How many times have you watched a movie after reading the book and felt let down? It is a common refrain that the book is always better than the movie. Is this a statement on the creative abilities of those in Hollywood? There is a case for that but I think the cause is deeper. Last week I discussed how reading stimulates our imagination and sharpens our minds. The result of that is that we all have a different vision of what is portrayed in a given book. There is nothing wrong with that and is what leads to such great discussions in book clubs. What it does mean is that it is very hard for a director to meet the expectations of people who have read the book that they are attempting to portray on the big screen. So even if the movie accurately projects the book as the director sees it, it will always fall short for many people who have read the book. But even this is an opportunity to view a book from a different perspective. The takeaway for me is not that the movie is always bad, it is to appreciate the movie for what is and not to value it based on comparisons to the book (as hard as that may sometime be).

Always in pursuit of intriguing books,

Dale