Thursday, March 31, 2016

Discussion: Book Adaptations Change my Opinion

Sometimes my opinion for a book is swayed by an adaption, and, yes, sometimes I like the adaptation better than the book (a sin, I know)!  I don't think it's bad to like the movie/show better than the book, because, really, sometimes stories are meant for one particular medium and don't translate as well on another, and sometimes they work well on both.  But, that's not what this post is about, per say.  It's more about some recent adaptations that have gotten me excited or encouraged me to read the book.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
I read the first book in this series several years ago and loved it!  It was so much better than I had thought it would be and strongly reminded me of X-Men (of which I was a HUGE fan back then).  Now, with the gorgeous trailer for the film out (go watch it if you haven't yet, and go watch it again if you already have) I think it's time to pick the books up again.  I own the whole trilogy and I'm not really sure what's kept me from reading them all at this point.  So, yeah, while I knew I was already excited for this film and in love with the book, the movie has got me all ramped up again.

Me Before You
This isn't the sort of book I would regularly pick up, but after seeing the trailer for the film (which features the beautiful Sam Claflin) I couldn't help but hurrying over to Amazon.com and buying a copy immediately.  I still haven't read it, but it's high on my list to get to right now, and I'm rather surprised that it would ever have been the case.  I don't think there's been another movie or show from a genre I don't read that has gotten me to actually read the source material.

The Magicians
I read The Magicians several years ago and was not thrilled with it.  In fact, one could say I hated it.  Though, I suppose that might be too strong a word, because, by the time I finished it, I was so depressed by the story and the characters that I could feel nothing at all for the book.  I put it down, completely unsatisfied.  So, understandingly, when the show aired on The Magicians I wasn't really excited for it.  I only watched it because my Dad and Lauren (who's blog you should go check out ASAP) told me it was really a good show.  I sat down, and within the first ten minutes I was in love with the show.  It's dark, ambitious, and full of ambiguous, but not sceevy like I remember the book being, and actually a really good show.  Right now, it's one of my favorites.  And, actually, it may be convincing me to retry reading the book.  Crazy, yeah?  I'm still debating- I'm going to see how the ending of the series leaves me feeling, because that's where the book lost me.

Has an adaptation ever changed your opinion of a book?  Let me know in the comments!

3 comments:

  1. Great post - and thanks for the shout out!

    I'm so excited for the Miss Peregrine adaptation - even though it looks like some things were changed around! I really hope you like the two sequels. :)

    Me Before You is not my sort of book either, but because of the trailer (and the tons of people who have told me to pick it up in the past) I actually picked up a copy from the library and will be reading it soon. Hopefully it's as good as it looks like it will be (and not be terribly depressing).

    I've only watched the first two episodes of The Magicians so far, but it is really impressive. I didn't really care either when it was announced but after the pilot I was sold on it. And, that's extremely unusual when I'm so irritated by the source material - I'm glad we both gave it a shot! I'm not sure if I'll continue with the book series, though, I may just stick with the show. Although, if they do get better, please let me know. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm looking forward to giving the sequels a read. Do you think it would be better to reread the first book beforehand? I'm blurry on many of the details, but don't know if there's a sufficient recap in book two.

      I think I've heard Me Before You is sad, but not in a depressing way (if that makes sense). I'm looking forward to giving it a chance, but I'm prepared to cry.

      Delete
    2. There is, but it is nice to have it fresh in your mins. It couldn't hurt to do a reread. :)

      That does sound right - at least we know that going in.

      Delete

Thank you so much for commenting! I love to hear from you and try to respond to comments once or twice a week. Thank you for your patience :)