In my senior year of high school, I was involved in our production of "South Pacific", and for a variety of reasons it was the highlight of my high school years. It also had a far-reaching impact on me, because I got curious about the book upon which it was based, "Tales of the South Pacific", the very first novel ever written by James A. Michener. I read it while we were rehearsing the show, and again after we'd done the show, and then at least two more times over the summer. I read it again several years later. I was enthralled with the characters, especially the ones that had either not appeared in the musical or were markedly different. Over the next 30 years, I read most of the rest of Michener's impressive list of works, but his opening of "Tales..." remains my favorite - "I wish I could tell you about the South Pacific" (implying that he can't, but then he does). I was reminded of this recently when my wife and I went to see the revival of "South Pacific" at Lincoln Center in New York. As we took our seats, I looked up and there, on the flat surface that served as the curtain on the stage, was a projection of those two marvelous opening paragraphs. I teared up, and I stayed that way through the show. I had, and still have, a sense that this is mine as much as Michener's, that I know the characters and the story line as well as he did. And the musical feels like a close cousin. I feel a kinship with these fine pieces, a wonderful familiarity, an intimacy. Has anyone else experienced this with favorite books or plays?
Yes. My most favorite book in the world -- The Root Cellar by Janet Lunn -- captured my imagination at the age of eleven and holds a special place in my heart. I became so familiar with the characters, the scenes, and the history involved, and when it ended - I bawled my eyes out. To me, movies and books that move you emotionally are the better than the rest.
I agree with Tayleea, I have several books, plays, music I feel that way about. My absolute favourite is Mist Over Pendle by Robert Neill - he probably wouldn't pass by the boards standards of what should be in a novel but no book has captivated me so much. It has the odd infodumps and too much description but the infodumps are interesting and the description sumptious
