The Beguiled

Book excerpt: A classic slice of Southern Gothic, shot through with psychological suspense - now the basis for Sofia Coppola's highly anticipated new film (winner of Best Director at Cannes) starring Nicola Kidman, Colin Farrell and Kirsten Dunst. When an injured Union soldier is found in the Virginia woods as the Civil War rages, he is brought to the nearby Miss Martha Farnsworth Seminary for Young Ladies to recover. For the sheltered girls and their teachers, the arrival of the attractive John McBurney is a thrilling distraction from normal life. But before long, McBurney's presence will turn them against each other and upend all their lives - with potentially devastating consequences. Combining psychological suspense with humour and romantic drama, The Beguiled is a wildly entertaining novel of sexual tension and repression, and of rivalry, jealousy and, ultimately, vengeance.