Downers Grove Library Presents "For Whom the Bell Tolls" March 7, 2012

Downers Grove, IL – The BIG READ is back, and to complement the book selection for 2012, “The Paris Wife” by Paula McClain, the Tivoli Theatre and Downers Grove Library will present the film adaptation of Ernest Hemingway’s Spanish Civil War novel, “For Whom the Bell Tolls.” The screening will take place on Wednesday, March 7, 2012, at 1:30 and 7 p.m., at the Tivoli Theatre, 5021 Highland Ave., Downers Grove. Admission is $5 per person.
In “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” Robert Jordan, the main character, was inspired by Hemingway's own experiences as a reporter in the Spanish Civil War. Jordan, an American in the International Brigades, travels to Spain to oppose the fascist forces of Francisco Franco. An experienced dynamiter, he was ordered to travel behind enemy lines and destroy a bridge, with the aid of a band of local antifascist guerrillas. In their camp he meets Maria , a young Spanish woman whose life has been shattered by the execution of her parents and her rape at the hands of the Falangists. Jordan clashes with the guerrilla leader, Pablo, but successfully destroys the bridge. However, in the process, Jordan is injured. Knowing that he would only slow his comrades down, he bids goodbye to María to ensure that she escapes.

Copies of the BIG READ featured book, “The Paris Wife” by Paula McLain, are available at the Downers Grove Library or for purchase from Anderson’s Bookshops. McLain’s 2012 novel is a historic fiction about Hemingway’s prolific expatriate writing period in Paris in the 1920’s and his relationship with his first wife, Hadley Hemingway.

“The Big Read” is a cooperative project of several libraries in the western suburbs that seeks to connect communities through literature. “The Big Read” encourages patrons at each participating library to read the same book with the goal of promoting reading, sparking discussion and building community.

For more information, please visit www.downersgrovelibrary.org and/or www.thebigread.org.