FOX WEEK || EMILIA FOX BOOKS

Hands up those of you that like to read? Now, hands up those of you who are a fan of Emilia Fox? Did you know that you could combine the two and have a blast? I'm serious. Back in March, I dedicated the month to reading Emilia Fox related books. I set a goal of reading seven books in which she appeared in an adaptation or was the narrator in an audiobook. I had the best time. So since this is her birthday week (Friday is her birthday), I thought that I would share with you some books that you can read or listen to. 

THE CLASSICS

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE  - JANE AUSTEN
(BBC MINI-SERIES 1995)
ROLE: GEORGIANA DARCY
Co-starring: Colin Firth, Jennifer Ehle, Joanna David (her mother), Julia Sawalha
** Also audiobook narrator

REBECCA - DAPHNE DU MAURIER
MINI-SERIES 1997
ROLE: THE HEROINE AKA THE SECOND MRS. DE WINTER
Co-starring: Charles Dance
** Also audiobook (abridged) narrator

DAVID COPPERFIELD - CHARLES DICKENS
BBC MINI-SERIES 1999
ROLE: CLARA COPPERFIELD
Co-starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Zoe Wanamaker, Imelda Staunton, Maggie Smith

THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GREY - OSCAR WILDE
2009 MOVIE
ROLE: LADY VICTORIA WOTTON
Co-starring: Ben Barnes and Colin Firth

BALLET SHOES - Noel Streatfeild
BBC TV MOVIE 2009
ROLE: SYLVIA BROWN aka Garnie
Co-starring: Emma Watson, Victoria Wood, Richard Griffiths, Harriet Walker

AGNES GREY - ANNE BRONTË
AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR

DEATH COMES AS THE END - AGATHA CHRISTIE
AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR

THE PIANIST - WLADYSLAW SZPILMAN

2002 MOVIE

ROLE: DOROTA

Co-starring: Adrien Brody, Maureen Lipman

THE ILIAD - HOMER

HELEN OF TROY (TV MINI-SERIES 2003)

ROLE: CASSANDRA, PRINCESS OF TROY

Co-starring: Stellan Skarsgard, John Rhys-Davies

(Cassandra was a Priestess of the god, Apollo, who gifted her with the power to see the future but then cursed her so that she would never be believed. She foresaw the destruction of Troy. I would love to see and read this story. I've been wanted to read The Iliad and The Odyssey for years - maybe now that I know that Emilia has played Cassandra, I can really dive into it. Plus, historian Bettany Hughes charted the route that Odysseus took on his way back from Troy (modern-day Turkey) back to Ithaca, Greece. My two favourites; Emilia Fox and Bettany Hughes.)

MORGAUSE RELATED BOOKS

Morgause is the Emilia Fox role that I love the most. Ever since I saw her in 'Merlin', the character has captured my imagination and so I've read a few books that feature Morgause. Some are great, some are decent and some are duds. I expect a lot from a character like Morgause in these books and sometimes, those books just don't quite live up to those high expectations of mine. Here are a few books that I've checked out and may give you some reading inspiration.  

MODERN BOOKS TO ADAPTATION

I haven't read the following books. I own the first one and I want to read 'The Round Tower'.

SIX TUDOR QUEENS (JANE SEYMOUR) - ALISON WEIR
HENRY VIII: TV MOVIE 2003
ROLE: JANE SEYMOUR
Co-starring: Ray Winstone, Charles Dance, Mark Strong, Helena Bonham Carter
(Okay, this isn't so modern but it doesn't quite fit into the classics because it is historical...)

THE ROUND TOWER - CATHERINE COOKSON
ROLE: VANESSA RATCLIFFE
Co-starring: Ben Miles, Denis Lewis, Jill Halfpenny

THE CASUAL VACANCY - J.K. ROWLING
ROLE: JULIA SWEETLOVE
Co-starring: Keeley Hawes, Michael Gambon
(This was on TV a few months ago. I tried to watch it but couldn't get into it. I personally have no interest in reading this either but you might.)

MUM'S LIST - St. JOHN GREENE
2016 MOVIE
ROLE: KATE GREEN

(I haven't watched this because I'm not emotionally prepared for it. I had a terminally ill parent and lost my Dad to MS over three years ago. I know that I will a sobbing mess when watching this. I watched Pixar's Onward last week and ended up bawling. I'm not ready to read or watch this.)

A U D I O B O O K S

Emilia Fox has quite the extensive audiobook catalogue - there are 111 audiobooks attached to her name on Audible. I haven't listened to them all and I probably won't because there are some that are simply not my cup of tea or are a mere hour long. Those short audiobooks hardly seem worth a credit. However, there are plenty for you to choose from. Check them out here on Audible. Here are the ones that I've listened to that aren't classics; those are featured above. 

The Channel 4 adaptation of Labyrinth starred Katie McGrath as Oriane. Katie McGrath played her sister, Morgana in BBC's Merlin. They also starred alongside each other in The Queen miniseries as Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret respectfully. 

Jackdaws in my personal favourite out of all of the audiobooks that I've listened to by Emilia. The story is spectacular. It has some gruesome parts. It is an adult historical fiction. The characters go through so many twists and turns. They are highly fallible characters. They aren't perfect. Nothing goes to plan and it is simply brilliant. Emilia brings this audiobook to life in such a vivid way that I forgot that I was listening to an audiobook and that I was listening to Emilia Fox. She's amazing. I loved it so much that I purchased it.

The Wreckage, however, is one that I personally hated. I got to roughly half-way into the audiobook before I quit listening to it. I personally felt that it was poorly written and poorly directed. I did not like the characters at all. It has two main narrators. I did not like Emilia's co-narrator and I did not think that Emilia's performance was up to her normal standard when compared to Jackdaws and Melmoth. However, that is simply my opinion. You can listen to it and absolutely love it. That's the beauty of reading. 

I hope this inspires you to read more books and have a great time imagining Emilia Fox in the roles. I had the best time reading Pride and Prejudice and Rebecca, all the while seeing her as Georgiana and the heroine respectively. It truly makes for a wonderful reading experience. Happy reading. Happy listening.