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What's Deborah Moggach reading?

 
Deborah Moggach’s novel These Foolish Things was the basis for the hit movie The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and its sequel.
Deborah Moggach’s novel These Foolish Things was the basis for the hit movie The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and its sequel.
Published April 1, 2015

Nightstand

Deborah Moggach

It took a few trans-Atlantic phone calls and emails, but eventually we caught up with Moggach, who lives in Presteigne, Wales. She is well known for her novel These Foolish Things, the basis for the sleeper hit movie The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and its sequel, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, which is in theaters now. Another one of her books is about to hit theaters: Tulip Fever, a romance set in 17th century Amsterdam. Moggach's most recent novel, Heartbreak Hotel, was released March 3 by Overlook Books.

What's on your nightstand?

I'm reading the new Anne Tyler (A Spool of Blue Thread), always a treat. I do hope it won't be her last. She so understands the complexity of families, the tension and profound warmth. And I've just finished the hilarious and strangely moving We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Jay Fowler, which has been a big hit in the U.K. I'd recommend both — especially (Fowler), as she's a new discovery, and most readers already know Anne Tyler. She's so cherished and loved.

I know you were an English major, but was there a particular author who inspired you to become a novelist?

Virginia Woolf inspired me. She was so extraordinarily sensitive and sensitizes the reader so you see the world afresh, but funnily enough I find her hard going now, because she was a terrible snob.

In 2015, what differences do you see between U.S. readers and those in the U.K.?

I'm afraid I haven't a clue. Sometimes I worry that the British sense of humor, our weird irony, doesn't travel across the Atlantic, but I've found fans in America who contradict this assumption. Thank God.

What are your favorite scenes in the The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel?

It was a huge kick to see my characters, already fleshed out in the first film by our wonderful cast, embarking on a whole new story in the sequel. I had nothing to do with their plots, but that made it even more fascinating. I think my favorite scenes are those between Maggie Smith and Judi Dench. In real life they've known each other for many, many years and worked with each other many, many times, so the depth and humor they brought to those scenes was very moving. Maggie Smith is indeed 19 days older than Judi Dench, so the script told the truth.

Contact Piper Castillo at pcastillo@tampabay.com or (727) 445-4163. Follow @Florida_PBJC.