Read the Book

I just finished "Where'd You Go, Bernadette" by Maria Semple and loved it. The book was recommended by my twenty-something son, and once I started it I couldn't put it down. The book is being made into a movie, but I don't know that I can bring myself to see it. Inevitably I am disappointed by movies based on books that I have loved. And the greater my love for a book, the greater my disappointment in the movie. Some books, by virtue of their shear density, intricacy, emotional depth, or literary technique, just don't lend themselves to movie adaptations. But you can't blame the authors for wanting to make a buck. Advances and royalties only go so far. Plus a movie audience may entice people who haven't read the book to do so, either before or after they see the movie. What author wouldn't want that?

Some of my favorite books and greatest movie disappointments:

"Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" by John Berendt (1993). This nonfiction is basically a series of chapters devoted to local Savannah personalities that are loosely tied together by a murder mystery. How do you make a decent movie out of that? You don't.

"Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Neffenegger (2004). This has to be one of my all-time favorite books. The story is told in flashbacks and flash-forwards. I knew the movie couldn't possibly capture the richness of this story and I was right. It didn't by a long shot.

"The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri (2004). Lahiri is a great writer and the "The Namesake" is a great book. The movie was not a great movie.

One Day" by David Nicholls (2009). I loved this book. The author uses a unique storytelling device, exploring the relationship between a young man and woman on the same day every year for 20 years. A movie, using the same storytelling device would probably run about 12 hours, so some things would have to go if you're making a 2 hour movie. And apparently something did. The movie got lackluster reviews at best. I couldn't bring myself to see it.

"Me Before You" by Jojo Moyes (2012). I have loved all of her books (except, ironically "After You", the sequel to "Me Before You"). While my movie companions had positive things to say about the movie adaptation, I was less enthusiastic. Significant events from the book were condensed or omitted. I just kept thinking 'That's not the way it happened in the book.' That's no way to watch a movie.

"A Man Called Ove" by Fredrik Backman (2015). See comments to "Me Before You".

Bottom line: There have been hundreds of books made into movies, some of them awful, some not so bad, and maybe even a few (very few), better than the book. But my money is always going to be on the book.