A hit book about a high-flying 50-something who risks everything for sex with a stranger has been turned into a BBC series starring EmilyWatson. Here, the author reveals the unspoken truth about the female midlife crisis – and why the divorce rate among women over 55 is rising.
I am on a film set in Smithfield, east London. Emily Watson, Oscar-nominated screen star, is walking towards me with a smile. We are just two of a crowd of people in a grand building called Haberdashers’ Hall, where the most important scene of the BBC adaptation of my novel Apple Tree Yard is being filmed. The scene appears towards the end of episode one. The main character, Yvonne, played by Watson, is at a champagne-fuelled leaving do for the head of department of a university where she does some freelance work. Yvonne is a high-achieving, 50-something research scientist, with a husband and two grown-up children and a beautiful suburban home. At the beginning of this episode, she has been giving evidence at a House of Commons select committee on genetic engineering and has met an enigmatic stranger in a corridor, played with magnetic brilliance by Ben Chaplin. In a moment of recklessness that is completely out of character, she allows him to seduce her in the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft, beneath the Palace of Westminster, and they proceed to have what I believe is called a knee trembler. She doesn’t even know his name.
At this point in the story, the leaving do, she seems to be managing the two halves of her life – respectable middle-aged woman/erotic adventuress – quite well. She has disassociated one from the other. But something horrible is about to happen, something that will make her whole life spin out of control and lead to her being on trial at the Old Bailey for murder.I have turned up on set during a break in filming and walk into the hallway just as Watson is emerging from having her make-up retouched. She sashays towards me in her party frock and heels, and I fall down a rabbit hole.
Denne historien er fra April 2017-utgaven av Fairlady.
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Denne historien er fra April 2017-utgaven av Fairlady.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
'DESIRE IS NOT WHAT MATTERS'
Emily Nagoski wrote the book on women and desire - literally. And then her own sex life dried up. Here's what a prolonged sex drought (and a load of research) taught her about maintaining intimacy in a long-term relationship.
'We have to tell HARD STORIES'
Theatre director and playwright Yaël Farber is spending time in South Africa after her critically acclaimed run of King Lear at the Almeida Theatre in London. We chatted to her about the importance of the pursuit of truth.
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TREATMENT PLAN ON YOUR MARKS
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Here's how to get the most out of loyalty cards.
BIG SKY Country
Namibia. Twelve friends, five vehicles, 4000 km, thirteen days. Eight punctures, one angle grinder. One martial eagle, one full moon, one ghost town. Plenty of top-quality braais, maybe not quite enough oysters... and the best time ever.
IS YOUR HOME MAKING YOU SICK?
Leaks, damp and poor ventilation in old or poorly built new homes are being fingered for a growing health concern: mould.
HOW TO REALLY GET TO KNOW SOMEONE
The Korean word 'nunchi' describes 'the ability to be sensitive to other people's moods and thoughts'. It's an underrated skill that we seem to have lost.
How to write a memoir
Whether you want to share your experiences and insights with the world, leave a legacy or track pivotal experiences for yourself, writing your memoir can be a grand and worthwhile adventure. Here's some advice on how and where to begin.
