Book vs. Movie- Carrie

April 13, 2012September 13, 202412 Comments

I read the Stephen King novel last year (my review here) and I finally got around to seeing the movie. I don’t remember particularly liking the book, but I thought it was worthwhile because of all of the pop references I now understand. This was Stephen King’s first published book and first movie adaptation of his work. He received a $2,500 advance for the novel and $2,500 for the film rights. Must have been a popular number.

King said of Carrie, “I’m not saying that Carrie is shit and I’m not repudiating it. She made me a star, but it was a young book by a young writer. In retrospect it reminds me of a cookie baked by a first grader — tasty enough, but kind of lumpy and burned on the bottom.”

The paperback sold over a million copies the first year it was released. The movie made $33.8 million in 1976 when it came out.

On with the comparison…

The Story/ Plot Carrie is an odd high school girl raised by her very religious mother. Carrie has telekinetic powers and can move things with her mind, when she’s upset it is unintentional. She is an outcast at school and is ostracized even more after starting her period in the gym shower. Sue feels guilty for her role in Carrie’s meltdown and offers up her popular boyfriend, Tommy, to take Carrie to prom.

There are many differences between the book and movie, but the idea remains the same. Carrie has a crazy mother, can do crazy things with her mind, and goes completely crazy at the prom.

For me, the book’s documentary style telling, using interviews and police reports after the fact, was much more interesting than the straightforward way of the film. Thumbs Up– Book

The Visual Although I preferred what actually happened in the book, the visual of the movie was cool to see and did a pretty good service to the novel. It was like stepping back into the 1970’s. I was completely distracted by Tommy’s hair every time he was in a scene.

It was large and shiny and blonde. And the shower scene totally worked on film (although having girls frolic and chat while naked was not my high school gym experience). The actual prom scene was cool, but I was expecting more. Thumbs Up- Tie

Characters vs. Actors I did not really connect with Carrie in the book, but in the movie I was able to see her in a more positive light thanks to Sissy Spacek. She saved the character for me. I was a little miffed at what they did to the character of Sue in the movie, but actress Amy Irving can’t be held responsible for the screenplay. Thumbs up – Movie

(SPOILERS) The Ending The end of the book was a firestorm that brought down a town. In the movie Carrie gets a little knock on the head and she’s dead. There’s really no comparison. I will give a shout out to the movie for its VERY different ending – I jumped and was a bit freaked out, so it’s not all bad. Thumbs Up- Book

And the winner is… the book. I’m not taking anything away from the movie but when compared side by side it was an easy call.

Now it’s your turn to vote

Other book vs. movie polls you can still vote on: (It Ends With Us) (Perfume: The Story of a Murderer) (The Sun is Also a Star) (We Have Always Lived in the Castle) (Good Morning, Midnight/The Midnight Sky) (Before I Go To Sleep) (The Little Prince) (Charlie St. Cloud) (Far From the Madding Crowd) (The Girl on the Train) (Tuck Everlasting) (Northanger Abbey) (Me Before You) (And Then There Were None) (Still Alice) (The Blind Side) (The Fault in Our Stars) (The Hound of the Baskervilles) (Gone Girl) (Jack Reacher) (Ender’s Game) (Carrie, the original) (Under the Tuscan Sun) (The Secret Life of Bees) (The Shining, the original)

The Violets of March, by Sarah Jio

April 11, 201233 Comments

Finished 4-7-12, rating 4.5/5, fiction, 293 pages, pub. 2011

The moving story told in its pages, of love and loss and acceptance, of secret passions and the weight of private thoughts, forever changed the way I viewed my own writing. It may have been why I stopped writing. Joel had never read the book, and I was glad of it. It was too intimate to share. It read to me like the pages of my unwritten diary.

Chapter 1

Emily, author of one bestselling novel years ago, has just signed her divorce papers. Not able to write and not sure what to do about it her best friend convinces her that a change of scenery will help, so Emily contacts her Aunt Bee on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Once she’s back on the island where she spent the wonderful summers of her youth, she finds a hidden journal written by the mysterious Esther, and Emily wonders if she is somehow connected to her family. Totally immersed in Esther’s story and frustrated by her aunt’s refusal to talk about family secrets, Emily found the perfect way to forget about her divorce and the muse to start writing again.

The story in the journal parallels current day Bainbridge Island and as Emily pieced together who was who I tried to keep up. I admit I had some ideas, but did get a bit confused by the large cast. I didn’t really care though, I was just happy to be along for the ride. One of these days I hope I find my way to Bainbridge Island. The place felt magical.

I loved this book. The writing was beautiful, there was such depth and beauty on every page. The awesome writing coupled with the two addicting storylines make this one easy to recommend. I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump (probably because I have so little time for it these days so I tend to choose shorter books) but this one had me reading well into my sleep time and that’s not something I give up lightly!

There are two things that kept this from being perfect for me. I wish there could have been another chapter to wrap things up a little more and I was surprised by how fast Emily recovered from her divorce. She did not waste any time jumping back into the dating pool and seemed to think very little of her old life. This felt a bit odd, but I’ve not gone through a divorce so maybe it is that easy to forget (and I mean forget a week later). Both of these are minor complaints.

This is my favorite book this year, so far, and it was from my personal library.

Enter to win a copy of The Day the World Ends by Ethan Coen here.

90 Classic Books For People in a Hurry, by Henrik Lange

March 28, 201216 Comments

Finished 3-27-12, rating 3.5/5, graphic reference?, 170 pages, pub. 2009

Have you ever wanted to know what people were talking about when they discussed a classic novel like Moby Dick? Well, now there’s no need to waste your time reading the behemoth novel, just pick up this book to find out what happens. In 3 frames!! Yes, every one of these classics is covered in 3 frames. Some are funny, some are serious, and all left me feeling smarter than when I started.

I warn you that it is addicting which is okay since it won’t take long at all to flip through 90 pages. I should also warn you that endings will be given away, so if you want a surprise later you may want to skip that page!

This is more entertaining than detailed (obviously) so as addicting as it is (kind of like donuts) it doesn’t give enough substance to be truly outstanding (kind of like donuts). There are actually a few books in here I’d never heard of and more than a few that aren’t really classics. Unless you think Pet Sematary by Stephen King and The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown are modern classics.

The descriptions of the classics I hadn’t read were funny and some of images convinced me to read the book and some convinced me that reading it would be a waste of time (Steppewolf and The Stranger come to mind). As a matter of fact there were several classics that I enjoyed more in this book than when I actually read them (I’m thinking of Heart of Darkness here). Are you curious how he could possible cover The Bible in 3 frames? Let’s just say he had to do a lot of condensing.

I liked this book a lot and think it would be PERFECT for a fun graduation gift, especially if they are headed off to college. Kind of like a gag gift, but one they’ll actually use.

I borrowed this from the library.

Shelter, by Harlan Coben

March 22, 201210 Comments

Finished 3-21-12, rating 4/5, YA, 304 pages, pub. 2011

Book 1 of a new YA series.

I don’t read many young adult books, so I’m fairly picky when I do pick one up, but this is by one of my favorite authors and a continuation of the Myron Bolitar series so it was a no-brainer. For those who love Myron this is a nice way to transition out of the series (if that is what Coben’s planning). Myron is still around, but only marginally and his ward/nephew is a lot like him.

Mickey’s dad is dead and his mother is a junkie in rehab. His uncle Myron, who had been estranged from his dad since before he was born, agreed to take him in while his mom cleaned herself up. Mickey is living with Myron in the house his dad where grew up, going to the same school his dad did, and being lured in to the same urban legends of the neighborhood.

The Bat Lady is someone feared and ridiculed so when she tells Mickey that his father is not dead he doesn’t know what to think. But he has other more pressing problems, like being the new kid at school and having your brand new girlfriend disappear. He also befriends or is befriended by two of the school outcasts, Spoon and Ema, who help him get into and out of trouble depending on the day.

This book felt very similar to Coben’s Myron series and as a fan I appreciated that. Mickey is a boy who grew up a nomad, living around the world with his parents until he was 14, only a year before, so it stands to reason that he may have more worldly smarts that most kids. Only he may have been too much like Myron in his propensity to find trouble for him to truly seem like a kid. And the bullies at school seemed a little like caricatures.

I really liked the story and, as always, the plot was intricate and moved along at lightning speed. There was a cliffhanger at the end, but the second book is coming out this fall so I don’t have to wait long to find out more.

I thought this was a good foray into the YA genre and I loved visiting Myron, even if only for a few minutes here and there.

Every Last One, by Anna Quindlen

March 16, 201216 Comments

Finished audio 3-15-12, rating 3.75/5, fiction, pub. 2010

Unabridged audio 9 hours 30 minutes. Read by Hope Davis.

Mary Beth Latham has a nice family. She and her husband still share a romantic love life even with three teenagers in the house. Their oldest daughter, 17 year old Ruby, and her long-time boyfriend Kiernan are breaking up, which is hard since he was like part of their family. One of her 14 year old twins, Max, is having growing pains and might need to start seeing a therapist. All pretty standard fare in a fiction novel. Until…

Well, let’s just say, something happens. Something that moves the story from a story about motherhood to one about family tragedy. There is really no way to review this book without giving too much away, so I won’t give details, but I did mostly like it. The shocking event wasn’t totally unforseen, but it threw the trajectory of the story off just enough to make the book seem like two separate books. I had some issues with the story before and then after, but the book was ambitious.

I know I read reviews for this but because I waited a while to read it I didn’t remember them, which was a good thing. If you like your fiction on the darker side I think this would appeal to you.

Have you read it? Without giving too much away what did you think of the twist in the middle? I give it a thumbs up just for shock value.

I thought the narration by Davis was excellent.

This was from my library.

A Place to Call Home, by Deborah Smith

March 14, 201210 Comments

Finished 3-12-12, rating 4.5/5, southern fiction/romance, 414 pages, pub. 1997

Pampered Claire has been in love with Bad Boy Roan since she was five and he stood up for her against a bully. The two were an unlikely pair, especially given their five year age difference. Their friendship caused tongues to wag and Claire’s parents concern, but it remained and strengthened until Roan proved himself worthy and Claire’s family took him in. Five years later they would send him away not knowing what became of him. It’s twenty years later and Claire is all grown up and has never forgotten Roan or quite forgiven her parents, but her life has gotten complicated and she must return home to her childhood home and to her family.

This is one of those wonderful stories about love, redemption, acceptance, secrets, and family. It is a love story, but it is much more than that too. Claire is from a huge family and I can relate, although I’m an only child I have 14 first cousins and a whole lotta seconds and thirds. Claire couldn’t do anything in her small southern Georgia town without a relative knowing about it – she even had three lively grandmothers living in her house. I loved the multigenerational feel of the book, the feeling of a deep connection to the land and the people. It was warm and inviting.

As much as I enjoyed Claire and her family it was Roan’s story that broke your heart and made you want to keep reading. Roan, who grew up poor, filthy, beaten, and judged because his father was the town embarrassment. When Roan disappeared you just knew he would make something of himself, but how and why did he stay away? The reason was one I didn’t quite see coming and it made this book more than a great romance with something extra, a great story.

I loved this one. The characters were all well-developed, even the secondary ones. It was great comfort reading as I’ve come to expect from Deborah Smith. I’ve read several other of her novels, but this is ny favorite. One thing of note, Claire was a reporter but she didn’t know what had become of Roan those twenty years and I kept thinking, “Just Google him!” or “He’s gotta be on Facebook.” Isn’t it funny how technology can intrude on a perfectly lovely story?

If you like romances like the old Lavyrle Spencer novels or great southern reading I highly recommend this one.

Thsi was from my personal library.

I Was a Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids, by Trisha Ashworth and Amy Nobile

March 8, 201213 Comments

Finished 2-5-12, rating 4/5, parenting, 172 pages, pub. 2007

I Was a Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids is the book that sparked my post about how hard mothering is. I really enjoyed all of the wonderful and insightful comments on that post. It’s probably one of my favorites and I have this book to thank for it.

These two moms wrote this book when they figured out that they couldn’t be the only mothers who felt less than positively about motherhood. They interviewed over 100 moms trying to answer a few of these questions: what happened to the people we were before we became moms, why do we constantly feel that we’ve made the wrong choices, why do we feel guilty all the time, how come nobody talks about how hard motherhood truly is. It’s really that last one that this book met head on and for the first time I felt like I wasn’t alone with some of my less than positive feelings.

This book never feels like a pity party, but it does focus on the difficulties of motherhood. If you need a book on the joys of being a mother I might look somewhere else. But really, who needs to read about the joys? That’s the easy part, isn’t it? The smiles and laughs and talking and walking. I was happy to read about the dark side without the book feeling dark or heavy at all.

It’s a quick read if you want it to be, but it took me 2 months to finish because I would pick it up and read a chapter or two and not come back until I needed another reality check. Here’s what I learned – there are a whole lot of women feeling overwhelmed same as me. The chapters address things like how expectations and reality often cause the most frustration, judging other moms harshly, making your relationship work, honoring yourself, and living in the moment. The chapter on expectations spoke to me the most, but I got something out of each of the chapters. I tend to expect too much from myself and this helped me step back and analyze my new role.

It was really the quotes by moms sprinkled liberally throughout the book that I appreciated most. I was shocked by their honesty.

My husband’s expectations are higher for me after I decided to stay home. I feel like he expects me to be happier. I get to raise my kids, so I should be happy, right? I can’t really complain, so I turn into a martyr. I don’t even realize I’m doing it, but he does. He says, “Get more help if you need it.” But I know that if I did it would feel like I wasn’t doing my job. (page 36)

There are times I wonder why I had kids at all. I’m not sure why I’m doing it. I worry that I don’t have time to help them grow in all the ways I’d like them to grow. (page 60)

I totally relate to the first and the second one only half speaks for me. I know why I had Gage and I don’t ever question the decision, but I do worry about being the mom that he needs me so that he can be the best person he can be.

Anyway, I think this is perfect for any new mom. I think it will make her feel less isolated during those first few years of motherhood.

This was from my own library.

The Art of Mending, by Elizabeth Berg

March 7, 201215 Comments

Finished audio 2-24-12, rating 3.25/5, fiction, pub. 2004

Unabridged audio read by Joyce Bean. 6 hours.

Laura and her family of four make the annual trip back to her hometown in Minnesota and to the fair that draws her brother and sister too. This year, Laura’s sister Caroline, asks that Laura and their brother Steve meet with her away from their parent’s home, and they do without enthusiasm since Caroline has always been full of drama. What she tells them is shocking, she claims that she was mistreated by their mother all throughout her childhood.

I am an only child, so I like to live vicariously through novels about complicated sibling relationships and this one did not disappoint. Laura and Caroline had never been close, but they were sisters and when Caroline’s confession coincides with a family tragedy Laura wasn’t all that receptive to Caroline. For most of the book I found Laura too cool and dismissive of her sister to really like her, but as she worked to come to terms with this new vision of her mother I started to warm to her.

I love reading (or listening to) Elizabeth Berg novels, most of them are slice of life stories that are insightful and have the familiarity of talking to a friend. This was a good story about how three kids living in a house can have such different feelings and memories about their childhood. I liked it even if it fell a bit short of expectations for me. I think it could have delved a little deeper and adding a few more chapters wouldn’t have hurt. It was still a solid story.

This audio was checked out of the library.

Persuader, by Lee Child

February 27, 201211 Comments

Finished 2-23-12, rating 4/5, thriller, 465 pages, pub. 2003

Book 7 in the Jack Reacher series (Book 1) (Book 2) (Book 3) (Book 4) (Book 5) (Book 6)

I don’t usually read a series the whole way through but after my last enjoyable outing with Reacher in Without Fail I just wanted a little more time with the studly renegade.

Jack sees a flash from the violent past as he’s walking down the street and is shocked enough to contact someone from his days in the military. His request for information sets off alarm bells in the FBI and Reacher is contacted for answers and then help. He will be working off the books deep undercover for a drug kingpin and his family.

I love Reacher and his uncompromising view of the world. He thinks bad things should happen to bad people and he doesn’t mind making those bad things happen, even permanently. The body count in each book is fairly high and there’s usually a sexual conquest in each book. I’ll be interested to see the total numbers for both when the series is over. This wasn’t my favorite one, it was a little meandering, but I did like the flashbacks that allowed us to see Reacher in the military, before he became a lone wolf combing the country.

I think if you like the Lucas Davenport series by John Sandford you’ll like this series too.

This book was from my personal library.

Still Missing, by Chevy Stevens

February 22, 201214 Comments

Finished audio 2-17-12, rating 4/5, suspense, pub. 2010

Listened to this on a Playaway. 9 hours unabridged. Read by Angela Dawe.

Annie is a real estate agent and after an open house she finds herself kidnapped by ‘the freak.” She is held captive for over a year, repeatedly raped and forced to endure truly unimaginable things. You know right from the beginning that she survives and is somehow set free because the story is told by Annie’s sessions with a psychiatrist after the fact.

I may be one of the last bloggers to read this and I’m glad I finally got around to it. I’d read so many reviews that I was amazed that a few things still surprised me. For the gripping thriller everyone says it was, I thought it took awhile for me to really get interested in Annie’s story. It wasn’t until a certain point in her captivity (no spoilers here) that I really wanted to know that she would be okay. I was worried about her! Also, I was under the impression that this was mainly the story of her being kidnapped, but in reality much of the story deals with what happens after. And there is no shortage of things that happen upon her return to the real world. Just when you think Annie will catch a break, another twist will keep her and the reader guessing. My heart really did break for Annie even if when we meet her in the sessions she has a hard edge and is pretty messed up.

I liked this debut novel even if there were a few things that kept me from loving it. One of them being what my expectations were and what this story really was and the other being the somewhat slow start for me. I think lovers of thrillers with sometimes graphic descriptions will love this one. If you are more the cozy mystery type then this is probably one to skip. I am looking forward to reading her next one.

I really liked the reading by Angela Dawes. I thought her voice really captured Annie’s spirit, broken as it was.

I checked this out of the library.

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