The Goldfinch: Donna Tartt Reads from the Book #book2movies

Donna Tartt, author of The Goldfinch

I’ve been following the progress of the making of The Goldfinch, based on the bestselling book by Donna Tartt especially closely, because while I’m not a list-y type person, The Goldfinch would be in my top ten all time favorite books if I were. 

We caught up on The Goldfinch film’s casting recently, with the spectacular news that Nicole Kidman was joining the cast as Mrs. Barbour and Finn Wolfhard was on hand to play the young Boris—the older Boris is played by Aneurin Barnard.

Oakes Fegley in Wonderstruck

Wolfhard’s Stranger Things popularity eclipsed the news that Oakes Fegley was cast as the young Theo, the older Theor played by Ansel Elgort. Fegley has been around quite awhile, half a dozen years of his young life have been in front of the camera, most recently starring in Wonderstruck.

Luke Wilson has been cast as Theo’s father, Larry

Another omission in that post? Luke Wilson as Theo’s slacker alcoholic father. 

   And Willa Fitzgerald as Kitsey Barbour.

I think that’s a wrap. The Goldfinch is filming now with a release date set for October 11, 2019. Eeek! It’s going to take almost as long to make the movie as it did for Tartt to write the book!

For today, let’s go back to that ten years in the making book. I ran across a Waterstones video interview with author Donna Tartt. It’s about half an hour in length but right at the beginning she reads from the book and it’s so lovely, I had to share it. Tartt shares a portion of the book about the Goldfinch painting itself, Theo’s long-held precious treasure. IF you haven’t read the book yet, no worry. As Tartt says it’s not a spoiler. 

I wonder as you watch her, the tiny Tartt standing on a riser to reach the podium’ mic, reading about the tiny Finch, if there is not something of the curious little bird about the writer? And if that was perhaps, her initial attraction to the painting? Listen to what she says about the artist Sargent and how he put the animal into the human and see what you think.

What did you think about the tiny Tartt and the tiny Goldfinch?
I’m all ears.