Chicks On Lit discussion

I'm currently reading the The Lightning Thief and love it but I also saw the film, which was good but the books is just much better.

Is it just me, or is the book on most occasions superior to the film? For example, I found twilight far better to read than the actual film.

I just wondered what other people thought about this.

I have NEVER liked the movie better except in one case: THE JANE AUSTEN BOOK CLUB. Oh, and GONE WITH THE WIND, too. But those are just twO!

I think the books are better because
a) we use our imagination more. We make the characters look the way we want them to!
b) the book has more depth, more action, more actual plot! If they made the movie EXACTLY like the book with all of the parts, it would be LONG AS CRAP. (Hello, GONE WITH THE WIND...long, but good.)
c) in movies like TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, they leave A LOT OUT!! IT bugs me!!

The rare occasion I've liked the movie better than the book are Forrest Gump and Fried Green Tomato's. Most times the movies don't live up to the magic of the book, except in the cast of the first Harry Potter movie, for me at least!

One book I can think of where I loved the movie more than the book was The Notebook.

Oh, and truthfully, I just watched the movie Julie and Julia, based on the book Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen and I liked the movie more than the book, but that was because they expanded on what was in the book, adding a whole bunch about Julia Childs, to make the movie. The book was mostly centered around Julie.

But most of the time, I do agree that the books are better, for all the reasons Carrie listed. :o)

Oh, and by the way Kimberley, The Lightning Thief is our first April read here on Chicks, so please join in the discussion starting April 1st. (I'm going to be leading the discussion). Glad to hear you are enjoying the book. I have it bought, but haven't started it yet. :o)

One film I thought was better than the book was the Devil wears Prada, as the book was just so bad that I really could have put it down and never picked it up again.

However, I didn't love lord of rings the movie as it missed out some parts that I just loved in the book.

I will join in the discussion for this as I really love this book.

I find I tend to like whichever I got to first, the book or the movie. For example, I love the movie versions of both Fried Green Tomatoes and How to Make an American Quilt. When I later read the books, they were just OK for me.
Because I know I'm so prone to first impressions, I'll typically try to read the book before I go to see the movie.

Fried Green Tomatoes was also one where I had read the book and seen the movie - I remember that I loved both. Usually I prefer books to movies, though since I enjoy original writing (thus I only see movies that are original screenplays rather than versions of books). I think generally books are better because it is about the art of writing and fiction - whereas a movie goal is for producers and investors to make $$.

Jennifer W wrote: "I find I tend to like whichever I got to first, the book or the movie. For example, I love the movie versions of both Fried Green Tomatoes and How to Make an American Quilt. When I later read the b..."

Jennifer W wrote: "I find I tend to like whichever I got to first, the book or the movie. For example, I love the movie versions of both Fried Green Tomatoes and How to Make an American Quilt. When I later read the b..."

I actually find that I'm not as put off by the movie if I see it first before the book. But in most cases though if I read the book before seeing the movie I'll usually go with the book. And sometimes even after seeing the movie the book will still be better.

However, there's been one occasion where that wasn't the case at all. And I'm probably going against the popular opinion here, but I read Secret Life of Bees (first) and really didn't see what the hype was about, but I really liked what the actors brought to the characters in the movie.

I thought that the Kite Runner movie couldn't hold a candle to the book... same as the Shopoholic movie. But I liked the Devil Wears Prada movie, whereas I couldn't even get through the book.
But with Little Children (saw movie first) I thought it got the book right... although there was a little more drama for the movie.. but liked both equally.

meant to say after seeing the movie first!! (like Bridget Jones- saw it first, loved book more!!)

I often will see the movie first and then read the book. I can equally apreciate both. I will say that I have liked some better than others. Like I loved the book the Firm and The Devil Wears Prada. I did not care for the movie much of these two.

Jencey wrote: "I often will see the movie first and then read the book. I can equally apreciate both. I will say that I have liked some better than others. Like I loved the book the Firm and The Devil Wears Pr..."

I'm just the opposite, I have to read the book first because so much detail is left out of the movie usually and I just can't get into a book once I know how the movie has played out the story...

There have been so many times that I've picked up a book because I watched a movie that I either liked, or thought would like in a book. They can't convey as much in a movie as they can in a book. For example, to go into what a character is thinking or feeling, they would almost have to have some annoying narrator which would still take away from the movie.

The only exception I can think of to my preferring books to movies is Divine Secrets Of the Ya Ya Sisterhood. And for me, the movie was MUCH better than the book.

While Divine Secrets of The YaYa Sisterhood is an all-time favorite movie of mine, I loved the book so much more! I remember reading it just before seeing the movie.

To each her own, I always say! :-)

I adore the novel The Secret Life of Bees and only like the movie. I also loved White Oleander but Hated the movie! (I was So disappointed in the movie). Though completely different, I really enjoyed both Julie and Julia the book & the movie.

While Divine Secrets of The YaYa Sisterhood is an all-time favorite movie of mine, I loved the book so much more! I remember reading it just before seeing the movie.

To each her own, I always say! :-)

I adore the novel The Secret Life of Bees and only like the movie. I also loved White Oleander but Hated the movie! (I was So disappointed in the movie). Though completely different, I really enjoyed both Julie and Julia the book & the movie.

Generally, I like the book better than the movie. However, I personally thought the movie, House of Sand and Fog, was an excellent adaptation of the book.
Also, I enjoyed both the movie and the book, My Sister's Keeper. (I actually liked the ending of the movie better.)

I think in general we like the books better because we can imagine the authors world according to our tastes. Also, there is so much more detail involved in books so we get to know the characters and understand the story so much better!!

Personally, I agree with Sheila, the one book I can think of where I liked the movie alot better is The Notebook. I really enjoyed the way the movie expanded on the story of the summer they fell in love. And I loved the actors! However, I have probably seen a lot more of the movie adaptations then I have read books. I have seen Lord of the Rings, Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya sisterhood, Secret Life of Bees ect., but I haven't read the books. I find once I see the movies I just can't bring myself to read the books because I already know the basic plot. Since I know what is coming I dont feel like investing time in reading the story.

I know this sounds really sad, but i think the Harry Potter films, so far, have been on a par with all the books, i deliberately didn't google any characters whilst i was reading the books cos i wanted to see if my imagination was as good or better than who they used to portray the characters, and i have to say the Dumbledore & co in the films are better than i'd imagined! As are the sets and the fight scenes etc, i also don't think any of the story was lost in the films as is so often the case in adaptations!

Books are better because it contains so much more detail and/or backstory. Those are usually removed from the movie due to time constraints.

On the whole I like Stephen Kings' books a lot more than most of the movies made from them with the exceptions of Misery, Dolores Claiborne and The Dead Zone - I didn't like the novels at all but love the movies.

I agree with Carrie about Gone With the Wind. The movie was really fantastic. Also, another movie I think did great justice to the book was Lonesome Dove.

When I think of Correli's Mandolin, however, the movie couldn't come close to the beautiful writing in the book.

I almost always like the book better than the movie. Hollywood just cannot put all the detail and nuances of a book into a two hour film. That's not to say that I don't love movies. Gone With the Wind is a favorite! I always go to the book, just to get the whole story. I have found that there is usually so much more in the book. Another mistake that Hollywood makes is to change the story from what is in the book. I am always disappointed when I go to see a movie based on a favorite book, only to see a different story on screen. Usually the changed story is not nearly as wonderful as the author's original story.

I totally agree Melissa; well said!

Thank you!

I totally agree with Melissa also and definitely well said. I recently saw Alice in Wonderland and I was extremely disappointed because the movie is nothing like the books in any way.

Sheila, actually Julie & Julia is based on TWO books - Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen AND My Life in France. All the Julia Childs parts came from her book (my life in france). I simply didn't understand why they bothered to add in the blogger's parts. Childs parts were the best! ^.^

The thing that I don't like about watching a movie vs. reading the book is that you don't get the character insights. You don't know what they're thinking as things happen to them like you do in books. It's so much more personal when you read it.

I agree with Jenny but, I also think that they never get the characters right. For example, in the Twilight movie, none of the characters were how I imagined them to be, especially Edward.

Kristen Stewart will ruin any movie. Not that I thought much of Bella as a strong character to begin with, but must she also talk as though she's in a permanent state of constipation?

Kristen Stewert reminded me of my kitchen table and even the table is more life like.

Wow. I just saw Push, and I'd wondered how they would make the impact of that book come through in the movie. While it was an admirable try, it was ultimately impossible, I think. What is most disappointing for me about this is that I worry people will think the book is as flat as the movie, and it's so much more rich and detailed, woven into a full-bodied fabric, while here, we only got strings. It's an OK movie. The book is one that leaves me feeling like I've been hit by a train, but in a good way. ;) Oh well. I knew I'd be disappointed, but I watched it anyway, and I wasn't sorry, just not as good as the book by far.

I've observed that people who love the musical "Wicked", and then read the book, typically hate it. I thought the book was great, but I haven't seen the show yet.

I took a quiz on Facebook that said my life is like The Notebook. I had not seen the movie nor heard of the book up to that point. I knew one of my students was reading The Notebook while I was reading the Twilight series. A few weeks ago I saw the movie and cried with my husband. After I joined Goodreads I got The Notebook and I am reading it now. I hate that I saw the movie first. As has been pointed out a number of times the movie makers always leave out so much detail. I have loved the Harry Potter and Twilight books and have liked the movies so far. The best book to movie I have ever seen was Holes. I think that was because the author of the book wrote the screenplay.

I am not worried about the Alzheimer's. I am just glad that I found my Noah and started writing my notebook of our story almost 10 years ago when we first met.

I think I need to the read The notebook now!

The Pride & Prejudice BBC miniseries is, in my opinion, just about on par with the book....though I think it had a better chance because it was 5+ hours instead of the standard length of a theatrical release. Speaking of which, the 2006 P&P with Kiera Knightly was cute but PALES in comparison with the book.

There are some books which I hope never become movies for the simple reason that the film version couldn't POSSIBLY compare to the book. Like (again, imo) Ender's Game. 6- to 11-year-old kids being ruthlessly trained as future military leaders? I'm not surprised plans for that movie have stalled over the last 20 years (thank goodness! ^_^).

Kimberley wrote: "I think I need to the read The notebook now!"

If you want I can swap this one with you. I found a small rip in one of the pages but it is still in good shape.

I'm ALWAYS dissapointed when I read the book first and then watch the movie because I always feel that the characters that the author 'created' are just not justified (or totally different than described) - when they deviate TOTALLY from the storyline, it maddens me a bit - like slumdog millionare for example - I felt that his original name was a very important part of the book and his life story...