The Book Was Better discussion

Haha, same here! The first time I read it it toke me a while as well up but once I got into it it was fine

I've only seen the movie, and after seeing the movie, which was a cheese fest...it turned me off from reading the book. From the previews, it sounded like a pretty cool concept, but I mean did Stephanie Meyer even okay the script?

Please read the book it is very different from the film and much more enjoyable!

I feel like when she was selling the script for this one and all that someone was like "well...audiences LOVED Twilight...so this book will only be popular if we water it down to nothing but a love triangle!"

The movie is a JOKE compared to the amazing book!

Yeah, the only reason this was even made into a movie is because they wanted to make some money since they were still on a high from the Twilight movies.

I absolutely loved the book, but the movie couldn't compare.

Exactly!!! I almost wish they did not make the movie at all, but instead decided to make it now....but keeping with the book. They took everything amazing and good from the book and took it out to make it just another love story....UGH!

Yup. It was such a good concept, and I knew it was going to be crap though when they didn't take their time to try and figure out how to do the whole Mel/Wanda dynamic on screen. Granted, it turned out decent in that aspect, but they rushed it too much to even make it worth it all around.

I could look past that a little....but the big thing for me they left out was Wanda wanting to go there, and being in love to Jared as well. it made her time there that much more vital since she wanted so much to be accepted. then it was also a bigger shock that Ian liked her, since you were not really expecting it that much.....

Exactly. I also don't think it portrayed the struggles the whole group in the caves went through. They made it seem like it was some pretty darn good and easy ordeal, while in the book they go without a lot of foods like meat and such a lot, the soap they use stings but is the best they could do for now, etc.

But, as usually I'm b*tching about a book-to-movie translation and am unhappy with it. I suppose it's the story of a book lovers life lol.

Haha ain't that the truth :D

I totally feel you there! They make so many movies based on books...you think they would get it right every now and again! I feel like I am disappointed 99% of the time!

Same here. I think I can count on one hand how many movies based off books I actually thought were really good. And most the movies I even watch are the ones from books I've read lol

do you read the extra chapter that was written for the movie ? It seems that was not used, but it is about a jealous sentiment from Mel about Wanda and Ian .

Seriously?

yes, it is on her website if I am not mistaken , it goes after Mel awakes as a solo human and Ian is aware of it.

I own this book in hard cover! and I have not read it. I'm mehhh about this author. should I read it? your honest opinion

I totally understand your hesitation. I did not want to read it either. But I am SO GLAD I did! It is not like a lot of the other books I have read lately, and really loved how this book was not just some love story. There was a lot of other things going on in the book that made it feel a little slow at time, but was really developing some amazing characters. I finished reading it and immediately wanted to re-read it, and that just about never happens to me!

I'll put it back into my rotation. I'm starting "The Girl w/the Dragon Tattoo" I didn't want to read that either but a friend is kinda pushing me towards the trilogy. maybe, I'll start the host after I'm done

I am reading a book right now that one of my campers wanted me to read, and my heart is for sure not in it. It is a good enough book and all, but when I went to talk about it with her she told me she did not read it yet!! I was a little annoyed and have not read in it much since then, but need to finish it eventually so I can get it back to her this summer! haha

I see you have been talking about me little sister.

Indeed! Finally you get on here and join the convo!! Only took you like 5 months!!!

I work alot, be quiet.

So do I! :p

awww I love sister "disagreements" when it's not me with my sisters of course :D Welcome Dana's sister!!!

Haha. Right!? I have to say.... I was kind of surprised she found that so fast! She was in the group for like 10 minutes and finds the one place I was talking about her!


On a different note, I keep seeing The Host on Netflix and it makes me want to watch it again.... Only I don't really want to. I want to read it again! Haha

I really really should read this again as I have watched the movie so many times that I'm starting to forget the parts they didn't include. Terrible I know!!

Yeah, I don't want to ever forget how much they messed up on the movie...I just really like the story and want to re-live it! haha Sadly I can watch the movie faster than I can read the book, so if that's all I can get for a little while I just might have to this weekend! :)

Guess I'm joining the convo for THE HOST a bit late. I absolutely loved the book, but the movie was unsatisfactory. It felt like there should have been something more.

Stephanie Meyer's transition in writing from the Twilight Series to The Host was amazing. and to think that the same author wrote those books....

never too late ;) I agree that it surprised me how much I enjoyed the Host so much more than Twilight!! I recommend the Host to ppl but they're hesitant to read it because of Twilight.

I talk to so many people who are not sure if they want to read Host thanks to twilight. I wish the movie was not made too, since it gives people the wrong impression of the book and then they do not read it. I for sure would not have read it if I saw the movie first... And I almost didn't read it at all since I was afraid it would be another twilight book with different characters!

My friends are also skeptical as to read the book or not. The Host takes us onto a totally different level. Its more of sci-fi rather than romance. Yes, the romance is there but its very subtle; it was not the main focus as compared to Twilight.
As for the movie, it feels as if they have literally translated the text into the movie. The surprises, the additional features or scenes that are generally used in a movie, even if adapting from a book was missing.

Yeah, I love that the romance parts were not the focus! The movie ruined it by making it nothing but a love triangle(with 4 people kind of...)but in the book it was about the whole universe, and the other places Wanda had been! And also about the plan to take over earth and the technology behind it and everything like that! There was so much more going on than just love! It made it worth reading and had a much more important feel to it. Take away the love story from Twilight and it is just about a girl moving to a new town. Take away the love story from The Host and it is about an alien trying to fight the will of the body she's been put into!

Also, the love story in this book was so much bigger in a way since we got to watch Wanda fall in love with humans in general! She began to see the people that were out there, not just a species to take over. It was suddenly more important to save them then just take over everything. So beautiful!!

I agree with you, also like to re-read the book, it is one of my favorites.

I was kinda skeptical about both since it was by Steph M. but once I saw movie I had to read book and I loved both!

Dana wrote: "Yeah, I love that the romance parts were not the focus! The movie ruined it by making it nothing but a love triangle(with 4 people kind of...)but in the book it was about the whole universe, and th..."

One of my favorite part in the book was when Wanda talks about the different worlds she has been to. I would have loved if this was incorporated in the movie maybe as a flashback. It would have been something totally different.

I know, right!? The whole scene where she saved the injured alien and got it out of the wolf thing they were in was epic! I would have totally loved to see it on the big screen! The movie missed out on so many opportunity to make an amazing viewing experience. With how much the book covered time and info wise it almost could have been made into mini series or a show......

That scene would have been the highlight of this movie. I think this was the crucial part as it was at this point and onward when the humans took a liking to Wanda...

also when she began to see us as more than hosts too. or did it happen after this for Wanda?

I guess it was after... One more piece that they could have added is when Wanda is out with Ian and Jared to get food and she sees two hosts but the child was human. It shows that they could live in harmony if wanted..

I totally forgot about that scene!!!!! Oh man....I really need to reread this book!!!

I loved the book and the movie! Honestly I only read the book cause I saw the movie trailer but I read the book before the movie promise! Did y'all hear about the squeal she's making for The Host!?!?! I'm very excited about that!

I think when they made the movie, they were probably so darn focused on the love aspect of it, trying to turn it into a Twilight thing to make money, that I'm sure they didn't even realize at all the things they left out that would have made the movie not only better, but more true to the book. It's like they only used the bare minimum information from the book to throw the movie together instead of actually putting effort into it.

Zuleymie wrote: "I loved the book and the movie! Honestly I only read the book cause I saw the movie trailer but I read the book before the movie promise! Did y'all hear about the squeal she's making for The Host!?..."

I've heard of something like that. Back when the Host first came out I heard that she said she still had so many ideas floating around in her head in regards to that story, so it doesn't surprise me if there will be a sequel. :-)

It's on goodreads at least listing tile and stuff now. I don't think there is a release date though..... Personally I don't feel like the series leaves more. The book ended with promise for the future but enough stuff tied up that it was going to be great! I don't know if I will keep reading in the series.....

True. There is no point in taking this story further. All the loose ends were tied. Even if there will be a sequel I highly doubt that there would be anything to grab our attention. I guess the thing that would be ideal is not to write a full length novel but a novella, or maybe something like Lauren Kate did with her book "Fallen In Love" a collection of short stories put together...

I like the idea of the novella to keep it going. I feel like unless something totally intense can happen like the aliens totally leaving earth, it will not be worth watching....

I just finished re-reading this book again and just wanted to say if you have NOT read this book...you need to! It is so much more than one would expect after reading Twilight. I have now read it twice, and I feel like I could easily re-read it again right now if I was not busy with a few other books. It is just AMAZING!!!!

I loved this book...but I absolutely hated the movie. I just sat in the theater speechless- so disappointed. This one certainly supports this groups title: The Book Was Better! LOL

I definitely agree that the book was better with this one. The internal dialogue came off really strange in the movie whereas in the book it was easier to imagine.

I read 1/3 of the book before watching the movie and the movie made me halt reading indefinately