Are there any book-to-film adaptations that turned out very similar to the way you pictured as you read?

I love it when a film adaptation ends up much as I envisioned it as I read a book! It's really quite amazing when that happens. When it does, I credit it an author who writes vividly enough that one captures the story line as it was truly meant to be. Of course the producer and director have to see it the same way in order for it to come to fruition in the final product.


One film that I can watch over and over again is The Prize Winner of Defiance, OH. The book was written by Terry "Tuff" Ryan. Both the writing and the film take you back to the era in which the original story occurred. Simple and beautiful. (I wrote a review of the book here previously if you missed it: http://boundtogetherforgood.blogspot.com/2010/08/prize-winner-of-defiance-oh-how-my.html )





Another adaptation that I envisioned much as the film turned out is The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. ( http://boundtogetherforgood.blogspot.com/2011/03/time-travelers-wife-by-audrey.html ) Perhaps I was able to envision it a certain way because we live near Chicago. I also feel that Niffengger's writing voice is dreamy and picturesque.



Can you think of any book-to-film adaptations that pleased you because they seemed so similar to the book?

Have you ever known a film adaptation that you liked better than the book from which it was adapted?

All of us are lovers of great books, right? I wonder if most of my readers also love great films, as I do...
It only stands to reason that the book, as the source of inspiration, will be better. It also stands to reason that a book is envisioned differently by every reader and, therefore, a movie adaptation will not please everyone.


Can you think of a film adaptation that you enjoyed more than the book? In such a case did you actually read the book first or did you perhaps see the film first?




I can think of two instances in which I loved the film and didn't care so much for the book. In both instances, however, I saw 
the films first and later read the books. I do wonder if that has skewed my perception in each case.  The titles are: Mary Poppins by P. L. Travers and The Princess Bride by William Goldman. I feel that both films are classics. I am not convinced that I'd have seen the treasure in either book; we are fortunate that someone did.



Here is an interesting article about someone else's feelings on the idea that the books is always better than the movie.


http://www.student.com/blogs/movies-film/the-book-is-better-than-the-movie/


So...what do you think? Can you name any instances where you enjoyed the film more?

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

 This book was recommended to me by a friend from school. We have both read other of Shirley Jackson's books. The titles I have read are both non fiction; accounts of her life: Life Among the Savages and Raising Demons. I find myself wondering if perhaps we were assigned this book in middle school as it seemed as if I'd read it before...  

The essence of this book is that it gives a picture of small towns and small minds. The telling of the story holds a mystery and the pieces of it are put together as the story is read. Everything is tied up pretty satisfyingly; at least the dots of the mystery are all connected by the end of the story. The main characters in this novel tend a family garden plot but also nurse more than a garden variety of mental and emotional issues. If gothic mystery is your "thing", you should read this book. 

The Magicians and Mrs. Quent by Galen Beckett

This is 510 pages of Victorianesque reading, folks. I enjoyed that aspect very much. The characters are very well developed and enjoyable. While there seems to be a lot of characters to follow, it is a long book, so it becomes fairly easy to remember who everyone is, if only because there are many pages devoted to each scene of the book. The author does a wonderful job of not jumping around too quickly.

Ivy is a book lover. She has two sisters, Rose and Lily. In order to keep them straight I remembered "IRL"; that's the abbreviation for "in real life". That reminded me Ivy is the oldest and Lily the youngest. From there on it was pretty easy to remember the characters because they were interesting.

The book was written on the premise of the author wondering "what if" the social circumstances written of in Victorian books were due to a specific reason. Now that I know that I find it very interesting. However I also feel that the author could have developed many of the details of the storyline more fully. The plot felt, to me, very "sci-fi"  for a book set in the Victorian era. The tale involves magicians and witches and animated, living trees that seem to have a will of their own. 

The setting is "Altania", a fictional land.

There are three parts to this book. The first and third are written in the same voice. The second part is written as Ivy writing missives to her father who suffered an indecipherable breakdown prior to the beginning of the story. While this part feels somewhat less sophisticated than the other two parts, it was still enjoyable to hear Ivy's thoughts as the story progressed.

Overall, I believe I am happy with the story. That's a lot to say of a book that is 510 pages long. I certainly had no preconcieved ideas, aside from the fact that two women to whom I have similar reading tastes enjoyed the book. I would have been even happier with it though if the author had explained more fully some of those things that are very specific and peculiar to the plot. I felt he allowed us to just suspect some things...to be intuitive of them. While it was possible to intuit, I also sometimes find that dissatisfying; I want to know what the author was thinking as he wrote the story. I want to see his vision for it. I also felt he ended the story a bit abruptly too, whereas, I felt he could have added much greater depth to the very ending. The summation felt rushed. 

 The House at Durrow Street is the sequel to follow The Magicians and Mrs. Quent.

A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz

This is the 711 page tale of Jasper and his father, Martin. Fractions of stories are related; those stories are fractions of their lives, and their lives are fractions of the greater world. All of this was inspired by a quote from Emerson "The moment we meet with anybody, each becomes a fraction." 

The plot twists and turns so many times it would seem unbelievable if I tried to list some of the things that happen in this book. The whole thing is a bit on the dark side, but with humor throughout. Toltz manages to poke fun at modern day Australian society through the telling of his work of fiction. The main part of the book is Jasper telling the reader the story of his life but to do so he must also tell us of his father's life, and to do that he must tell of his father's brother's life too. At times, the point of view is changed and the story is taken over by Martin's voice. The pace rolls furiously; the reader doesn't lose interest. 

I was a bit worried at the length of this book, wondering if maybe I would find the whole story pointless. I actually liked it. I liked the way the author connected a lot of different threads of the story. It speaks a lot about relationships and philosophy but what it says is interesting and I can believe that some people do feel the way the characters felt even though I don't. Toltz manages to take some pretty crazy characters and cause the reader to empathize with them. The story is, at the same time, funny and tragic. I think I picked this book up because of the cover and the title initially. I probably then read the blurb on the back cover and decided to give it a try. I read the whole book during a week's holiday in Portugal in October 2009. It was a great piece of fiction for a beach vacation.

Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson

I very much enjoy reading books written by Bill Bryson. I have also tried listening 
to one of his books on cd, read by him. Let's just say I'd rather read the book; 
he reads a bit slow and dead-pan for me. Don't get me wrong, I know it must be 
difficult to read for a recording! I feel the writing just flows better for me if I am 
reading. I'm not much given to listening to books on tape but do it once in a while.

I enjoyed Mother Tongue. I very much enjoy learning about language and what 
affects it and causes it to change. The differences between American and British 
English intrigue me and they were discussed in this book, along with many other 
things. (We happened to be living in England at the time that I read this book in 
January 2008.)

He also discusses dialects and spelling changes. Ever wonder why the word 
"doubt" is spelled the way it is? As always Bryson can write about a very serious 
topic while managing to infuse it with lots of tongue-in-cheek humor. (For those 
interested in language but with a taste for anything that isn't banal he even 
discusses swear words.)


             Why do "knife" and "knight" and "knowledge" begin with a "k"?      
                                  Bryson knows; I know; do you know?

The Color of Water by James McBride

Born in the early stages of America's civil rights movement, James McBride faced some unusual circumstances during his life; more unusual than most people faced. His birth father was a black man, his mother was a Polish Jewish immigrant. James had seven siblings older than he. His father died from lung cancer during James' pregnancy. His mother married another black man and gave birth to four more children. Life carried on.

James' mother, Ruth, although Jewish, converted to Christianity and, with her first husband, started a church. Faith played a central role in their lives and does so throughout this memoir. McBride uses the book as a means to describe his own life but tells it along with the story of his mother's life. As difficult as it might be to be born to a black man during a time of great racial tension, I imagine Ruth faced even greater difficulties. Can you imagine the isolation she must have felt? Her family turned their back on her when her first pregnancy occurred out of wedlock and with a black man. Of course she was also an adult during the civil rights movement so she was very aware of the tensions around her, and the need to protect her young children. Even facing all of this she had a wonderful way of looking at life. Ruth was always an advocate for bettering one's self. She taught her children the values of faith, hard work, and motivation. Her children are a testament to a woman who plunged forward during radically difficult times; all twelve completed college and went on to successful lives. James became a journalist as well as a jazz musician and, obviously, an author too.

Though growing up was rough, later in life James could say that it was a blessing to have come from two worlds.

Oh, what is the color of water?  Ruth had the answer...read and find out.

Ruth McBride Jordan died at age 88 on 16 Jan 2010.

I read this book in November of 2006. I will read it again.

The Tent, the Bucket and Me: My Family's Disastrous Attempts to go Camping in the 70s by Emma Kennedy

We moved to the UK in August 2007 and our family took many holiday trips. Some were even psuedo-camping (hiring a stationary caravan at a campsite) and therefore I can truly picture everything this book is about.



This was an hilarious but painful look at a decade of holidays gone hellish for Emma Kennedy and her parents. Their desires for a happy holiday took them to Wales, other parts of England, and to France.
Somehow the holiday faeries never seemed to find them and protect them.




Reading this you keep waiting for just one glorious moment of sunshine, or luck, or even a pain-free moment at least. And, always, just as there is the faintest hint that things are beginning to go right...out falls the bottom! Poor Emma, Brenda and Tony. The story chronicles their travels from when Emma was age three until she turns thirteen.


Since adulthood Emma has refused, hands down, to go on holiday with her parents. It really isn't any wonder.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

     Winner of the Caldecott Award in 2008, this interesting story is most 
creatively told through the use of not only words, but also pictures. The pictures are nice clear pen and ink drawings which add to the story line quite effectively. Not long after I began reading it all of our children were compellingly engrossed, even my husband and the drivers of the coaches we toured in while on a holiday in Paris, France in 2008. 

     The novel is set in Paris, in a train station. The story focuses on some truths in history regarding the beginning of film making, as well as automatons. Our family happened to be visiting the Musee d'Orsay, an Impressionist museum, in Paris. The museum is housed in a former train station. That added great meaning to the book for our family and created a lasting memory for all of us.


     Don't let the size of this book scare you. Yes, it is 533 pages, but it is a combination storybook and novel, all in one. In thinking back, I would guess it only took a matter of hours for us to finish it; maybe 3-5 hours. I feel it is well worth one's time.

The children's Blizzard by David Laskin

It was a milder than usual morning on the 12th of January 1888. North and South Dakota, Minnesota and Nebraska...the people are happy for a break from the winter weather. They begin to go about their day with little care.

Unfortunately, hindsight is 20/20. The weather to come later that day brought utter disaster.
The storm that is the subject of this book is the same storm written about by Laura Ingalls Wilder, in her books.

This book gets a bit heavy with weather terminology in a couple of chapters. But the author also weaves MANY stories of various immigrants lives throughout the book...don't try to keep them straight, just keep reading. Actually, the second time I read this book I read it aloud to two of our children, ages 11 and 10 at the time.

Skip the weather terminology if you must, don't let it stop you from hearing the events of the blizzard and how it affected the people it struck. This is a piece of unpredictable, fascinating, American history.