Thursday Tea Time- Adaptations Edition

Hello everyone and welcome back to Thursday Tea Time, a feature where I take a heated topic from the book world that is presently being discussed. It’s a meme that dives into how I read instead of what I’m reading.

Today, in light of news like the dropping of the Shadow and Bone trailer- which you should totally check out here, I thought it would be very appropriate to discuss my own thoughts on bookish adaptations.

And I decided to get this post up today instead yesterday because Tuesday to Thursday life is chaos.

The Positives

Experiencing Your Favorite Stories Again

i for one, work really hard to go into adaptations without any expectations so I frequently get excited to see how one person interpreted a story that I imagined in my head. Everyone experience books differently so it’s fun to see how the director imagines the a story compared to your own vision of it.

Helps non-readers discover the stories you love

I will never forget going to the Lord of the Rings movies or The Hunger Games and I would sit next to my brother and he would lean over periodically and ask questions like, “Was this part in the book” or “Is it almost over?” In the moment, it was extremely annoying, but looking back now I’m glad he was able to experience some of the stories that I love because he is absolutely not a reader.

The Negatives

Ita never exactly how you imagined

I will never forget the first time I watched the six hour BBC version of Pride and Prejudice. It was basically the book, word for word, brought to life and it was glorious. Of course I realize that every movie cannot possiblity be that long and I love some adaptations more than adaptation- shocking I know! Could you imagine a word for word adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo? It would be a bit much, but every once in a while, movie length adaptation will drop.key story lines and it can be frustrating and a little heartbreaking.

Lack of similarities to the source material

I feel like in some adaptations, some things are sacrificed in the name of film. Obviously because most movies can only fit so much in a certain amount of time. Frequently, I find myself disappointed with adaptations when I love the source material so much and I feel like the adaptation loses the essence of the story. I am willing to forgive a lot, but when an adaptation cannot even get the tone of a book correct, that’s where you lose me.

Watched And Loved

Could Have Been Better

On My Wishlist

What About You?

Do you enjoy bookish adaptations? Are there any adaptations that you love more than the books they are based on? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!