On the Beach Book and Movie

 

I saw On the Beach back in the early 2000s when I was on an old movie/Anthony Perkins kick, and really enjoyed it because, well, Anthony Perkins, and I like end of the world things. I rented it because my dad recommended it, but he especially loves the book. I got a copy a few years ago and started reading it, but put it down for some reason. I've been reading some dark things lately, so I decided it felt like the right time to try the book again and, once I made it about halfway through, decided I'd revisit the movie as well.

The book was really interesting to me for many reasons... The writing is so dry and matter-of-fact. If you compare it to books these days, it's not technically good. The writing is nothing special—the baby, after being introduced as a girl named Jennifer, is called “it” multiple times, and the narration head hops a bit too much to be strictly third person or omniscient. There are a lot of details that don't further the story but the author clearly knew about submarines or the Navy or nuclear war and wanted to include, so it's all fine but I feel like editors could chop this book up if it crossed their desks these days.

Still, overall it works to tell a really emotional and all-too-real story. Parts of it made me tear up and it wasn't because the writing was so emotional that it forced me to feel something. Shute just presented these characters and made them seem real enough that the thought of what they were going through made me sad. And, honestly, the state of things right now makes it all feel too possible, so I'm not afraid to admit that some of those tears were probably because I could see it happening now, though the book was published in 1957 and we clearly haven't learned a damn thing.

Anyway, I was excited to see the movie again because somehow my Anthony Perkins blinders made me forget that Gregory Peck was even in the movie?! I don't know how that's possible, but it was a pleasant surprise. I do think everything was well cast, though there are, of course, some differences between the book and the movie.

The book is almost 300 pages long, so it makes sense that the movie would condense the timeline and cut some scenes... but the movie is still 2 hours and 15 minutes long! I grew up watching 90-minute comedies so this was a bit much for me. I think every bit of the book could have been used in over 2 hours of run time... 

There are some significant changes in the relationship between Moira and Towers, which definitely seem more true to character in the book... and considering the movie doesn't even show a sex scene, I don't know why they needed to make that change. Also, John Osborne is related to Moira in the book, but in the movie he's Julian Osborn, and he used to be in love with her. It seemed like a random change that didn't add anything.

The submarine names also differ, and in the book, they make their way to Seattle, but in the movie, they only go to San Francisco. Again, not major changes, so I'm unsure why they were made. There are also a few changes in how characters die at the very end, I guess to have them killing themselves onscreen look more dramatic than simply taking pills, as all of them do in the book?

Overall, the movie stays fairly true to the book, and I recommend both of them. However, the book surprised me by making me more emotional than the movie. You'd think seeing the love and emotions on people's faces would hit harder, but something about the sparse writing style really made the emotions pop off the page for me.

The Life of Chuck Book and Movie

It's no secret that I love reading books, then watching the movie or TV adaptation and comparing them, so here's the latest... The Life of Chuck.

The Life of Chuck by Stephen King. Read this on the recommendation from a writer friend who watched the movie. I like reading the books first to see what I imagine, so I got this from the library immediately. I love the story structure and how innovative it is to have the world exist because one person’s mind created it. This was a short story made up of beautiful moments and I read it in just an hour or so because I couldn’t put it down. Even with the sad ending (at the beginning), it was so wonderful that I just wanted to crawl inside of the story. I can’t wait to compare it to the movie.

It's also super cool that the dance scene is a flip book on the movie version of the book! Little details like that make things feel special.

Now to the screen adaptation...

I don't know why I thought Chuck was Kevin Costner... something about the image looks like him to me. Am I crazy? It also made me think of the In & Out cover, which is Kevin Kline, so maybe I just merged "dancing on a movie cover" and Kevins and had that impression. I also don't know a lot of "current" actors, so me thinking it was Kevin Costner was actually me thinking that I was "in the know" and had some movie knowledge by identifying the actor from this random shot alone. But I digress.

I liked the movie overall. I liked the callbacks about math and the stars, which, if they were in the book, I missed them or had forgotten by the time I watched the movie (maybe two weeks later, but two weeks in January 2026 is two fucking lifetimes, so consider that).

I liked that some of the same actors from Act 3 were in other acts as different(?) roles at the dance in Act 1, though it also seemed that Marty was a teacher at the school when Chuck was a kid, talking to him at the dance, yet wasn't old enough in Act 3 for that to be true... Am I missing something here? I'm convinced I have a degree of face blindness because I don't recognize people until I know them very well (see also thinking Chuck was Kevin Costner), so maybe it wasn't the same actors? And I understand how Chuck knowing them when he was young would bring them to life in Act 3, the way that's framed, so maybe I'm just nitpicking too hard at something that shouldn't be a big deal.

Beyonf that, there were some differences, like Chuck's time in a band is glossed over, which impacts the dance scene in a subtle way. Honestly, the shift of that moment linking back to his grandmother is so much more touching to me. That was a great change.

Overall, I liked the book better than the movie just because I felt like it had more depth. I learned more about Chuck in the story. But in the movie, it felt like some random peeks into his life without really feeling the weight of who he is. That made the ending seem a little flat, because I wasn't connected to Chuck like I was in the story.

I keep seeing things about this being an "uplifting" movie, and maybe it's just the fact that I read the story and watched the movie in January 2026, but it really doesn't feel that way to me. It feels really dire. Knowing you're going to die and the waiting being the hardest part... yes, exactly, except now it's breathing down our necks. The moments of Chuck's life that we do get to see are sweet, yes, and though he dies young he still had a full life - I get all that. But it's not uplifting to me.

Have you seen and/or read The Life of Chuck? What are your thoughts? Let's talk about it!

The Sweet Hereafter Book and Movie

This book has become one of my favorites. I think of it often and, before I looked up the dates of my review, I thought I'd re-read it every two or three years. It's just that strong of a story that it really stuck with me.

I knew there was a movie but, not being a major movie person, I didn't feel inclined to watch it. However, I came across it during a random library database search and, given my recent "book to movie" posts, I decided to give it a try.

But since the book is always better than the movie, let's start off with my book reviews.

I first read it in 2011. I rated it four stars with this review: This is the story of a school bus crash in a small town. It's also told from multiple points of view, including the bus driver, the father of a dead child, one of the injured children, and an ambulance-chasing lawyer. Obviously this meant each character had an entirely different spin to put on the story. I really enjoyed this book because it was an interesting concept and was well-written, but my favorite part was the emotional factor. There wasn't really one. In most cases that would be something to complain about, but here it was imperative. How easy would it be to get swept up in the tragedy of losing so many school-aged children? The book could have been a big sob-fest, forcing sentimental mush on the reader. While the tragedy isn't glossed over, Banks gently turns our focus to how the town is coping.

Then I re-read it in 2021. That time, I kept it at four stars but added: I read this years ago, before I was a parent. It was still heart wrenching then, but reading it now, with lockdowns and school shootings and so much that can possibly impact your kid no matter how safe you keep them, it hits differently. I still love how Banks shows several distinct points of view and gives you no real resolution, just as would happen in the real world.

The movie... I always feel the need for a disclaimer. I'm not a movie person. I can't focus on movies. Part of the reason I love reading is because I can envision everything myself, and if I miss something, I can read back over the passage instead of rewinding and reorienting myself. And I can see all the praise for this movie on the cover and when I looked it up online. But it just wasn't for me. I felt such an emotional connection with the book, but the movie just felt scattered and distant. I watched the first twenty minutes half-convinced that the library had given me the wrong disc, despite one of the opening scenes being on both the cover of the movie AND my book! It just felt so random that I was disoriented and had to start the movie over again, forcing myself to pay attention.

I will also say that I haven't read the book in four years. I usually like to re-read a book before seeing the movie, but this one was a bit spur of the moment. So maybe if I'd recently read the book, the movie would have resonated more with me. Or maybe not! Maybe it's just me. But I still love the book and plan to re-read it again soon, especially with the weather getting cold.

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret book and movie

I can't count how many times I've read this book. I honestly have some lines and scenes memorized to the point where it feels like they're mine, not something I read. I read it hundreds of times as a kid and a few times as an adult. This time, I wanted to read it after watching the movie. I felt like the movie stayed true to the book, but wanted to check that theory.

Read as a kid over and over: Clearly I loved it or I wouldn't have re-read it so often, because I always brought home a stack of books from the library and could have picked anything. I had my own copy too (pretty sure it fell apart years ago), with what I think is still the best cover for the book:

Re-read September 2016: Another book I read a lot as a kid and wanted to re-read for Banned Books Week. This one also seemed a little flat, but I still loved it and think kids these days would still love it, even though it’s pretty dated. 

Re-read December 2019: I’m re-reading my Judy Blume books because I’m taking her Masterclass and she references them sometimes. She was one of my favorite authors as a child so I vividly remember most of her books and storylines, but it’s always fun to revisit old favorites. I apparently lost my childhood copy of Margaret, so the one I own now is an updated one. I remember the pads with hooks and a belt, so it was nice to read this newer version where she simply peeled off the paper and stuck the pad to her underpants. It’s the small things! I loved reading about how things “used to be”, but I do think that updating the books will make them more appealing to young readers and will give this type of book staying power.

Re-read 9/23/2025: I read this countless times as a kid and several times as an adult and always love it. Blume effortlessly captures the tween voice. I re-read it this time because I’d just watched the movie and thought it stayed pretty true to the book, but wanted to check myself. It really did! I think it’s one of the best book-to-movie I’ve seen. 

***

Basically every scene from the book is in the movie, which makes me love it. I understand sometimes you need to take liberties to make a book work as a movie, but I love that this one didn't. Margaret's "speaking" to God felt a bit over-acted in places though; I preferred it when it was a voiceover of her conversation instead of watching her say it in real-time. All the actors were perfectly cast. 

I wonder if the mom being more of a character searching for fulfillment was a nod to the realization that most people watching this movie were probably the mother's age, remembering how this book changed their lives when they were preteens, so they wanted it to be interesting on that level, too? The mother's painting is mentioned in the book, and the father definitely has a background role in both, so I feel like it wasn't much of a change to bring the mother a bit more to the forefront. And it was Rachel McAdams so who could complain?

All the Bright Places: Book and Movie

It's no secret I love comparing books to their movie or TV versions, so when I saw there was a movie of All the Bright Places on Netflix, I wanted to re-read the book and watch the movie to compare them. I read the book when it came out, but didn't remember much of it, so I knew I would need to refresh my memory. 

Originally read May 2015 (and originally rated 5 stars): This writing in this book is so matter-of-fact that you don’t think you’ll get emotionally involved, but you will. It’s not fluffy and beautiful; it’s real. Niven brings attention to mental disorders, abuse, depression, the lack of need of labels and the vast need for compassion — all without hitting you over the head with the message. Finch and Violet seem like real high school seniors, meaning you don’t love them all the time and you don’t understand them most of the time. But it works. This is an amazing book, highly recommended. It will inspire you to get out and wander your state to learn more about it — and yourself.

Re-read September 2025: This was a re-read for me because I want to watch the movie on Netflix but didn’t remember enough. I remembered loving it in 2015 - 5 stars, rave review, the works. But re-reading it now, after the ways the country has changed since then, raising a son and seeing how Finch acts with Violet, being so pushy… It didn’t sit right with me. I know it’s not the point of the book but the way he kept going after her, making comments about wanting to kiss her and all that, really rubbed me the wrong way. Is it supposed to be ok because of his mental illness? Or because she eventually gave in and fell in love with him? I don’t think so. I see him as manipulative and pulling her into his orbit just to leave and fuck her up even more. Sure, he’s depressed and trying to feel things, but I just can’t stomach it in the current climate.

That said, the writing is beautiful, and knowing why Niven wrote it is really interesting and explains a lot about how Finch is portrayed, in my opinion.

***

The movie... Wow. It cut so many details, so much story. I'm not sure I could have followed it if I hadn't read the book first. I don't think it stands on its own. Finch's suicide seemed completely random in the movie, in my opinion. And I do still think that, even in a visual form, they could have conveyed some of the interiority from the book. 

They cut Finch's mom and dad to just mentions instead of showing the characters. I think this is fine overall, and the mom definitely could have been cut from the book as well, but the dad's scenes seemed really important. The movie completely cuts out the little sister. Like with the mom - I think this works. I don't think she added anything to the book except another person Finch left behind, so the movie doesn't suffer for that.

As I mentioned, I think you need to have read the book to get anything from this movie. So many scenes were cut or rushed, but there were two waaaaaay too long scenes of people dancing in a field. It didn't convey anything to me when it was Finch and Violet or when it was Violet with Finch's friends later. It was just trying too hard to make you feel the moment when those precious seconds could have been used for literally any other scene that was cut from the book.

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson. Going in, this one felt too familiar, like maybe I had read it and DNF before? But I couldn’t find proof of that, so I figured it just seemed similar to other YA true crime/cold case/podcast type books. I stuck with it and got completely obsessed. I thought one of the murderers was incredibly obvious and was surprised they weren’t a suspect all along, but the other took me by surprise. The ending was perfect and definitely made me eager to read the rest of the series.

Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson. Second books usually feel like a placeholder between the first and third of a trilogy but this one held its own. I thought it was a really good mystery and I love how it pulled in some details from the first book that hadn’t even registered for me. For a teenager solving crimes the police can’t (or won’t), I feel like this is realistically written, especially considering emotions Pip feels after all she’s been through.

As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson. I thought this was a really satisfying end. The first third or even half maybe was VERY repetitive with what Pip was thinking and feeling regarding her trauma. I get that what happened is major and will change a person but for the sake of fiction, I think it could have been cut and handled better. It felt like Jackson was trying to meet word count with those sections. However, how Pip evolved feels really natural and I think the ending was just right.

The show was a slog for me to get through. I'll be honest and say movies are really hard for me to focus on. I usually wander away, either physically or mentally, about 30 minutes in. But shows, somehow, are easier for me to focus on. That wasn't the case here, though. Maybe because I'd already read the book and really enjoyed it, so I knew the story and the suspense didn't work on me?

Also, while I thought all the actors were just-right picks for the characters, Pip seemed a bit young in her actions on the show. In many scenes, it seemed like she was just bumbling along, stumbling upon things rather than following clues and leads like she did in the book.

The Wild Robot book series + movie

Well, I did it! After trying to read this book series years ago, then letting it linger on my nightstand for months, I finally finished all three books before seeing the movie! 

The Wild Robot review

The Wild Robot Escapes review

The Wild Robot Protects review

Turns out, the movie really just covers the first book, and not that closely in many ways, but I'm glad to have read them all just because.

The movie was amazing! It was gorgeously animated and really funny in so many parts. The way Roz and Pinktail talked about motherhood and their children cracked me up. But it was also a really emotional movie... to me. Or maybe it was just my current mood and state of mind? Or the fact that I'm a single mom just like Roz? The mother-son stuff was very touching for sure. And the way the animals came together to help each other was just something I needed to see right now for that hope or sense of good in the world.

I would definitely watch this movie again (when it's streaming so I can sob in peace). I really hope they make movies for books two and three as well. Book two is still my favorite, and while the ending of the movie kind of touched on book two in a different way, I think it actually leads to a natural progression to Roz working on a family farm, so I hope they do it!

Matilda the Musical

Last weekend I saw Matilda the Musical at Playhouse on the Square. I originally saw it at the Orpheum in January 2016, and fell in love!

About that performance, I said:

I was only halfway through [re-reading] the book when we went to see the play, but I liked it that way - I couldn't remember the original ending, so the play was still somewhat suspenseful. 
          [The play is] hard to review because... it's amazing. I would have gone to see it again the next night if I could have! The stage looks fantastic with all the letters and colors and blocks, and it pulls you right into Matilda's world. The actors are perfect in their roles. We saw a native Memphian play Matilda on opening night, so that was a nice perk!
          The musical differs quite a bit in that Matilda's mother has a different hobby, which doesn't add much to the story, in my opinion. Matilda also tells an ongoing story she's made up, which is overly sentimental and also doesn't add much to the story, especially since Miss Honey's backstory is explained so concisely in the book. But I am a huge Tim Minchin fan, so I appreciate how these divergent storylines help develop the musical side of the story. Tim Minchin's songs are very clever and add jokes and wit to the story.

Besides being excited to go with a group and show off my photography exhibit in the cafe lobby, I was excited to see how it was interpreted for the smaller stage at Playhouse. The set was pared down, of course, and the letters were projected with lighting instead of being hung all over the stage. One thing I love about smaller theater performances is how much they do with limited sets and space. Using the doors and blocks for multiple purposes was really creative. The actors themselves were all fantastic, and there's nothing that makes me tear up faster than young locals blowing an audience away, and having that audience cheer like crazy. (I think there were lots of family and friends in the crowd that night, but still.)

Everyone I was with really loved the musical, and as someone who saw it years ago and has listened to the soundtrack countless times since, hearing the songs performed onstage was almost like seeing a band in concert. I loved hearing the music live again!

As far as I could tell, the show was sold out, and so many local businesses and families had wanted to sponsor the show that I hope it's performed here again before too long. I think it's great that it's based on a book, of course, but it seems like several plays each season are book-based at Playhouse. I think I mostly love how there were people of all ages there, and everyone seemed totally into the story and songs. I think Dahl is a timeless author, obviously (see: Author Study), and I've enjoyed some of the movies I've seen based on his work, but I do love that he's being updated and exposed to more people by having his stories transformed into plays and musicals.

You: Books to Shows

You and Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes

I've wanted to talk to everyone about You after I binge-watched it on Netflix, but it's hard to find people who have watched it, read it, or both. A friend loaned me the book in October with the disclaimer that she, a fan of psychological thrillers, bought it based on the back cover blurb alone. I'm always excited to have books recommended to me, and I don't judge reading tastes, so I was looking forward to it... and read it in about a day.

As soon as I started reading, I realized the language is pretty brutal and it’s VERY creepy. Overall I couldn't put it down and sought out the follow-up, so what does that say about me?

It was very twisted but I think a lot of the language was over-the-top, and while it didn’t seem out of character for Joe, it could have been taken out and he would come off just as creepy and horrible. Some of the situations in the book seemed like they were there for shock value - or at least the language used to describe them was for shock value. It made me like the story a little less.

But the show polished up the story and took out a lot of the language and scenarios that seemed to be too much. They added some characters, like the little boy, and added some scenes that weren't necessary, but I won't pretend to understand what makes good TV. I'm sure they had reasons for adding in the kid and the abused neighbor and all the drama that brought in.

I think this has been one of my favorite book-to-movie adaptations, because even though I didn't like the book much, I thought the story was interesting, and that was really given room to shine on screen. The writing was what brought down the book, in my opinion, so having a chance to revise the story really made it better.

As I mentioned, I read the sequel and have heard that it will be "season two" of the show, so I'll definitely be tuning in for that!

Did you watch You? Did you read the book before, or after, or not at all? What did you think of the book compared to the show? I love dissecting things like this, so leave your thoughts in the comments!

Bird Box: Books to Movies

Everyone has something to say about Bird Box, the book, the movie, or both. So I'm going to assume that if you're reading this, you've read the book and seen the movie. If not, stop here because SPOILERS. I am going to be comparing the two, so be warned: no holds barred.