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June 2008
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THIS MONTH
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In May, I talked about Passion for Books, and how that carried over to another passion: music (jazz in particular). This month, I continue the theme of overlapping passions by presenting books that became great films.
I adore films. It is funny; if I spend two hours watching television, it feels like time wasted, but watching a motion picture rarely does (I will be polite and not mention the exceptions that come to mind). Typically I find the book superior to the film, because imagination is so powerful. Sometimes they get the villain's moustache wrong, or cut out the tender bit with Aunt Irma, or the director's vision just didn't match mine. Most importantly, even longer films have a limited amount of time to tell the story, and there are bound to be subtleties, nuances, and details lost in translation.
This month's Avid Reader showcases books that have been made into superior motion pictures, both modern and classic. And because no experience is complete without a good nosh, I'll offer recommended snack pairings, as well. |
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| Browse for Books |
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BOOKS IN REVIEW
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Modern
High Fidelity
by Nick Hornby
"What came first, the music or the misery? People worry about kids playing with guns, or watching violent videos, that some sort of culture of violence will take them over. Nobody worries about kids listening to thousands, literally thousands of songs about heartbreak, rejection, pain, misery and loss. Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?"
This is a love story in a music story's clothing. It is romantic and touching without being soppy or contrived, and deals with the conundrums of passion versus love and growing up that we all seem to struggle with at one time or another in a sincere, unaffected way. It is simple and endearing, and takes a very honest look at what could be described as a mid-life crisis, all to the backdrop of excellent music and musical history.
Top Five Reasons to read High Fidelity, even if you have seen the film:
- Hornby's self-loathing, cynical wit is genius in print
- None of Jack Black's antics
- So much of the personal, revelatory introspection of the book did not make the cut
- Get to know Rob, Dick, Barry and chums better than the 113 minute film allowed
- Delve deeper into Rob and Laura's history
Top Five Reasons to see High Fidelity, even if you have read the book:
- The soundtrack; this is a book about music, and the film lets you hear some
- The Cusacks, John and Joan, are both marvellous
- The smashingly bad 80s fashion in the flashbacks is fun
- Lisa Bonet singing Peter Frampton is…interesting
- Rob's flat and record collection are worth seeing
Recommended snacking: A slice of humble pie, washed down with a pint of bitter.
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Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
by Philip K. Dick
Dystopian, dark and disturbing, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? tells the story of Rick Deckard, who hunts replicants masquerading as humans on Earth. The year is 2019, and the replicants are intended only to do work on Earth's off-world colonies, but some have returned illegally to Earth. The book and film are quite different, and while Blade Runner (as the film version was titled) is one of my favourite movies, the book is superior in this case, with a lot of interesting political and socio-economic subtext that is absent in the film.
Recommended snacking: takeaway noodles (best from a dodgy stand).
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The Remains of the Day
by Kazuo Ishiguro
Stevens is a butler. He works for Lord Darlington, has done for years, and takes his role extremely seriously, elevating it almost to the status of art form, rather than job. The story is told from his perspective, and he is so quietly understated that it would be easy for the reader to miss the heartbreak behind his words. Stevens becomes increasingly paralysed by his duty and emotions, to the detriment of his own happiness and love. The motion picture is excellent, and Anthony Hopkins a superb choice, but the book is perfection.
Recommended snacking: crustless cucumber sandwiches and a nice cup of tea.
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Bridget Jones's Diary
by Helen Fielding
Bumbling, heartfelt, funny and lovely, Bridget is painful to read, as she is so entirely hard on herself. Her diary is the account of her doomed attempts to improve herself through eating better, smoking and drinking less, and neither snogging ridiculous men nor making a fool of herself in front of them. Each page details small triumphs and medium setbacks, as Bridget bravely soldiers on toward perfection. Warm and endearing, this book inspires affection in the hardest heart.
Recommended snacking: Five units chocolate, 10 units alcohol, one ciggie.
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The Witches of Eastwick
by John Updike
The Witches of Eastwick is another example of a film adaptation differing greatly from the original text. Both versions concern three women with magical abilities and their relationship to a new man in town. Both focus on themes of love, jealousy, sexism and revenge. However, where the movie portrays the three women as basically good and redeemable, the book is much darker, and the trio is vindictive, dangerous and out for blood, and the man in town is painted as less of a cheating bachelor and more of a truly evil villain.
Recommended snacking: Cherries (careful of the stones).
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Classic
Brideshead Revisited
by Evelyn Waugh
Its full title is Brideshead Revisited: The Sacred and Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder, but typically, the story is just referred to as Brideshead Revisited (marquee letterers everywhere breathe a sigh of relief). Set in England before the Second World War, the narrative explores the enormous challenges presented by differences in class, wealth and religion, and the strains they can put on relationships. The novel also focuses heavily on jealousy and possession, those elements being most present in the intense friendship forged between Charles (the protagonist and main character) and Sebastian, his wealthy schoolmate who takes him home to Brideshead Castle for the holidays, opening his eyes to a different life. The overwhelming tone of the narrative is one of nostalgia tinged with regret, and the comfort and torture provided to us by memory.
The book was made into an excellent BBC mini-series on television starring Jeremy Irons, and is now set to be released as a film (with the unparalleled Emma Thompson cast as the matriarch of Brideshead Castle) in the UK in October, 2008.
Recommended snacking: Champagne and Roast Pheasant (to excess, of course).
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Breakfast at Tiffany's
by Truman Capote
Audiences everywhere have been charmed by Audrey Hepburn's wide-eyed portrayal of the naïve and lovable Holly Golightly since the film's release in 1961. Arguably Hepburn's most well-known role, Holly Golightly feels lost and afraid of adulthood - even as far as naming her cat. See where she originated - in Truman Capote's 1958 novella of the same name.
Recommended snacking: Breakfast, of course (with a cocktail).
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One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
by Ken Kesey
Gregarious and charismatic, it's tough not to like Randle McMurphy, who brings life and humour to the mental hospital he is remanded to after a prison work term. The film is a remarkable masterpiece, but if you've never read the book, you're missing out; if possible, Nurse Ratched is even scarier in print. The frustration, intolerance and sorrow are palpable in its pages - but so is the irrepressible joy we can bring to each other.
Recommended snacking: Whisky (preferably stolen). Definitely no vegetables.
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Doctor Zhivago
by Boris Pasternak
A dramatic, compelling love story set smack-dab in the middle of the Russian Revolution, Doctor Zhivago struggled to be published - it was originally smuggled out of the Soviet Union. Omar Sharif, Julie Christie and Alec Guinness all contributed to the film's successful rise to celebrated classic. Even at a whopping 197 minutes, the film doesn't capture everything in the book. Find out what you missed.
Recommended snacking: Nothing. Or, if you must, some good dark bread and a bottle of Stolichnaya.
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To Kill a Mockingbird
by Harper Lee
Despite serious themes of racism, injustice and rape, To Kill a Mockingbird is about a single father trying to raise his children with dignity, love and understanding. Very much an understated hero, Atticus Finch astonishes his children when they see him in the courtroom, and realise their boring father is actually an extraordinary man. Gregory Peck played the role to perfection, but there's so much more in the book. Don't miss it.
Recommended snacking: Ham (watch out for chicken wire).
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Modern
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Classic
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SHELF TALK
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Pooh-Poohing Pooh: Where Hollywood Gets it Wrong
by Richard Davies - PR Manager; Resident Brit.
Since we talking about books turned into films, I have to let off some steam - there should not, I repeat not, be a gopher in Walt Disney's Winnie the Pooh movies. It was cynical ploy to Americanise the most British of children's stories and gets my goat every time I see that whistling gopher, which I see frequently because I have a five-year-old and a two-year-old. Why didn't Disney just go the whole hog and have Pooh addicted to hot dogs rather than honey? Do you reckon AA Milne, who went to Cambridge and smoked a pipe, was inspired by gophers? I think not.
Hollywood frequently messes up books - they just can't help themselves, it must be all that blazing sunshine in California. The worst book-to-film adaptation has to be The Mosquito Coast - Peter Weir's movie was a complete turkey and marked the only time I've ever walked out of a cinema mid-film. Sometimes you just know after 10 minutes that the film isn't working. Paul Theroux must have cringed when he saw Harrison Ford struggling to make sense of it. Here are two more shockers. The Bonfire Of The Vanities - great book, terrible film. HG Wells' War of the Worlds - great book, legendary radio adaptation, but a shocking Tom Cruise film.
It's just impossible to cram the entirety of a book into two hours of action and dialogue. You can't put a pint into a quart pot. The Bonfire of the Vanities took me about a month to finish because it is 550 pages long and I read at tortoise pace. I think Hollywood should step away from attempting to convert big strapping novels into silver screen epics, and use short stories and novellas for their inspiration.
Field of Dreams has become one of my favourite films - a wonderful feel-good movie - and that comes from WP Kinsella's novella, Shoeless Joe. Now, I liked the book but I think the movie is actually better than the book - the characters emerge more in the film than on the page. I saw a TV interview with Kinsella once and he seemed to agree the film outshone his book. Short stories can make good films. Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain movie comes from a short story in E Annie Proulx's Close Range: Wyoming Stories - a wonderful collection of tales I heartily recommend. John Ford's Stagecoach came from Ernest Haycox's short story Stage to Lordsburg.
Sometimes it's best to discover the book after the film. Get a taster from Hollywood first; get the full story from the book later. I've done that many times and knowing the ending has not ruined the book.
However, the bottom line is films, like books, touch us emotionally - Alistair MacLeans' Where Eagles Dare will never be critically acclaimed for its prose but I love that 1968 movie with Richard Burton (going through the motions, I know) and that an exceptionally young (and wooden) Clint Eastwood and all those English character actors who steal each scene from the big stars. I'll never pick up MacLeans' book but I will always watch that film - it's that damn soundtrack.
Tell us your thoughts about great books that became terrible movies or even terrible books that became great movies.
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| New Books! |
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ON THE SITE
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Bestsellers for May
- Devil May Care
Sebastian Faulks
- Swim with the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive
Harvey Mackay
- Holes
Louis Sachar
- Winter: A Berlin Family, 1899-1945
Len Deighton
- Joshi's Holistic Detox
Nish Joshi
See the whole list on our homepage
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Most Expensive books sold in May
- Etudes à l'Eau-Forte
Francis Seymour Haden - £8,838
- Grimm's Fairy Tales
Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm - £5,846
- Atlas der Krystallformen
Victor Goldschmidt - £4,363
- Treatise of Elementary Chemistry
Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier - £3,957
- The Library of Treasury of French Law
Laurent Bouchel - £3,263
See the whole list
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Sex and the City Love Letters
 In the age of mobile phones, email and instant messaging, you would think love letters would be a thing of the past but a love text message (I luv u) hardly compares to a letter from the heart. The producers of the Sex and the City movie agree and they are currently helping to revive interest in love letters.
Read the entire article.
Remembering Dylan Thomas
 The just-released movie The Edge of Love - starring Matthew Rhys, Keira Knightley and Sienna Miller - is once again putting Dylan Thomas in the spotlight. Will another generation pick up his work? We hope so. Will today's teenagers comprehend Thomas' legacy? Perhaps.
Learn more about Dylan Thomas.
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Found in Books
Be careful what you use as a bookmark. Thousands of dollars, a Christmas card signed by Frank Baum, a Mickey Mantle baseball card from 1952, a marriage certificate from 1879, a baby's tooth, a diamond ring and a handwritten poem by Irish writer Katharine Tynan Hickson are just some of the stranger objects discovered inside books by AbeBooks booksellers.
See What Else Has Been Found in Books.
Richard & Judy's 2008 Hot Summer Reads
 Chat show hosts Richard & Judy have announced their 2008 hot summer reading list. Like Oprah Winfrey, Richard & Judy have the ability to catapult their selected books into the bestsellers lists. See below for the complete summer reading list - find signed copies of too!
See the full List.
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| Avid reader Book Club |
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INTERACT WITH ABEBOOKS
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Current AbeBooks Contests
Talk to Us
Thoughts? Comments? Witty anecdotes? We'd love to hear them.
Let us know what's on your mind.
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| Notes from Avid Readers |
Thanks to everybody who wrote to weigh in on our last issue, and who shared their stories of reading on public transportation. We had some great submissions! Here are some of our favourites. And as always, please keep writing, as we love to hear from you.
I live in LA and as such drive a bit. I have been addicted to talk radio for decades...I do like to keep up. Had always looked down my nose at "Books on Tape", but no more. I discovered them on frequent seven-hour drives to Arizona. The first was Thomas Hardy's Far From the Madding Crowd, unabridged (I haven't been over that one with books on tape...yet...I'm a bit of a purest), I don't know if I'd ever have picked it up in tome form, but oh was it exquisite to listen to...a soap opera really but the prose was amazing. I still listen to talk radio driving around LA...but I now switch on the CD function during those long commercial breaks and repetitive news broadcasts...amazing what I squeeze in. I met Will Lee about 30 years ago, bassist for The David Letterman Band (I'm afraid I watch Craig Ferguson now-brilliant...oh, wait a minute he's opposite Conan-I'll be able to watch him when he takes over for Leno soon) -he showed me his over the shoulder bass case to which he had had attached a large outside pocket for his subway companion; I was impressed. I suppose he uses an IPod on the subway now- but one can listen to music and read simultaneously though I haven't seen anyone doing it as of yet.
—Karen
As one who seldom leaves home without a book to read just in case I catch a few minutes waiting for whatever I am out and about for, i.e., appointment, standing in a line, meeting a friend, stuck in traffic, etc., I enjoyed your description of your life with books, especially while traveling. Often, I'm disappointed when I don't have to wait for the appointment or whatever I'm expecting as a time to enjoy my book. (While I do like magazines, I don't find them to be a satisfactory alternative to a book.)
—Paulette
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I was so glad to read Richard Davies comments about reading on the Tube and missing his stop. I have been reading on the bus most of my adult life. Heck, I've been reading anywhere and everywhere ever since I learned how to read but since starting to work for a living reading on the bus is a necessity to fill that void between work and home. Usually I'm pretty aware of where on the route I am and know just when to put the bookmark in and close the book. However, about a year ago I was reading Kathy Reichs' book "Break No Bones". I was so deeply engrossed in it that I was oblivious to the fact that we had arrived at my bus stop. Fortunately, my neighbour was on the same bus and tugged at my sleeve to ask me if I was getting off. Goodness knows how long I would have stayed on the bus before I took notice of my surroundings. Since it was an express bus I could have travelled quite a distance.
—Wendy
One of the best experiences I have had reading on public transportation was in England. As I took trains through the countryside, I read Notes from a Small Country by Bill Bryson and contemplated my own experiences as an American living in this country so alike and yet so very different from the one I'd known. I highly recommend reading pertinent travelogues when riding trains, planes, and buses to, from, and around a new country or region; it can enhance what you'll see out of the window with deeper thoughts than a pleasant ride normally provokes.
—Colleen
At the age of 80 and long retired, I find that reading and music ARE my public transport. The reading is mostly in historical mysteries and takes me to Ancient and Medieval times to rub shoulders with the people and experience the setting and life from afar. Music, in many ways, does the same -- still some reminiscing in the classics, but a lot of vicarious international travel to enjoy the traditional and ethnic music of every continent.
—Larry
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