My friends and I got together for a book club of sorts. I say of sorts because we tried to answer the questions that are often put into the end of books (which is maddening on the Kindle because I think I have more book left to read but I don’t. That shouldn’t be in the % count!) these days because a bunch of women folk have formed book clubs (because Oprah made them). It’s too much like AP English III to me. Yes I read the book. No your questions about Jim Casey won’t prove that I knew the struggle of the Grapes of Wrath Mr. Murrel! (RIP Mr. Murrel, the best English teacher there ever was).
Oh, I didn’t finish Grapes of Wrath.
I digress.
So last month we read Silver Linings Playlist and went to see the movie. Within the first 10 minutes we had all tsk tsk’d the filmmakers so hard for immediately straying from the book. Mind you, I know that there is no way the book and the movie of anything will ever be the same. Look at the greatest film of all time, Fight Club. The book is very very different. I refuse to read Shopgirl because I’m too scared the book will ruin the movie I love so much. But I mean you should at least try. I’m not talking about the strained father-son relationship in Silver Linings. Where was all the shirtless Bradley Cooper I was looking forward to? He didn’t just run! He did push-ups and what not. You should do that shirtless. Especially when you’re Bradley Cooper.
This month’s book (novella if you want to be technical) was Breakfast at Tiffany’s. I have no review to do. And I have no movie comparison because I haven’t seen the movie yet. But somehow I’m already extremely disappointed in Audrey Hepburn’s Holly Golightly. I knew not to expect lavish descriptions of Tiffany’s blue boxes and whatnot. I knew she was kinda Pretty Womanish. But the story was just…gritty. Holly was a perfectly hateable delightful character. It just shattered all that I thought I knew about the movie.
It was a quick read. I finished in two days. Even pausing a super lite chick lit I was reading to make the book club deadline of Friday’s finish date.
I’m seriously already do irritated. Not like how I was slightly irritated with the changes that were made in Eat, Pray, Love. And I know not everything will be The Help adaptable, but a reviewer I read compared the Tiffany’s with The Little Mermaid’s. So that’s how I’m going to go into it. Just watching a classic film that happens to share the title of the short story I just read.
But now I want to bulk up on my Truman Capote reading.
What’s the best book to film adaptation you’ve seen? Is your favorite book also a movie or vise versa? How do the two compare?
(OMG while browsing Pinterest for my pics, I saw they’re developing a mini-series for The Leftovers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i just finished this book)
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No!! You MUST watch BAT despite reading the book. What Blake Edwards did is make Holly loveable yet troubled and someone who was afraid to trust and love yet finally could let go. It was beautiful and heartbreaking and Moon River will forever mean AH is sitting in a windowsill singing her pain. Go watch but keep an open mind and forget the book.
I'll try to go into it with an open mind and just take it as a classic movie. 🙂
I can sooo relate to this post!!! First of all, I was so mad after reading my first book on the Kindle since I didn't know it was the last page until it was too late.
Secondly, the bad English in the Grapes of Wrath bugged the heck out of me.
Thirdly, I too was very disappointed that Bradley Cooper wore that bag over his chest most of the time, too. I loved the dysfunctional relationship between Pat and his dad in the book because it's so true to life for some people. I loved how the book ended and didn't care for the movie ending. I could see how it might sell more tickets they way they ended it. I remember reading "Into the Wild" and "The Pianist" before seeing the movies and wasn't disappointed.
I was confused why so many critics loved the movie when it was just a regular predictable movie. They must just like Jennifer Lawrence (whom I didn't care for in the movie).
You basically know how *I* feel, but I will say this…I dont think I can get with Truman Capote as an author. Yeaaaaaaaars ago, I tried to read "In Cold Blood," and despite the fact that I mostly couldn't finish it because it scared the holly hell outta me…I also just didn't care for his writing style. And now, we're reading BATs…and I just…IDK. I'm glad we're only gonna watch the movie and that I've only read some of the book. lol.
I no longer watch movies until I read the book. Which usually means I won't see a movie until it's on video or 2 years later. It bugs me when the actors look nothing like how I picture them in my head when I'm reading, like in Game of Thrones or Skeeter from The Help. Ugh.