November 2021 — Is The Book Always Better?

I am throwing down the gauntlet this month by tackling the issue of book-to-screen adaptations. People can get very heated about this topic, especially when it comes to how their most beloved books are treated. In order to reduce the wrath I might induce, I am avoiding The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter Series. Those fan bases are far too entrenched and intimidating. Others are better equipped to enter that foray.

With prolific streaming services these days, it seems like every new fiction release is being optioned before the ink is even dry. In some cases it is obvious that the writer was composing with a video version already in mind. Or rather, someone thinks it might be time for a "modern take" on a classic. Needless to say, both viewpoints are well substantiated by their adherents. Below are some examples of successful retellings and some subpar ones. There are even a few that demonstrate that the book may have even been improved. These are entirely my own opinions, but I certainly welcome any challenges to my selections.

Screen Versions That Are on Par with Their Source

	*The Handmaids Tale* by Margaret Atwood
	*The Dexter Series* by Jeff Lindsay
	*The Queen's Gambit* by Walter Tevis
	*Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption* by Stephen King
	*The Princess Bride* by William Goldman
	*The Sopranos* by Matt Zoller Seitz and Alan Sepinwall

The Book IS Better

	Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
	Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
	Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot
	*Dublin Murder Squad Series* by Tana French
	*The Scarlett Letter* by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Better Than the Original

	*You* by Caroline Kepnes
	*Schindler's List* by Thomas Kenneally
	The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
	*Jurassic Park* by Michael Crichton
	*The Godfather* by Mario Puzo

November's Featured Reviews

	*The Woman in the Window* by A.J. Finn
	*Big Little Lies* by Liane Moriarty

Recent Readings

I have just finished reading My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham-Jones and Billy Summers by Stephen King. I also really enjoyed listening to the audiobook version of The Dare by Lesley Kara.

Right now, I am in the middle of Wish You Were Gone by Kieran Scott, and I am listening to The Next Accident by Lisa Gardner.

Know of any other examples that fit the above categories? Want to debate my choices? Bring it on! Drop me a line at jnmegan@gpl.org.

As always, I love suggestions and feedback, and I hope to hear from you.

Until next time: Be safe, be well and be well-read!
Joelle

So, who am I, anyway? I am a resident of West Groton, with a husband, 4 teenaged children and a Samoyed puppy-all of whom are systematically destroying our house. I am currently working part time at the Groton Public Library and in a former life I was employed as a Director or PR/Marketing at a high-tech consulting firm. My BA is in Psychology, but most of my time was spent in college earning a Concentration on the Novel. That is all to say that I make no claims at being an expert of any kind and my thoughts, opinions and mistakes are solely my own. I am just a person whose passion for books has continued to grow from the moment I was first able to grip and gnaw on them, and I have been devouring them ever since.

Nov 01, 2021 / Joelle M Egan