Books Made into Movies Discussion

[Heidi M Simone]

Happy June, everyone! I think we can probably figure out what this month's genre discussion means - books made into movies.

As we start our discussion, feel free to share any insight and/or information about the book you've read. For guidance, here are some potential discussion points:

- What did you read?
- Share the genre(s) of your book.
- Have you watched the movie version? If so, which did you watch first and which did you prefer?
- Was this book part of a series or was it a stand-alone?
- Would you recommend the book?
- Do you plan on reading more from the same author?

Feel free to share anything else that you'd like about your book. Was there a character you enjoyed the most and/or least? Did you find that the plot flowed well? Were the themes well represented?

As always, let's have fun discussing some great books!

[VernaVi]

The genre I chose was Young Adult. The title was "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott.
I loved this story as a book. It was wonderfully descriptive, and the character development was superb.

I did picture things a little differently than they were portrayed in the movie version, but that's bound to happen. The movie version I watched was the one Margaret O'Brian acted in. It depicted the story very well and stayed true to the storyline. The characters were portrayed just the way they were in the book, and that was pleasing to me.

I also like the book-to-movie translation of The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I loved the 1949 film adaptation (also with Margaret O'Brian). It stayed true to the story and delivered! My favorite part was when the black and white film went color every time the children entered the secret garden.

[TopaAzul062]

The first movie that I saw that was based on a book (though I didn't know it at the time of first viewing) was Relic by Preston and Child. It falls into the Thriller/Mystery/Horror genre and to me the movie was pretty good. Fast forward many years later and I'm introduced to the book the movie was based on.

I'm still trudging through the book but in comparison the two are very different from the other; it's understandable at some points especially when it comes to the scene with the children which was omitted from the movie but they kept the security guard part more or less. The next one was the Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald to which I viewed the version with Redford playing the part of Gatsby. To me, the two were pretty balanced and one didn't over power the other.

The latest (sort of) book to movie translation that I saw was Clive Barker's Midnight Meat Train and it falls into the horror genre. There were differences between the two mediums yet the application was handled well. A notable difference would be the ending where the new 'butcher' replaces the old one and is inducted into the nightmare fold via this large, massive subterranean being.

[Noosh]

Since June is known as the Pride month I'm going to talk about CMBYN by Andre Aciman.

Of course, I read the book first. It was part of a readathon last year and I had to finish a book in a day. So, I chose Call Me By Your Name and dived into it. Amazing day. I gobbled up the words and munched on them. There were lines I read and re-read over and over again, not because I didn't understand them but because I wanted them to stay with me for a long time. The book was poetic and beautiful... I specifically enjoyed the end of the book... yep, it was one of those books that made me cry too.

Imagine my surprise when on the same day I watched the movie and wanted to throw my laptop out the window! I kid you not! I loved the OST of the movie and yeah, B was a magnificent place but the whole movie was a total and utter disappointment. Specially the end!!!!
To me, when I watch a movie after I've read the book everything feels wrong. It's like nobody's doing their part right! As if the whole cast is going off script!

So, yes, I most certainly suggest everyone read the book CMBYN but I don't suggest anyone watch the movie. That's my personal opinion on the matter.
Also, it wasn't a part of a series before, but Aciman had apparently decided to write a second book for it and I can't wait to read that one too!