Aurelio Zen

[kygal]

Zen is breaking me($), just kidding. Very interesting character that Rufus should have fun with. Once you read one book you have to get the next one. I did read a little out of order. All the books do touch on things that have happened in other books though. A bit of advice...if you read Blood Rain...its best to have And Then You Die on hand to clear up some of the surprises...I hated waiting on it to see what happens next.

[rueful]

Unlike some of you, I am having no trouble at all imagining Rufus in the role. But that's most likely because I didn't start reading them until he was already cast, so I was looking for similarities. When I read certain events or actions or dialog, my mind immediately goes to other characters he's played that might have been in similar situations or have similar traits. Not that I think he'll repeat himself of course, but it helps me to imagine him as Zen. Cynical, world weary = Mick; petulant = Frank; noble, trying to do good despite dirty politics = Marke; trying to be crafty and failing = Ross; trying to be crafty and succeeding = Petruchio; sardonic humor = Rufus! Parts where Zen sort of unexpectedly gets a bit physically tough (since it seems to be rare) remind me of the scene in the last episode of EH where Jacob confronts the bad guy with a "Why don't you try it" or something to that effect. And that's why I'm so excited about this role for him: There are so many colors to this character!

Kygal, thanks for the heads up. I am still waiting for Blood Rain, so I'll continue to wait before I read ATYD. I ordered them both the same day, Blood Rain from practically next door, And Then You Die from the other side of the country, and guess which arrived first? I hate the post office. (No offense to anyone here of the postal-worker persuasion.)

[kygal]

Rueful...will be anxious to hear what you think of these two books.

[rueful]

There's a description in "And Then You Die" that I think a few of you gals will like. A woman has to explain to a policeman how she knew that another man, who she only saw lying on his stomach at the beach and not from the front, was not Aurelio Zen.

"Gemma gave a throwaway gesture, as though this was obvious. 'His fingers...Women notice mens' bodies a lot, they just don't notice them in the same way that men notice women's bodies. [Zen] has very fine, tapering fingers. This man's were quite different. You could imagine them building a wall or castrating a horse. You couldn't imagine them caressing your skin.'
Zen looked away. For the first time he could remember, he was blushing."

Kygal was right about reading Blood Rain and And Then You Die in the correct order and also having ATYD at the ready, so you don't have to wait to start it. Very, very important.


.....................................................................................

POSSIBLE SPOILERS


The books certainly have taken a slightly darker turn. The crimes were very graphic and violent in the earlier books, but as we mentioned, there was some humor. I found a lot less to laugh about in these two books. I'm not sure I care for the character turn Zen took at the end of ATYD. And I do think it's a bit of a turn. He's been shown to be cynical, practical, and calculating (although he often calculates wrong), but not so cold as to do what he did there. I could see if the events had been portrayed as more adrenalin-driven, but his later reactions and actions made it seem more deliberate. (Trying to be a bit vague, in case other people are like me and can't resist peeking at a spoiler and then regret it terribly!)

Still, enjoying the books very much. Dibdin is a master of describing even minor characters so that you get a real sense of their personality with just a few gestures or turns of phrase.

Kygal, what did you think? And have you read any of the subsequent ones? I have the last three and am torn between reading them immediately (which is probably what will happen) or saving them to drag it out a bit.

[tipou]

i know i do drag it out a bit. i wnat to read aurelio this summer. and since i know there will be no new book, i will not want to get at the end of the series.

rueful, you intrigue me. i do think that there are not very likable traits about aurelio already, which makes him a more realistic character than many literature "heroes".

i looooooooooooove these books. whether i like the series or not - something tells me i will - i am so grateful to have been made aware of dibdin's books.

[peach]

I now own the entire Zen series of books, I've started at the beginning after reading 3. Liked all except I was a bit bore by Cosi Fan Tutti. I'm starting from the first book and will read in order. I found them all on Amazon for as little as 40 cents, the s&h charges cost more. I too am having no trouble picturing him as Zen. These will be my summer reading for sure. I read them at work on my lunch break, that 1/2 hour flies. It's been interesting reading the various comments made on these books, I do find them entertaining and love the descriptions of each character.

[lassie]

Hey, I seem to be really struggling with these books. I have only read 2 so far - Ratking and Vendetta. (I have all the others waiting, including some with fines from the library because I forgot to renew them!!)

Usually I fly through books, but I can't seem to warm to the character Aurelio. At the moment I don't find him likeable enough to want to find out what happens next etc., but I can't put my finger on why. There are definitely a lot of sides to his character and I will be fascinated to see how Rufus plays him. I will keep trying to read the rest and perhaps it will just "click" and I get to understand Aurelio and care for him.

Lassie x

[kygal]

Rueful...glad you had ATYD on hand. I hated waiting on it after the end of Blood Rain . And I had to know!


++++++POSSIBLE SPOILERS++++++++++++++++++++++



I agree that there was a character turn for Zen in ATYD. He certainly has had things backfire on him but he is usually trying to do the right thing . This makes his character seem so real . Thought what happened in this book was a bit extreme for his character, so I was surprised.

I did read End Games and there are some things in that book that MADE me order Medusa and Back to Bologna. I have finished Medusa...Zen seems to be back on track in this book (character wise). Seemed to be more humor and not as dark.. I thought. Gemma is still around in these books...but I will not say more than that! I am waiting for Back to Bologna because something must happen here...according to the last book...that I am anxious to read about.

Rue...I say go ahead and start reading. Have you read all of them up to this point? There are some early ones I have not read but probably will end up reading. I think Rufus will have fun with this role. Other than Vendetta...not sure which others they will film.

[rueful]

Kygal, according to one of the early newspaper reports:

John Alexander will direct the opening film which will be one of Dibdin’s very best novels - Vendetta adapted by Simon Burke. Simon who lives in Perugia with his family is also writing Cabal and Peter Berry is collaborating with Simon on Ratking.

...so, the first three novels, but not in order, if Vendetta is first.

And yes, I'm already two-thirds through Medusa now. Because I have no patience or self-restraint at all.

I have read all the previous books, in order. I was glad I was able to do that, because every book seems to make some references, however slight, to the prior book.

Edited to add: POSSIBLE SPOILERS

So far, in Medusa, there seems to be no emotional fallout from the events in And Then You Die, which is again why it seems to have been a character turn. I would just have thought, from previous books, that he'd be doing a little more agonizing.

END OF THE SPOILERS

Edited again to add:

rueful, you intrigue me.

I should have known you would not be able to resist the lure of the spoilers. ;D Glad I kept it vague. Zen is a fully realized character, and I hope the films do the books justice (goes without saying that Rufus will).

[tipou]

Apr 17, 2010 10:44:25 GMT lassie said:

books, but I can't seem to warm to the character Aurelio. At the moment I don't find him likeable enough to want to find out what happens next etc will keep trying to read the rest and perhaps it will just "click" and I get to understand Aurelio and care for him.

Lassie x

lassie, i can understand, although i would personaly urge you to keep trying. aurelio is such a "realistic" character, he has flaws, some majors. especially in ratking, you kind of wonder, because there is nothing particularly exceptional about him, he just seems to stumble through events without affecting them much at all.

but, i dont know... its the writing that got me first. the mere intelligence. the gentle sarcasm. the depiction of italy and its people. the characters. the social and political goings-on that remind me so much of what happens here - in quebec, and in the "real" world in general.

and then, aurelio, exactly because he is flawed, so human, and does not seem to magically come up with the answer to everything, as book & tv heroes do (and which is starting to get on my nerves).

n.b. my confession of having trouble depicting rufus as aurelio does not diminish my eagerness at having him tackling the role.

aurelio zen s is a rich, complex, multi-faceted character, throughly developped, as rueful mentioned, and if the makers of the tv movies are true to dibdin's books - i cant see why they would not be - he will be having the time of his life.

in fact, he is good enough an actor that i WISH to see him tackle roles in which i cannot possibly imagine him.

look at him, tall, cute and adorable... would you ever have believed he could be a very convincing quasimodo before seeing him playing hunchbacks for a mere 5 seconds in illuminata?

i have seen him in lame films, but i never saw him acting lame. so the bigger the challenge, the more interested i am to see how he will win it.

[kygal]

Well said Tipou. I agree with you. Should be great fun for Rufus.

Rueful...glad you started on with Medusa. I said Zen was back on track character wise because its almost like the event of ATYD never happened and is no concern of the people involved. Yes, that is a bit dark. I did like Medusa better though...looking forward to the next one to come in the mail.

[vmaciv]

As I was reading the books, I thought that perhaps the reason he took the part was the challenge of playing the character. He seems to love to play characters that are all too human. I think if he approaches this character with half the grace of Jacob Hood we are in for a treat and hopefully the producers will do a much better job of publicizing the events.

[GreenEyesToo]

Apr 18, 2010 16:12:03 GMT vmaciv said:

hopefully the producers will do a much better job of publicizing the events.

It's being made for the BBC, so I don't think we need worry about lack of publicity for it.

According to this article, this is due to air "Winter 2010".

[vmaciv]

Thank goodness now I hope when Masterpiece theatre plays it we get the same publicity here

[nell]

Good news indeed but Winter 2010 sounds optimistic to me. Perhaps winter 2010 actually means March 2011.

Still..... Dum spiro spero !