# I've seen \[film\] first. Would you reccomend the book? (boxed spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 9, 2008, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-film-first-would-you-reccomend-the-book-boxed-spoilers/440777 "2008-03-09T23:14:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2008, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-film-first-would-you-reccomend-the-book-boxed-spoilers/440777/21 "2008-03-10T19:23:21Z")
Dr. Zhivago Mr. Bridge & Mrs. Bridge are two separate novels that are better than the movie of Mr. & Mrs. Bridge starring Paul Newman & Joanne Woodward. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2008, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-film-first-would-you-reccomend-the-book-boxed-spoilers/440777/22 "2008-03-10T19:37:32Z")
[QUOTE=Eleanor of Aquitaine] _Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World_. Although it’s based on the 10th book in a wonderful series, and you should start with an earlier book. [/QUOTE] I recommend the Capt. Aubrey novels highly, but when I was reading them for the first time last year and got to _The Far Side of the World_, I was surprised at how little of what was in the movie is actually in that book. The visit to the Galapagos Island, basically. The rest is bits and pieces from other books in the series. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2008, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-film-first-would-you-reccomend-the-book-boxed-spoilers/440777/23 "2008-03-10T19:51:29Z")
Sense and Sensibility I loved the movie and I’ll admit that I had never read any Jane Austin. After watching the film with the two different commentary tracks I decided to read the novel and I really liked it a lot. Here is one though, Field of Dreams. If you liked that movie, you may not want to read Shoeless Joe Jackson Comes t Iowa. Although, ultimately it is a good lesson in how to be unfaithful to the events of the book but faithful to the spirit of it. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2008, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-film-first-would-you-reccomend-the-book-boxed-spoilers/440777/24 "2008-03-10T20:18:59Z")
[QUOTE=Miss Mapp] I recommend the Capt. Aubrey novels highly, but when I was reading them for the first time last year and got to _The Far Side of the World_, I was surprised at how little of what was in the movie is actually in that book. The visit to the Galapagos Island, basically. The rest is bits and pieces from other books in the series. [/QUOTE] In the DVD extras the director displays some of the books that have a bunch of little post-it notes sticking out, where someone went through and tagged interesting bits of Aubrey-Maturin interaction for the movie. ---
**Author:** ![pprgrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f6c823/32.png) [@pprgrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pprgrl)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2008, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-film-first-would-you-reccomend-the-book-boxed-spoilers/440777/25 "2008-03-10T20:30:43Z")
**Sleepers** is by far and away the most faithful adaptation of a book to film that I have ever encountered. So much so that I would say that if you’ve already seen the movie there’s not really any reason to read the book, since there’s virtually nothing in it that isn’t in the film. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2008, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-film-first-would-you-reccomend-the-book-boxed-spoilers/440777/26 "2008-03-10T20:36:36Z")
[QUOTE=SiXSwordS] In the category of _good books to read despite the atrocious movies made from them_, I would suggest **East of Eden**. [/QUOTE] Memoirs of an Invisible Man fits that as well. Turning it into a Chevy Chase/Darryl Hannah movie was just all kinds of wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2008, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-film-first-would-you-reccomend-the-book-boxed-spoilers/440777/27 "2008-03-10T20:40:41Z")
[QUOTE=Antinor01] Memoirs of an Invisible Man fits that as well. Turning it into a Chevy Chase/Darryl Hannah movie was just all kinds of wrong. [/QUOTE] Agreed. That is one book that would make one fine movie if they shot what the author wrote. A Kiss Before Dying & The Stepford Wives are two books by Ira Levin that should also be filmed as written. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2008, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-film-first-would-you-reccomend-the-book-boxed-spoilers/440777/28 "2008-03-10T23:37:56Z")
Oh, Stephen Coonts’ novel _Flight of the Intruder_ is also well worth reading after seeing the movie. Bare bones of the story are pretty much the same, but the book incorporates much more based-on-real-life-experience details of air combat over Vietnam, and really makes you love flying as much as the main character does (much of the book concerns the contrast between Cool Hand’s love of flying, and his increasing frustration and depression regarding the missions he flies over Vietnam). ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2008, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-film-first-would-you-reccomend-the-book-boxed-spoilers/440777/29 "2008-03-11T01:12:53Z")
[QUOTE=Darryl Lict] The Grapes of Wrath. [/QUOTE] Also _The Color Purple_, the work well in either order. Also, _Clockers_ worked about the same in movie or book form – not great, not bad. [QUOTE=Annie-Xmas] Mr. Bridge & Mrs. Bridge are two separate novels that are better than the movie of Mr. & Mrs. Bridge starring Paul Newman & Joanne Woodward. [/QUOTE] I actually first encountered an _Mrs. Bridge_, in a sociology textbox, of all places, of short stories collected under themes, then went on to read _Mr. Bridge_. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2008, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-film-first-would-you-reccomend-the-book-boxed-spoilers/440777/30 "2008-03-11T04:04:49Z")
**Thank You for Smoking**. The book was so much better. In fact, I strongly suspect the film’s director only read the first half of the book. I do like how the movie used Nick’s son as a narrative device, though. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2008, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-film-first-would-you-reccomend-the-book-boxed-spoilers/440777/31 "2008-03-11T04:34:46Z")
[QUOTE=5-4-Fighting] I actually first encountered an _Mrs. Bridge_, in a sociology textbox, of all places, of short stories collected under themes, then went on to read _Mr. Bridge_. [/QUOTE] I was on a middle-aged reading binge a few years back and read this one. Loved it. Is Mr. Bridge as good as Mrs. Bridge? I saw the Lord of the Rings movies before reading the books. I’m not sure I’d have liked the movies so much if I’d read the books first. ---
**Author:** ![Ponderoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponderoid/32/19221_2.png) [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2008, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-film-first-would-you-reccomend-the-book-boxed-spoilers/440777/32 "2008-03-11T08:22:20Z")
[ul] [li]_2001: A Space Odyssey_ by Arthur C. Clarke[/li][li]“I, Robot” by Isaac Asimov, collected in a bunch of different volumes[/li][li]_I, Robot, the Illustrated Screenplay_ by Harlan Ellison (the movie they _should_ have made instead)[/li][li]_Jumper_ by Steven Gould (and don’t bother seeing the movie at all if you haven’t yet)[/li][li]_Shōgun_ by James Clavell[/li][li]_A Wrinkle in Time_ by Madeleine L’Engle[/li][/ul] \*\*\* Ponder ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2008, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-film-first-would-you-reccomend-the-book-boxed-spoilers/440777/33 "2008-03-11T12:26:23Z")
[QUOTE=AuntiePam] I was on a middle-aged reading binge a few years back and read this one. Loved it. Is Mr. Bridge as good as Mrs. Bridge? [/QUOTE] Definitely. Bob Randall’s _The Fan_ is an excellent first novel. The movie they made from it is trash. If you can find the out-of-print book, READ IT!!! ---
**Author:** ![Elenfair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cc9497/32.png) [@Elenfair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elenfair)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2008, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-film-first-would-you-reccomend-the-book-boxed-spoilers/440777/34 "2008-03-11T13:31:25Z")
“I am Legend”, the Novella. By far better than the movie as far as sticking to the whole point of the story… ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2008, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-film-first-would-you-reccomend-the-book-boxed-spoilers/440777/35 "2008-03-11T13:45:31Z")
[QUOTE=MagicBlueEyes] Interview with a Vampire is very faithful to the book and if you enjoyed the movie, will like the book. [/QUOTE] _Double takes so hard he wrenches his neck_ I’m sorry, what??? Are you sure we were watching the same movie? Not only does the film miss large sections of the book out entirely it also changes what happens several times. The most significant example of this being that in the film Louis rejects Armand’s offer to team up with him after the destruction of the Paris coven, in the book he agrees and they become pseudo-lovers. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2008, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-film-first-would-you-reccomend-the-book-boxed-spoilers/440777/36 "2008-03-11T14:36:30Z")
If you’ve seen **American Psycho** , don’t read the book. Much better movie. Also, **I Am Legend** +1. Also, **No Country For Old men**. ---
**Author:** ![wouldn\_t\_you\_like\_to\_know](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/eb8c5e/32.png) [@wouldn\_t\_you\_like\_to\_know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wouldn_t_you_like_to_know)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2008, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-film-first-would-you-reccomend-the-book-boxed-spoilers/440777/37 "2008-03-12T05:26:25Z")
As i sit here watching the Paul Newman classic **Cool Hand Luke** , i wondered if there was a book the movie was based off. Turns out the book was written by the same guy (Donn Pearce) who adapted the novel to the screen play. So unless someone chimes in here to tell me I’ll be wasting my time, I’ll be heading to the library this weekend to check out. (already checked online - it’s in stock) My only issue with reading a book after watching the movie is trying to ignore (or visualize) the characters as someone other than the actor who played them. For instance, if the book says Luke is a large black man, i’m still going to be ‘seeing’ Paul Newman saying ‘I can eat 50 eggs’ (assuming that line is even in the book). ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2008, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-film-first-would-you-reccomend-the-book-boxed-spoilers/440777/38 "2008-03-12T14:24:58Z")
Both my sister and a former roommate of mine have said the Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe is a fantastic book that is better than the movie _Fried Green Tomatoes_. I never read it myself so can’t corroborate, but I remember my roomie laughing out loud a lot while reading it. She said some crucial plot details are different from the movie, but that the movie kept very much in spirit with the book so the changes the movie made were okay. I’m not sure if it makes a difference that my roommate was also female. I enjoyed the movie, but not enough to motivate me to read the book. ETA: In any case, they both raved about it enough that it always stuck with me as a worthwhile story to read. ---
**Author:** ![UncaStuart](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uncastuart/32/404_2.png) [@UncaStuart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncaStuart)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2008, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-film-first-would-you-reccomend-the-book-boxed-spoilers/440777/39 "2008-03-12T15:28:51Z")
Speaking of John Irving, the movie \*\*Simon Birch \*\* is OK, but **A Prayer for Owen Meany** , the book that “suggested” it, is terrific. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2008, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-seen-film-first-would-you-reccomend-the-book-boxed-spoilers/440777/40 "2008-03-12T15:33:21Z")
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