Amy and Isabelle
 First edition US hardback cover | |
| Author | Elizabeth Strout |
|---|---|
| Audio read by | Stephanie Roberts |
| Language | English |
| Published | 1998 |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print, ebook, audiobook |
| Pages | 303 pages |
| ISBN | 0375501347 |
| Preceded by | Abide with Me |
Amy and Isabelle, also stylized Amy & Isabelle, is the 1998 debut novel by American author Elizabeth Strout. It was first published in hardback on December 29, 1998 through Random House and is set in the fictional town of Shirley Falls, a location that Strout would revisit in her 2013 novel The Burgess Boys.
The novel was adapted into a 2001 television movie by the same name as part of the "Oprah Winfrey Presents" line of film.
Synopsis
Isabelle and her daughter Amy have a complicated relationship akin to the type held by most mothers and daughters, although theirs is occasionally strained by the stress of living in the small mill town of Shirley Falls. Isabelle moved there years ago while Amy was a baby and always kept herself at a distance from the others, never allowing anyone to grow close. She tells both the townspeople and her own daughter that she's a widow, hiding the truth of Amy's parentage - that her daughter was conceived during an illicit encounter with a married friend of her deceased father. During their stay in the town Isabelle ends up falling in love with her married boss Clark, something she keeps as a secret to herself.
Now fifteen, Amy has grown to resent her mother's secrecy and isolation, leading to poor communication between the two. This leaves her open to the predatory ministrations of Thomas Robertson, a substitute math teacher that began working at her school after winter break. Hungry for attention, she eagerly responds to his advances and the two begin a relationship that she hides from everyone, including her best friend Stacy. Their relationship is ultimately discovered after Clark discovers Amy and Thomas engaging in near sexual intercourse in his car. This provokes fury in Isabelle, who attacks her daughter and cuts off all of her hair. Unfortunately for the pair, Clark tells his wife and the news is soon spread over the entire town.
As the book progresses tensions in the community continue to rise after a young girl is abducted and her dead body is found in the trunk of a car. Meanwhile, Isabelle and Amy find that they must learn how to come to peace with one another after they find themselves working in the same office during the summer.
TV movie
In 2000 it was announced that Oprah Winfrey had acquired the rights to the work, with the intent to make a film through Harpo Productions, under their "Oprah Winfrey Presents" banner.[1] Filming took place in South Carolina and Elisabeth Shue and Hanna Hall were brought on to portray Isabelle and Amy Goodrow.[1] The film aired on ABC on March 4, 2001.[2] Critical reception for the film was mixed.[3]
Reception
Critical reception for the novel has been positive and the book received praise from Entertainment Weekly and Publishers Weekly.[4][5] Author Suzanne Berne reviewed the book for the New York Times and commented that although the book was not perfect, it was "such an eloquent, captivating novel that its occasional missteps don't much signify. By focusing on the ''confluence of different longings'' that bedevils her characters into harming and helping one another, Strout makes the drab little world of Shirley Falls seem richly important."[6]
References
- ^ a b "'AMY AND ISABELLE' ENTERS A NEW CHAPTER, AS OPRAH FILM". NY Daily News. Retrieved 2016-02-23.
- ^ "Oprah-Winfrey-Presents-Amy-and-Isabelle". New York Times. Retrieved 2016-02-23.
- ^ Rosenfeld, Megan (March 3, 2001). "'Amy & Isabelle': Amid Hardships, a Hopeful Heart". The Washington Post (subscription required). Retrieved 2016-02-23.
- ^ "Amy and Isabelle (review)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2016-02-23.
- ^ "Fiction Book Review: Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2016-02-23.
- ^ Berne, Suzanne. "Teacher's Pet". New York Times. Retrieved 2016-02-23.