Based on the book...

[Wanda Lynne Young]

Do you read the book first or just wait for the movie? Share your opinion on the best & worst book/movie combos. I like to review books that are made into movies: Push/Precious, The Reader, The Road, Revolutionary Road, My Sister's Keeper, Julie & Julia, The Lovely Bones... Check out my Bookalicious blog for book reviews, author interviews and literary news. Don't forget to enter the Bookalicious Book Grab Giveaways!


http://yummymummyclub.ca/wanda_lynne_young:_bookalicious#

[Bibliohistoria]

Most of the time I will read the book first. Sometimes I do see the movie first and then read the book.

One exception to this was 84 Charing Cross Road - one of my all time favourite books - AND an epistolary one to boot. I had never heard of Helene Hanff but I loved the movie (1987) because it was about books. So I have now collected all Helene's books and read them all several times over. This is one case where seeing the movie first was worth it.

I have also read a number of adventure novels by authors such as James Rollins, Steve Berry, Clive Cussler, and Matthew Reilly. I am so looking forward to the movies being made of their novels. The Matthew McConaughey movie Sahara was excellent.

[Eileen Granfors]

Book first. One that I thought translated well from book to film is "The Painted Veil." I wasn't as happy with the filmed version of "The Kite Runner."

[paula schuck]

I always like to read the book first. That's just me I am anal that way I guess. I prefer seeing the movie later but not always necessary to see the movie at all. I often am horrified by the book turned to movie phenomenon really and find it offensive as a writer when books are mangled by movies.

[Aronald Harper]

Hands down watch the movie first, if you can. First off you can't ruin the book with the movie. If that's the case then the book simply isn't that good. My examples for this, to begin with, Hellraiser by Clive Barker. I saw the movie and read the book something like 10 years later. Loved the movie. The book, friggin amazing. If you haven't read it, read it. You're missing out. Next, There Will Be Blood. Loved the movie but the book, Oil, was 100 percent nothing like the movie. If I would have read the book first I would have never seen the movie. And finally, Harry Potter. I read the books first and I must say I'm definitely not a fan and the movies tried to stay true to the story. A bad idea. They simply lack vision. Yeah, they're cute and creative but the movies lack vision. But in this case, the books are worse.

[Anastasia Fitzgerald-Beaumont]

Lots of books I have read have turned in to movies, but sometimes I will read a book because of the movie, Schindler's List is one example the springs to mind, The Road is another.

[HulaMonkey]

I always try read the book first. I enjoy casting the characters in my head - which usually doesn't end up to be the same choice as the casting agent :-). "The Girl with the Pearl Earring" jumps right out of my head when I read your question. The book told such a wonderful visual tale - the movie really disappointed me - even with Colin Firth (which I did not imagine while reading the book by the way.). Enjoy the book!

[HulaMonkey]

Chris Wolak - You make a very good point - I do see movies even thought I may have no desire to read the book. I guess my comment should have noted I read the books I am drawn to read before I see those movies. Thanks for that thought.

[Juju from Tales of Whimsy.com]

I like to see the movie first. If I read the book first, the movie disappoints me.

[Kevin Fuller]

I think Elizabeth Kostova's 'The Historian' will come off well. It seems cinematic enough.

I wish Diane Setterfield's 'The Thirteenth Tale' would get picked up.

'Stardust' from Neil Gaiman was excellent from book to movie in my humble view...

[Elizabeth]

Anywhere But Here was a decent movie and a sucky book. The Reader, Revolutionary Road, Lovely Bones, and some others I can't think of off the top of my head. The Notebook movie was good with the scenes when they were younger and first in love but the book was better at the end and when they got back together. The Time Traveler's Wife is an AMAZING book and the movie did not do it justice. There were some cool scenes in it, though.

[Mary Salvato]

I find that if I've seen the movie first, I can form my own 'visual' impressions of the book or characters in my mind. They always look like the actors and places in the movie. So I like to read the book first if I can, that way I can compare the way I pictured it in my mind to the movie.

[Amy Pollard]

I liked The Kite Runner and The Namesake (for the most part, that is) as movies. Lord of the Rings was stunning as a movie adaption. Chronicles of Narnia was good for the most part. For more movie reviews, please follow my movie review blog: http://bitesizemoviereview.blogspot.com/