They say that if you have really enjoyed a book, you should never go to see the film afterwards. The theory is that even
a great film adaptation will never live up to the book of your imagination.
In that case, I shouldn't go to see why Dame Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett have just been nominated for Oscars
for their performances in the movie version of Zoe Heller's Notes On A Scandal.
However, it's been a couple of years since I read the book - so I'm sure I will go to see the film (which is released in the UK on Thursday), if only to remind me of how much I enjoyed the book in the first place.
The story concerns a female teacher's affair with her 15-year-old pupil, told not from the point of view of either of the particpants but of a much older colleague of the disgraced teacher.
And it is in their relationship that much of the interest of the book lies as it soon becomes apparent that the narrator is much more than a disinterested observer.
Perhaps go and see the film first - but don't forget to read the book afterwards because a good book always beats a good film.