''An Awfully Big Adventure'' is a novel written by

Beryl Bainbridge Dame Beryl Margaret Bainbridge (21 November 1932 – 2 July 2010) was an English writer from Liverpool. She was primarily known for her works of psychological fiction, often macabre tales set among the English working class. Bainbridge won the ...

. It was shortlisted for the

Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly known as the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a Literary award, literary prize awarded each year for the best novel written in English and published in the United King ...

in 1990 and adapted as a movie in 1995. The story was inspired by Bainbridge's own experiences working at the Liverpool Playhouse in her youth. The title is an ironic reference to the original Peter Pan story, in which Peter says "To die will be an awfully big adventure."

Storyline

Set in working-class England in 1950,People who love people who love somebody else
Retrieved 19/6/21. the story observes sexual politics among a troupe of actors working at a shabby regional playhouse. During a Christmas production of '' Peter Pan'', the play turns into a dark metaphor for youth when Stella Bradshaw, an ambitious teenage girl from the slums of

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, joins the company and gets entangled in the backstage intrigue.

Film adaptation

In 1995,

Fine Line Features Fine Line Features (often spelled as FineLine Features) was the specialty films division of New Line Cinema. From 1991 to 2005, under founder and president Ira Deutchman, Fine Line acquired, distributed and marketed films of a more "indie" flavor ...

released a motion picture adaptation starring

Alan Rickman Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (21 February 1946 – 14 January 2016) was an English actor and director. Known for his deep, languid voice, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and became a member of the Royal Shakespe ...

, Hugh Grant and then-unknown actress

Georgina Cates Georgina Elaine Cates (born Clare Elaine Woodgate; 14 January 1975) is an English film and television actress. Life and career Born Clare Elaine Woodgate in Colchester, Essex, Cates attended Colchester County High School for Girls and broke ...

in the central role. The film was directed by Mike Newell and is one of the few film versions of Bainbridge's works.

References

1989 British novels Novels set in Liverpool Novels by Beryl Bainbridge Fiction set in 1950 Novels about actors Gerald Duckworth and Company books British novels adapted into films {{1980s-novel-stub