Can't I just watch the movie?

“There are books of which the backs and covers are by far the best parts.”

— Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens

We all know that feeling: we want to know about a certain story, but just can't be bothered to read the whole book. And then we ask ourselves: 'Can't I just watch the movie?' 
This post is created to answer that question for you. I'll be reading classic novels and watching several adaptations to find out if you can watch the movie and why/why not. I have not included series in this post, because if you want to spend 12 hours watching an adaptation, you might as well read the book (especially since Oliver Twist is a way faster read). Also, hello high school/ college kids who will no doubt end up on this post to avoid school work. I hope I can help.

Oliver Twist (1948)

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Can't I just watch this movie?

Yes, you absolutely can.

I was very weary about this film. A big part of Oliver Twist's story has to do with Fagin, who is also called "The Jew" and is portrayed pretty anti-semetic. With the release of this movie so close after World War II, I wondered how true they could stay to the story without offending everyone.

Though it turns out that they did pretty much offend everyone, I actually think this adaptation is the best one created. The moment the film starts, which is shot completely in black and white, you get the feel of the Dickens novel: Victorian England is gross and a lot of people in it are awful. 

“Mr. Brownlow: The law assumes that your wife acts under your direction.
Mr. Bumble: If the law supposes that, then the law is a ass, a idiot! If that’s the eye of the law, then the law is a bachelor. And the worst I wish the law is that his eye may be opened by experience.”

— Oliver Twist (1948)

Especially when Oliver gets to London, you really see how disgusting the place was and how overwhelming this must have been for Oliver. If you want to see Dickensian London, this movie is perfect for it. Fagin, the reason for all the controversy, is also exactly like described in the book, but is never called "The Jew". Is this anti-semtic? Yes, because everyone knows he's actually a Jew and he displays all the negative Jewish stereotypes, but it does stay true to the original story. 

However, Oliver Twist is a really long book and there were cuts that had to be made. Though the movie stays true to the story in spirit, there are certain characters cut out. While in the book, a major burglary takes place that connects Oliver to Rose Maylie and starts his stay there, this is removed from the movie. Rose Maylie is never mentioned, instead the focus is heightened on Bill Stiles - who is actually a well rounded character, just like in the book. 

If you want to just watch the movie, you'd miss one big thing: first off, the reader never knows anything about Oliver's mother until the end, while the movie starts with it, and Oliver is not Mr. Brownlow's grandson and he's actually Monks' half-brother; a character that's in the movie, but never really mentioned. However, you do get a great sense of Dickens' world and the intricate plot, with the many complicated nuances between good and bad, he created in Oliver Twist. 

Oliver! (1968)

Can't I just watch it?

Maybe

Whether or not you can just watch Oliver! depends on twi things. One is that you need to be able to watch endless songs and dance routines and two is that if you are getting tested about Oliver Twist in school, this one won't do.

But besides those points, this is actually a really good adaptation. Just like the 1948 one, Dickensian London is depicted in all its gore and the musical numbers are really opportunities to see more of the set and amazing clothing designs. The casting of characters was also really good, so you'll get a great feel about who is who and what they represent in the novel. (Especially Bill Sikes and his dog were amazing here; I doubt anyone wouldn't be scared of them)

Even though this movie is 2 and a half hours long, there have been major cuts in the plot. Once again, Rose Maylie and the burglary in her house is never mentioned - it's a different burglary at a irrelevant house. The events of the movie are also all shortened; we start later in Oliver's life and many events are merged (very successfully) together throughout the movie. So if you need to know specific plot details, this movie just won't cut it. 

What I appreciated about this adaptation is that it's the only one out of the three that really highlights the complexity of Nancy; the only character who actually struggles with being good or bad. Again, some liberties have been taken here compared to the original plot, but I found them all in the spirit of the original story.

What Oliver! does is transform the story to modern times; it is more comical than any other adaptation, but we shouldn't forget that Charles Dickens was a funny writer. We might not appreciate all of his jokes in this time, but the movie translates them well. The only thing they really changed is the ending, which is suddenly a happy ending for all (besides Nancy and Bill), which is quite different from the book.

So this adaptation is highly enjoyable and gives you a great sense of how contemporary readers would have experienced the story and characters, but it does leave out major plot points and simplifies the story in many different ways. 

Oliver Twist (2005) 

Can't I just watch this movie?

Probably not.

Though Roman Polanski's version of Oliver Twist is a very enjoyable watch, it does not really accurately represent the book in all its complicated nuances. 

In short, 2005's Oliver Twist is the Disney version of the story. You get a sense of what the story is about, but you miss most of the nuances and dirty scenes that are included in the book. It's a great way to get familiar with the story so you can speed read the book and especially the first part of the movie (until Oliver gets taken in by Mr. Brownlow) is particularly accurate and interesting.

Clean, pretty Victorian London

The main thing you miss out on is how incredibly disgusting Oliver Twist's London was. Yes, there are rats, but it's light, it's never too crowded to see our characters and even the dirty house of Fagin has its charm. Dicken's London on the other hand is thoroughly disgusting and dark - nothing like this movie version. Also, the characters are way too clean and pretty. Fagin isn't disgusting at all and Bill Sikes' dog, the dog everyone in London is scared of, looks more   like a cute puppy than a killer. 

Connected to that point, is the fact that there are big chunks of story line missing to make the movie more Hollywood. Does it make the story easier to follow? Yes. Does it mean you'll miss out on the complexity of Dickens? Also yes. The whole family of Rose Maylie is cut out and there's no discussion about Oliver's parents at all. In this movie, Oliver ends up well because he's a good boy - in the book he ends up well because he was born to rich parents and rich people always end up well. While all the other adaptations also cut out plot points, here I just found there was too much missing for it to stay true to the novel. If you really want to understand why Dickens was such a master of plotting, this movie just won't cut it.

Everybody Rise - Stephanie Clifford

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Plot

It’s 2006 in the Manhattan of the young and privileged, and a new generation of heirs and strivers are jockeying for social power and discovering that class, especially on the Upper East Side, still holds sway.

At 26, Evelyn Beegan is the product of new money, propelled by her social-climbing mother through an elite prep school, a posh college, and into Manhattan. Evelyn has always managed to stay just on the periphery of this world her mother so desperately wants her to become a part of. But when she takes a job at a new social networking site aimed at her very elite peers, she’s forced to leverage her few connections to work her way to the front of the pack. With the help of her prep school friends, Evelyn goes from lush "camps" in the Adirondacks and "cottages" in Newport, to Southampton weekends and clubs thick with socialites and Wall Street types, eventually befriending target #1, Camilla Rutherford—a young woman who is a regular on the front page of every society blog.

In order to be accepted by this rarefied set, Evelyn must be seen as someone with established old money. Her lies start small, but quickly grow, and as she relentlessly elbows her way up the social ladder, the ground underneath her begins to give way.

Review

I requested Everybody Rise because I miss Gossip Girl. Obsessively. Constantly. So I wanted to return to that world and doesn't the summary of Everybody Rise sounds like it can help me do just that? New York rich kids, here I come!

Unfortunately, Everybody Rise didn't quite work for me. The main thing that bothered me was the fact that the pacing of this book was completely off. There were chapters where there was just description after description after description. Yes, it was beautifully written, but unless there is some action in there, I can't focus on just description. Connected to that was the fact that I received way too much irrelevant information as a reader. I do like to know the history of my main characters, but only the relevant bits to the story and I don't need to know everyone's complete life story. There are main characters and side characters, and the side characters don't need whole chapters in my opinion; especially if they're irrelevant to the main plot. 

On the other hand, I quite liked the voice of Evelyn. Though her motives throughout the book are quite unclear to me (even after all the information I got), I did enjoy reading her. She's really struggling to find her place in the world and it was nice to have a character of 26 (instead of 16) going through that journey. You don't always figure out your life at 18 and this book shows that it's okay if you take a little bit longer.

However, I overall just wasn't impressed. The pacing was off, the plot was stretched at times (I can't go into more detail about that without massive spoilers) and the motivation of the main character just wasn't there. If this book was about 100 pages shorter, I think it would have worked really well, but for now it just kind of left me lukewarm.  

Your Voice Is All I Hear - Leah Scheier

Rating: ★★★★★

Plot

Everything about Jonah is unexpected. On the first day of school, he sits next to April, when he could have chosen to sit with the popular girl. He turns down an invitation to join the school team and declares he'd rather paint. He encourages April to develop her musical talent and shrugs off the bullies that torment them.

April isn't surprised to find herself falling for Jonah. The unexpected part is when he falls for her too.

But the giddy happiness of their first romance begins to fade when Jonah's unpredictability begins to take a darker turn. April understands that her boyfriend is haunted by a painful memory, but his sudden mood swings worry her. She can't explain his growing fear of cellphones, electric keyboards, and of sounds that no one else can hear. Still, no matter what happens, April is sure that she'll always stand by him.

Until Jonah finally breaks and is committed to a psychiatric ward.

Until schizophrenia changes everything.

Though everyone urges her to let him go, April stays true to Jonah. But as the boy she adores begins to disappear in front of her, she has to face her worst fear: that her love may not be enough to save him.

Review

Sometimes you read a book and you immediately completely fall in love with it (as with Anna and the French Kiss for me), but sometimes it takes a while before you start loving the story. That's what happened with Your Voice Is All I Hear; I kinda forgot what the whole story was about so I started reading with no preconceptions whatsoever. 

And that's when really beautiful reading moments can happen. Though Your Voice Is All I Hear seems to start off as a typical high school romance novel, you soon get a weird feeling while reading it. Something is off. Jonah is not right. This whole romance is just not making sense and the more you read, the stronger that feeling gets, until you find out he has schizophrenia and suddenly everything you read makes sense.

What makes this book so amazing is Leah Scheier's writing. Mental illnesses in fiction is always risky - you want to make it realistic, but at the same time also dramatic enough that there is a story. Scheier walks this line perfectly; yes, there is drama but at the core of it, Jonah's schizophrenia just feels so very real. I must admit that I was clueless about schizophrenia before this book (I knew that people heard voices but that's about it) and I know so much more thanks to this book. 

That's what I want literature to do for me. I was completely sucked into this story and felt everything April was feeling and when I was done reading, I realised I also learned new things without being aware of it. it's not a text book on schizophrenia, but I feel like I understand better how incredibly hard it is to live with it and how much broader it is than 'just hearing voices'. By letting the reader see Jonah's transition into schizophrenia, you really become aware how much it changes a person and how hard it is for everyone around them.

So even though this is April's story of standing by Jonah, for me this really was Jonah's story. His character touched me in so many different ways and I felt so heartbroken for the pain he was going through. Yes, the book reads like a romance novel at the beginning, but when you finish it, it makes complete sense why it does. Jonah was just like you and I. Jonah was an average YA male character. Jonah goes through a remarkable journey in the book that shows the contrast with that beginning and will break your heart in every single chapter. 

Asking For It - Louise O'Neill

"They are all innocent until proven guilty. Not me, I am a liar until I am proven honest."

No one will read Asking For It and write that it was an enjoyable, fun read. Asking For It is one of the hardest books I've read, just like Only Ever Yours was, and that's why it's so important. It makes you aware of all the prejudices you have about certain things and confronts you in an uncomfortably direct way - the only way to really make you see that we are all part of a rape culture and that we all have to change to make that stop.

Plot

It's the beginning of the summer in a small town in Ireland. Emma O'Donovan is eighteen years old, beautiful, happy, confident. One night, there's a party. Everyone is there. All eyes are on Emma. 

The next morning, she wakes on the front porch of her house. She can't remember what happened, she doesn't know how she got there. She doesn't know why she's in pain. But everyone else does. 

Photographs taken at the party show, in explicit detail, what happened to Emma that night. But sometimes people don't want to believe what is right in front of them, especially when the truth concerns the town's heroes...

Review

How do you review a book like this? I think the danger here is to praise it just for the message, and though I think the message is so amazing and important, a book must be more than an informercial; it has to captivate a reader, make you care for the characters and really transport you to another world.

Thankfully, it's Louise O'Neill who wrote this book and who can so easily do all of these things. Emma is by no means a likeable character (she's truly a bitch at times), but we come to care about her even though we see all her flaws. By choosing a bitchy main character, Louise O'Neill is risking losing readers, but she writes Emma so well that I just can't see that happening for anyone. Yes, she's not nice, but 1. you understand why, 2. that's just the way some people are and that's more than fine and 3. it shows that rape is NEVER okay, even when it happens to a girl who is not a disney princess.

The other thing I loved about this book is how well-rounded the other characters are. It is the story of Emma and obviously the focus is on her, but all her friends are also really intriguing and as a reader, you see how they develop and grow as they go through this with Emma - or decide not to go through this with her. They all come across so realistically, which makes the story even more gripping.

This could have been me. That's the one thing I kept thinking while reading the book. Not just because the main character is also called Emma (which sometimes made it even more confrontational), but because I was just like her as a teenager. I had friends just like her. I know guys just like the guys in the book. I know that world and I know I would have ended up the same way as she did if I was less lucky.

And that's all it is: we live in a rape culture where some girls get lucky and don't get violated, and some girls, like Emma, do. So even though a book is so much more than its message, and trust me, this book is, the message is still so important here and just for that, everyone should read it - however uncomfortable and painful that might be.

Anna series - 5 Reasons To (Not) Read

There are certain series that seem to be YA must-reads and that everyone in the YA community has read and reviewed. But then a new girl comes in, one who didn't realise that YA was a thing until last September. I'm that girl. I saw all these reviews about all these series that everyone read and I felt the need to read them too. However, I discovered that just because everyone reads something, it doesn't mean it's right for you.

So hence a new kinda post: 5 reasons you should and 5 reasons you shouldn't read some of the most well known YA series. If you're new to the community, then first of all: HIII!! and second of all: I hope this helps you. I know I would have loved a post like this so I could objectively decide if I wanted to read these books. I'm not passing judgment on these series and won't say if I enjoyed them (though you're always free to ask). These series could be a great read if they're your kind of book - I'm just here to help you decide if they are.

Today, I'm discussing Stephanie Perkins' series that includes Anna and the French Kiss, Lola and the Boy Next Door and Isla and the Happily Ever After. Though all books can be read individually (they each focus on a different girl and romantic interest), they are a part of a series.

5 reasons to read

1. It gives you all the fluffy feels

Honestly, the best part of the Anna series (that's what I'll call it from now on) is all the feels it gives you. It's completely light and feel-good and it will make you "aaaw" while you're reading it. If you've had a long day and just want to read about other people having a way more exciting and happy life than you, these books are perfect.

2. It will give you travel envy

The books are spread over Paris, New York City and San Francisco, so there will be at least one location you will fall in love with and will want to travel to. (And it is still kinda summer, so that's perfect!)

3. There are some seriously hot bookcrushes to be found

Three different books means there are three different guys and everyone who has read the books has a different favourite: Etienne is a hot British guy living in Paris, Cricket is a quirky boy from San Francisco and Josh is an absolutely dreamboat (and artist!) from NYC. With that much variation, you're bound to find your new bookboyfriend. 

4. It shows real female friendships

Though the books almost completely focus on romantic relationships, there are some cute moments where we see the female narrator interact with her female friends. These are enjoyable scenes that show that female characters can interact with each other - even if it's mostly about boys.

5. It's well-written

Stephanie Perkins can write. This book has so many potential pitfalls for a reader (read the column next to this one to find what you might not love about it), but it is written so well. It's easy to read and you'll breeze through the books with just the right balance between description and dialogue!

5 reasons to not read

1. If you don't like romance, don't even pick it up.

I guess this is an easy one, but a really important one. As the titles suggest, THESE BOOKS ARE ALL ABOUT LOVE. If you're not interested in teenage girls falling in love, with all the expected issues that arise from that, then don't read these books, because you will just not enjoy it.

2. It's filled with clichés

Like I said, there are expected issues and there are quite a lot. Teenage narrators seem to have a scheme about how they are supposed to fall in love and all three girls follow that scheme pretty strictly, yet in different ways. Yes, there will be eye-rolling involved as a reader.

3. You probably won't like all the main characters

This was to be expected: all three female narrators are so different that you are bound to dislike one. The plus size to this point is that there is also a good chance for you to love one of them, even if they are all quite typical quirky YA girls.

4. They're kinda predictable

And these girls also make the books kinda predictable. If you want to be blown away with twists, then these really aren't the books for you. They're predictable, which can be good if you're prepared and looking for that, but if not, then pass these books.

5. A guy means a happy ending

There is quite a lot of character building done without guys, but as you can probably expect after reading all my points, a guy still means a happy ending. These girls' stories aren't finished until we know what happens with the guy. If you're going through a bitter phase and can't stand to see happy endings,then look away.   

An Evening with Andrew Smith and Michael Grant

So tonight I had the pleasure to attend a talk at the wonderful Waterstone's Piccadilly (honestly they hosts the best talks) to listen to Michael Grant and Andrew Smith reading from their work and answer Q&A's. (And yes, for the FIRST TIME EVER, I asked a question!) As usual, I did a little write up so all the fans who couldn't make it can enjoy the event as well!

First up, I have to admit that I've never read Michael Grant before, which I know is a sin in the YA community but I just never got around to it. So I probably missed a lot of the references he made to his own books due to my lack of knowledge. However, I have read Andrew Smith and LOVED Winger so I think I got most of his things down.

First the guys introduced themselves and it was immediately clear that 1. Michael and Andrew are great friends and 2. they are also very different. Michael called himself a high school and college dropout and talked about the wide variety of, not always legal, jobs he had before writing. Him and his wife eventually started writing together to start a career and he has written MORE THAN 150 BOOKS! And if you're like me and thought you've never read a book by Michael Grant, just be rest assured you probably have without knowing it. He wrote for Harlequin, Sweet Valley Twins and Disney (about "The Duck, which I can say now"), so the odds that you've ever read one of his books is pretty damn big.

Andrew on the other hand has written his whole life but hid it from everyone he knew. He actually finished several manuscripts without showing them to anyone, because he just always wanted to write. When his son was 9, he said he wanted to be an author and to be supportive, Andrew submitted one of his manuscripts to a literary agent. When did his wife find out? When he had already sold the book to a publisher in NYC - she said she was relieved that he wasn't spending so much time in his office having an online affair!

Then both Michael Grant and Andrew Smith read from their books and showed us why they call it the "Masturbation or Murder tour"  - Andrew read a part of Grasshopper Jungle that discussed masturbation while Michael Grant read a part of Messenger of Fear where someone catches fire - very graphically.

Andrew Smith reading from Grasshopper Jungle. 

Then there was a Q&A and luckily, the audience had some great questions! This was quite a long Q&A so I'll just put little titbits of info both authors shared!

Both Andrew and Michael says that they don't write with a genre in mind, but unlike Andrew, who believes that he always writes YA ("YA is any book that deals with adolescent experience"), Michael Grant has written in almost any genre imaginable. He sees himself more as a craftsman and considers his early work the way he got the hang of it. This craftsmanship is also expressed in the way he goes about writing his book - Michael makes a "series bible" (he definitely prefers to read and write series) in which he figures out what will happen and actually picks head shots for all of his characters. He then sends this to his editor and he'll get money to write the story. Andrew said he never sells a story before he wrote it and just writes straight through them in a chronological order. 

Michael Grant reading from Messenger of Fear

For the kind of scenes they like to write, Michael thinks the gross action scenes are easiest  and doesn't like exposition or romance scenes too much. As any reader of Andrew Smith might know, he doesn't shy away from sex scenes and says he particularly liked writing the ones in Grasshopper Jungle since they involved bugs having sex. 

There was the question which character is most like them and Andrew said that all characters, good and bad, are a part of him, but he wants to be most like Robbie from Grasshopper Jungle because he is so fair and kind. Michael says he's most like Quinn from Gone because he makes a journey towards being a better person in his books.

And then I asked a question. For the first time ever. And I almost died. But I noticed that Andrew Smith is always praised for including a diverse cast in his book - often with good representation of homosexual characters. I wondered if that was a deliberate decision the authors made or whether it just kinda happened. Both answered that it's not deliberate, but it's just a reflection of the world they see around them. To not have diverse characters would actually mean they'd have to exclude people from their real world and that just wouldn't make any sense. However, they said that forcing diversity would never work and I was so happy to hear two authors say how easily a diverse cast comes to them - it's really inspirational!

That's the end of my little write up - there was LOTS more that was talked about, but as a writer, these were the highlights for me. It was great to meet Andrew Smith and find out he was just as wonderful as all of his books and it was also great to meet Michael Grant and get an introduction to his books - I highly suggest you read some of them if you haven't. (First on your list should be Winger, but I might be a tad biased!)