As with many wonderful children’s books, ‘the Fault in Our Stars’ has recently been made into a movie.
Here is a trailer as a preview and introduction:
You might like to check back on our review of this book for more details.
Month: January 2014
Is this multimodal reading?
Life of Pi/ Water for Elephants/ Unpolished Gem/ The Night Circus/ Eyrie/ Burial Rites/
All great books I have enjoyed recently; and all books I started using an Audible.com copy but finished with a physical book. Does this sound like you?
To be honest, I love the audible versions – especially those which involve obvious accents or strong voices. For example, in Water for Elephants, the elderly voice of Jacob Jankowski is an inspiring addition as the story is introduced. Listening to the Indian accent in Life of Pi, and the Chinese accents in Unpolished Gem is similarly authentic, and, as my car travels along my normal school-to-work routes, I also travel to places much further away.
In another way, the voicing of Burial Rites has been immensely helpful. Since it is set in Iceland, to be able to read the people- and place-names (without an authentic voice or knowledge of native pronunciations) is difficult. Cleverly, the reading also manages to distinguish between different voices and points of view by varying tone and volume to suit. And so I easily became well entrenched in the atmosphere of the grim story, as set by the tone and tempo of the story while it was read to me.
However, as I stated earlier, for each of these titles I have dipped in and out of both audio and print editions.
In one case, it was because my ereader ran out of power while I was on holidays – without the charger! I feverishly raided the stores till I found a print copy, and quickly finished the story. (And then had to beg/borrow/buy more, since I had relied on the store on my ereader!)
In the Night Circus, the movement of the book’s actions from one date to another made it difficult to keep track – and unlike Burial Rites the change of voice was not as clearcut or obvious. So once again, I found a print (library) copy.
It always surprises me how little I seem to have read when I do get my hands on a print copy, even after quite a few hours of listening in the car. It always seems as though I should be further into the story. Similarly, I am surprised how quickly I finish a print copy. Thus, I sometimes get impatient and want to read faster than the audio version – and move to the print edition. Then, the journey to work allows me to catch up with voices, tone and tempo – if the timing is right.
As I try to limit the piles of books which collect around my home, I am drawn more and more to ebooks and audio versions, though I find I still feel the need for both. I have, so far, avoided a print copy of Eyrie as I don’t want the expense and space taken by a hard cover book (though I might take a peek at a library copy one day, if I decide to revisit the oft poetic writing of Tim Winton).
What about you? Perhaps I just need to use my library more? (in conjunction with the audible versions?) But you do know how impatient you can be waiting to get your hands on the latest or hard-to-get editions!!
Any solutions? Advice?
It’s not the same as the book!
Have you ever waited longingly for the release of your favourite book on film? Were you disappointed? Or did it affirm the way you first saw/read the book?
What if you were the writer, anxiously waiting to see how your story translates to the big screen? Would you demand to also be the scriptwriter? Would you expect to be heavily involved in the whole production to check that ‘they’ got it ‘right’?
In other words: should we really expect the film to be the same as the book?
Until recently, I thought so. After all, wasn’t J.K.Rowling heavily involved in the production of the Harry Potter movies?
Aren’t all authors? Apparently NOT.
In a recent article about the much anticipated film release of the Book Thief, Marcus Zusak revealed that, for various reasons, he had no intentions of writing the script, or even contributing advisory comments during production:
I can only respect what a screenwriter has to do when trimming a sizeable novel to a 120-page script.
I feel like when you give someone a creative job, you can’t say, “Right, be creative, but do it how I want you to do it.”
Source: Marcus Zusak – How I Let Go of the Book Thief, http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/markus-zusak-how-i-let-go-of-the-book-thief-20140102-306he.html
As you can see from his comments, he appreciates the extra work that happens to bring book to film, and he understands that indeed it will not be the same.
Another author who has watched his book, Mr Pip, become a film, echoes these sentiments. Lloyd Jones even said he felt that he was an interloper in his own story, as he watched some of the filming on location for Mr Pip.
When introduced to the cast on Bougainville (where his tale came to life on film), he said he felt embarrassed that he had few words of wisdom to offer as the faces of the young actors gazed up at him expectantly. But then, as he explains in the article quoted below, he was the author of the story not the film director who was responsible for making the film. This is concept is also evident in this video clip:
Clearly, Jones has great respect for the creators of the film. He says he appreciates how closely the director had read his book, and stayed true to its story. However, he recognises the differences in the two media, as he states:
A film is a film is a film.
[On the other hand] Readers [bring a] box of effects and nuances to colour in the spaces left by the writer [of a book].
In film, the magic tends to be woven on the surface. The viewer is treated to another’s dream. In literature, the reader does the dreaming. And that, for me, remains the greatest magic of all.
Source: The Weight of Expectations for Lloyd Jones, http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/the-weight-of-expectations-for-lloyd-jones-20131031-2whz8.html
How often have you felt dissatisfied as a reader viewing a favourite book on-screen? But realistically, why should we feel this way? Do we just want to be able to brag that clearly we have read the book? Or does it just give us some way on which to review the film?
It’s amazing how creative we can be in our own imaginations, building on the original author’s ideas when we read. In this way, books can be so much more. Perhaps Zusak captures some of these ideas rather well – what do you think?
As a reader, I’ve never felt let down or outraged, because the film changes things for its own sake – but it can never change the book itself. The book will always remain.
As I said: I still love books. I still love movies. But I’m not ashamed to say that, as a general law of my own nature, I can’t help but love one of them just that little bit more. Marcus Zusak.
[You can enjoy the trailer for ‘the Book Thief’ below, to see if it’s a story that would appeal to you. Of course, my advice is that if you haven’t already, you should also read this fabulous book!]
Loyalties – Two Wolves
Where do your loyalties lie? Would you do anything for your friends? your family? What if things didn’t seem to be quite right?
Ben is placed in a difficult situation. He and his sister are suddenly bundled into the car with their parents as they ‘head off for a holiday’. But it’s NOT school holidays, and they are NOT heading off to some exciting resort. And the way that dad is acting is downright crazy!
For instance, why do they have to swap from their old car into an even dodgier vehicle from Uncle Chris? And why on earth are they headed to his grandfather’s dark and dank old cabin, if they are supposed to be going on a holiday? Even his dad hadn’t been there for ages!
As he contemplates the answers to these questions, Ben collects strands of information together to try to make sense of things. After all, he’s always dreamt of becoming a detective. Thus, he jots down in his notebook all sorts of things; like the surprise visit of police officers at their family home, the family’s rapid departure after this (still in their school clothes!), and all the other insane events which follow.
When his parents are evasive about the reasons for everything that is happening, Ben does his best to uncover the truth. In doing so, he continues to battle with his father and even begins to question his mother’s sanity. Should his parents really be dragging Ben and Olive into the dangerous situation seemingly on the run from the law?
Ben’s choices waiver as he thinks of those who will be impacted – including his pesky sister, Violet, and his parents. As he reflects on events as his circumstances rapidly change, he ponders how much he has inherited from his dad and where his loyalties should lie. Then he worries, is he simply a ‘chip off the old block’, destined to follow his father’s dodgy footsteps?
There are several twists and turns in Tristan Bancks latest book, which is due for release in March this year. Like his other ‘Mac Slater Coolhunter’ books, Bancks delivers a likeable main character, with choices to make, and consequences to consider from his actions.
Bancks is also very adept in using all sorts of media in his storytelling – which makes sense given his background in acting and film making. His skills include sharing some of these creative ideas via a multimedia story brainstorming app, Story Scrapbook, and lots of encouraging advice you can investigate at: http://www.tristanbancks.com/