime, I'll probably appreciate it more than the book (how rare). However I really do feel it is more likely because film is the format that this story was made for. The author had this imagining come to life in the form of a film in her mind and some thinhgs just don't transfer so well. I'm sure some of the meaning just hasn't carried as well. The surreal in some ways works better through film than by page and surreal was what I felt this book was. It seemed to be resting somewhere between a story which could have been about real people in a real situation, and something which seemed more based in fantasy, with interesting "characters". Shame, as I was expecting more from this book.
February 7, 2011
nemu buku ini di perpus kantor yg sudah usang
wuah..period gitu settingnya jadi langsung diambil deh
ceritanya tentang Ada yang bisu beserta putrinya Flora yang pindah ke New Zealand untuk bertemu dengan calon suami Ada yg dijanjikan.
Ada ini dari umur 6 tahun mogok bicara. ada insiden penyebabnya. di NZ, dia tinggal dengan suami barunya Alisdar yang dingin dan kaku. Ada pula tokoh George Baines yang terkesan kasar namun diam2 menyimpan bara asmara pada Ada. P
Cerita intinya dirajut oleh kecintaan Ada terhadap piano miliknya yg dibawa dari Scotland. wah, ni piano bikin gara2 deh. dari teronggok di pantai, dibarter Alisdar sama tanah Baines sampai nginep di rumah Baines. ihiy. Trus kenapa Ada mau jadi guru piano di rumah Baines? nah lho...baca aja selanjutnya. hehehe
ini buku yg kubaca terbitan gramedia tahun 1995 lho. jadul. makin demen sama buku2 lama nih^^
wuah..period gitu settingnya jadi langsung diambil deh
ceritanya tentang Ada yang bisu beserta putrinya Flora yang pindah ke New Zealand untuk bertemu dengan calon suami Ada yg dijanjikan.
Ada ini dari umur 6 tahun mogok bicara. ada insiden penyebabnya. di NZ, dia tinggal dengan suami barunya Alisdar yang dingin dan kaku. Ada pula tokoh George Baines yang terkesan kasar namun diam2 menyimpan bara asmara pada Ada. P
Cerita intinya dirajut oleh kecintaan Ada terhadap piano miliknya yg dibawa dari Scotland. wah, ni piano bikin gara2 deh. dari teronggok di pantai, dibarter Alisdar sama tanah Baines sampai nginep di rumah Baines. ihiy. Trus kenapa Ada mau jadi guru piano di rumah Baines? nah lho...baca aja selanjutnya. hehehe
ini buku yg kubaca terbitan gramedia tahun 1995 lho. jadul. makin demen sama buku2 lama nih^^
July 22, 2017
A veces lo que más nos apasiona o lo que se vuelve maravillo en nuestras vidas, es aquello que te trae más penas y desgracias. Eso es lo que me llevo de este libro. ¿Y para qué sufrir tanto si desde el principio a pesar de que traía alegrías eran más los llantos que producía la afición? La respuesta es simple, eso que te causa placer y confort, para eso a lo que eres bueno, se torna oscuro y doloroso únicamente para hacerte más fuerte, para estés listo sobre los nuevos retos que han de llegar.
January 31, 2010
This is a very intense book about the silence of a female world and sexual awakening in the midst of New Zealand. I liked it very much and felt thrown into the rainy, wet, rural New Zealand world. The book is very moving and also the film adaption with Helen Hunt does the book justice. Both worth getting to know.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 226 reviews