A Patch of Blue
by Elizabeth Kata
Given the immense popularity of the film A Patch of Blue, it’s virtually impossible to find someone who hasn’t seen it. And, since the re-release of the book features a publicity photo of the film as its cover, if you did manage to find someone who hadn’t seen the movie the big surprise would still be spoiled. So your mission is this: tear the cover off your paperback book (or find the cover with the original drawing on it) and give it to that one person in the world who hasn’t seen the movie. They’ll be in for quite a shock!
For those of us who have seen the film, reading the book will be a breeze. It’s almost identical to the screenplay. Written in first person from Selina’s perspective, we get to know her terrible, trashy world and how she thinks it’s completely normal for her to live that way – until she gets taken to the park by her employer Mr. Faber and realizes there’s a whole new world out there. I love her descriptions of fresh air, the feel of an oak leaf, and the smell of the roses. And of course, of Gordon, the kind man she meets in the afternoon.
Wildly imaginative for its time, and written by an author who lived halfway across the world, this is the type of book that should be added to required reading in school. Rightly compared to To Kill a Mockingbird, it’s a wonderful portrait of a young girl who learns her self-worth from simple, ordinary actions the rest of us take for granted.
Be sure and check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of 1965's film A Patch of Blue here!
For those of us who have seen the film, reading the book will be a breeze. It’s almost identical to the screenplay. Written in first person from Selina’s perspective, we get to know her terrible, trashy world and how she thinks it’s completely normal for her to live that way – until she gets taken to the park by her employer Mr. Faber and realizes there’s a whole new world out there. I love her descriptions of fresh air, the feel of an oak leaf, and the smell of the roses. And of course, of Gordon, the kind man she meets in the afternoon.
Wildly imaginative for its time, and written by an author who lived halfway across the world, this is the type of book that should be added to required reading in school. Rightly compared to To Kill a Mockingbird, it’s a wonderful portrait of a young girl who learns her self-worth from simple, ordinary actions the rest of us take for granted.
Be sure and check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of 1965's film A Patch of Blue here!