Books to Read Before Their Fall Movie Releases
6. American Pastoral (October 28th)
(Based on the novel by Philip Roth)
strong>What: American Pastoral is a story about the American Dream and what happens when it meets a changing political landscape. Set during the tumultuous 1960’s the book tells the story of Jewish businessman Seymour ‘Swede’ Levov (Ewan McGregor), his former beauty queen wife Dawn (Jennifer Connelly), and their teenage daughter Merry (Dakota Fanning). The lives of this seemingly ordinary American family are changed forever when Merry gets involved in political activism against the country’s involvement in the Vietnam War, with deadly results.
Why We’re Excited: American Pastoral is McGregor’s directorial debut. The actor best known for his roles in Moulin Rouge, Trainspotting, and the Star Wars prequels, documented much of his progress of the making of this film on his Instagram page and looks excited to share it with the world. The trailer, set to a beautiful version of Tears for Fears’ “Mad World” by Jasmine Thompson, provides a beautiful sneak peak into McGregor’s directorial style that already has us swooning over the rustic landscapes.
The book has also won a Pulitzer Prize and been included in Time Magazine’s “All-TIME’s 100 Novels” list if that is any indication of how the story has resonated with people.
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