A Year of Watching Books
Last night, my boys were talking about Home Alone 2 as we were going to bed, which is probably why I dreamt of being in the movie Dash and Lily, which references the Macaulay Culkin movie. In the dream, my whole family was in New York for Christmas, and we were letting an apartment in Lily’s building. We were invited to the fateful party where she met Dash, and she came to the kitchen to help us prepare some chocolatey treats to serve at the party. As we worked, I gave Lily love advice, telling her that I now found some of the movie and book romances I loved when I was young cringey, including ones that I’d written. From the kitchen, we peeked out into the living room where Dash was giving his opinion of Home Alone 2 and I said, “He’s cute, but more important, do you agree with his ideas about the movie?”
Based on the YA novel Dash & Lily's Book of Dares, Dash and Lily is just one of many book-to-film adaptations I’ve watched over the past year. It’s been hard for me to settle down and finish reading a book for most of this year given all that’s been going on, but at least I’ve been able to catch up on watching movies. It’s easier to watch a movie while doing tasks like folding laundry or supervising kids doing homework (I usually turn down the sound and read subtitles, still that kind of reading takes less concentration than reading a full page of text). Apart from Dash and Lily, many of the other movies and shows I’ve watched last year were based on books.
I finished Anne with an E early in the pandemic. While some of the divergences from the text annoyed me, I enjoyed others. I thought Gilbert’s storyline was melodramatic to the point of competing with Anne’s pathetic past, though at least he escaped being abused as she was. It did make me reflect something L.M. Montgomery herself hints at having realized in later books--that Anne had it easier than most orphans of the day. In fact, a tragic character from Anne’s House of Dreams, chides her with never having known tragedy, since she’d been neglected when young but hadn’t seen people she loved die horrifically before her eyes. Montgomery’s later orphanage denizen creations since Anne include Mary Vance, who was shunted from home to home and acts nonchalant about having been beaten. Anne being a more sensitive type is shown to deal with such abuse by retreating into her imagination, which makes sense. It’s just at odds with the romantic image of Anne of the book whiling away her lonely hours with daydreams.
I preferred additions to the Anne books rather than changes in existing characters and events. I loved Sebastian and his romance and the addition of native tribal characters which gave a more complete and rustic picture of Prince Edward Island, and liked the historical perspective on disease and medicine. I was touched by Anne’s efforts to support Gilbert in his decision to study medicine even when he was shaken by doubt, and so related with Diana’s adolescent struggles with being in love with love and choosing the direction of her education. Most of all, I loved Anne and Gilbert’s realization of their feelings of each other, developing earlier and different ways than it did in the original, but still fitting with the friends-to-lovers arc associated with them.
Another romantic movie I enjoyed was Crazy Rich Asians, though somehow, even though I really liked both Rachel and her boyfriend, I didn’t really feel kilig in watching their love story. Maybe it was tainted a little with Nick’s lack of romantic gestures early in the film. The fact that he doesn’t use his wealth to lavish his girlfriend with gifts may be commendable to practical Rachel, but seems suspect to me. Compare with a character in a similar situation, the young man of The Blue Castle , who is hiding his wealthy background from his wife, yet buys her a real pearl necklace, which she assumes is fake due to his apparent circumstances. I think I would have been more touched if Nick had made a similar gesture that shows he loves with no holds barred, rather than waiting till he’s sure of her before he splurges on an expensive ring for her, as if rewarding her for passing his tests. I’m not much for expensive presents myself, but if a guy can afford them and doesn’t at least try to give them, it seems cheap and smacks of lack of commitment. Nevertheless, Rachel and Nick are separately lovable and seem like they would make a good match. Maybe the next movie or the book will make me feel like shipping them more.
Having ordered a copy of Looking for AlaskaLooking for Alaska, I settled down while waiting for it with a movie adaptation of another John Green book: Paper Towns. Its beautiful and free-spirited Margo is incredibly similar to Alaska of the other book and the main character and his barkada are similarly quirky. There’s more of a cleverly conceived mystery here, though, and happier outcomes for the characters. It’s a good movie for the depressing days of the pandemic, engaging and feel-good with hints of romance. Its good-boy character is refreshing. He’s neither of the popular YA extremes of golden boy or rebel. He is a sweet nerd who plays it safe but while he takes risks to help and find the girl he loves, he doesn’t drop his responsibilities or forget about other people in his life afterwards. It’s a good film to watch to counteract the very similar but much more painful Looking for Alaska.
I was excited to see the new adaptation of RebeccaRebecca and thought it began pretty well. The protagonist seems more awkward and relatable here, and her imagination and artistic tendencies are emphasized. The coarseness of her employer is really brought out here, making the young companion more sympathetic. The Maxim here is more attractive than that in the Hitchcock movie, but beside the now more interesting girl, he seems to have become less so. There are a couple of sour notes in their relationship for me caused by his pointed remark on needing an heir--was that why he cast his eye on a young woman, then? Was he looking for a new partner principally for that? He is kind to her but does not seem particularly amused by her, even in the condescending manner that original Maxim was. He condescends and appears intrigued but not that charmed by her.
But then, I had difficulty as an adolescent finding their relationship romantic, and now I realize it probably wasn’t meant to be so, which is why the new movie ending emphasizing romance seems contrived. It was in fact a little creepy in making it seem the young wife was turning into a Rebecca! The protagonist of the book didn’t have a particularly happy ending, except maybe for realizing her honest, simple worth (for what it’s worth) was greater than false, manipulative Rebecca’s. I’m not romantic enough to find being the one good thing in a sad, tortured man’s life romantic. Some consolation for sharing someone’s sad, tortured life. I think most women these days would agree, and so it’s absurd to force a beautiful spin on the ending. The best conceivable ending for Rebecca is relief at having gotten away with, well, murder. You’d need a whole other book to make it believable that they can have an actual happy life after that (not Susan Hill’s, though). I also found the weird dream sequences in the book overdone and Mrs. Danvers’ scenes too rushed. But the movie was visually beautiful, especially the full-color Manderley, and having seen all that tasteful opulence makes me feel the tragedy of its destruction all the more.
I watched Dahling Nick and was delighted to see one of my favorite stories, "May Day Eve" brought to life. The depiction was true to the text, but I’ve always wished for a version that filled in more of the gaps in the lovers’ courtship and married life. I’ve always felt uneasy reading the last segment of the story, being compelled to be sympathetic to Badoy while knowing that he had made Agueda’s life unhappy though I realize part of his tragedy is his inability to realize his domineering behavior towards his spirited wife was wrong. He adhered to the conventions of society even if it resulted in him destroying what he loved best in her. It’s an incredibly beautiful and perceptive story, and while it’s right not to meddle with it, and certainly not like in Rebecca in a way that would insist its central couple had a truly romantic life together, it wouldn’t hurt to draw out more from the story in adaptations.
I also checked out some snippets from the TV series of my daughter’s and my favorite Roman Mysteries and found the cast delightful. I still prefer reading the books, though, to pick up more historical knowledge.
And there was Little Women. I finally finished watching all the existing feature-length film versions, but I expect a comparison of them will take a whole other blog post so more on thatin the future.
Dash and Lily was the series I ended the year with, and a delightful one it was. Dash and Lily are a great pair to hang out with, with their creativity and wit. I hope to see the next installments of their series on Christmases to come, and read the books as well. Reading unfortunately takes more time and concentration than watching, and it’s hard to come by those these days with all the distracting tasks and issues. So it’s a good thing there are some really good literary film adaptations out there.
Based on the YA novel Dash & Lily's Book of Dares, Dash and Lily is just one of many book-to-film adaptations I’ve watched over the past year. It’s been hard for me to settle down and finish reading a book for most of this year given all that’s been going on, but at least I’ve been able to catch up on watching movies. It’s easier to watch a movie while doing tasks like folding laundry or supervising kids doing homework (I usually turn down the sound and read subtitles, still that kind of reading takes less concentration than reading a full page of text). Apart from Dash and Lily, many of the other movies and shows I’ve watched last year were based on books.
I finished Anne with an E early in the pandemic. While some of the divergences from the text annoyed me, I enjoyed others. I thought Gilbert’s storyline was melodramatic to the point of competing with Anne’s pathetic past, though at least he escaped being abused as she was. It did make me reflect something L.M. Montgomery herself hints at having realized in later books--that Anne had it easier than most orphans of the day. In fact, a tragic character from Anne’s House of Dreams, chides her with never having known tragedy, since she’d been neglected when young but hadn’t seen people she loved die horrifically before her eyes. Montgomery’s later orphanage denizen creations since Anne include Mary Vance, who was shunted from home to home and acts nonchalant about having been beaten. Anne being a more sensitive type is shown to deal with such abuse by retreating into her imagination, which makes sense. It’s just at odds with the romantic image of Anne of the book whiling away her lonely hours with daydreams.
I preferred additions to the Anne books rather than changes in existing characters and events. I loved Sebastian and his romance and the addition of native tribal characters which gave a more complete and rustic picture of Prince Edward Island, and liked the historical perspective on disease and medicine. I was touched by Anne’s efforts to support Gilbert in his decision to study medicine even when he was shaken by doubt, and so related with Diana’s adolescent struggles with being in love with love and choosing the direction of her education. Most of all, I loved Anne and Gilbert’s realization of their feelings of each other, developing earlier and different ways than it did in the original, but still fitting with the friends-to-lovers arc associated with them.
Another romantic movie I enjoyed was Crazy Rich Asians, though somehow, even though I really liked both Rachel and her boyfriend, I didn’t really feel kilig in watching their love story. Maybe it was tainted a little with Nick’s lack of romantic gestures early in the film. The fact that he doesn’t use his wealth to lavish his girlfriend with gifts may be commendable to practical Rachel, but seems suspect to me. Compare with a character in a similar situation, the young man of The Blue Castle , who is hiding his wealthy background from his wife, yet buys her a real pearl necklace, which she assumes is fake due to his apparent circumstances. I think I would have been more touched if Nick had made a similar gesture that shows he loves with no holds barred, rather than waiting till he’s sure of her before he splurges on an expensive ring for her, as if rewarding her for passing his tests. I’m not much for expensive presents myself, but if a guy can afford them and doesn’t at least try to give them, it seems cheap and smacks of lack of commitment. Nevertheless, Rachel and Nick are separately lovable and seem like they would make a good match. Maybe the next movie or the book will make me feel like shipping them more.
Having ordered a copy of Looking for AlaskaLooking for Alaska, I settled down while waiting for it with a movie adaptation of another John Green book: Paper Towns. Its beautiful and free-spirited Margo is incredibly similar to Alaska of the other book and the main character and his barkada are similarly quirky. There’s more of a cleverly conceived mystery here, though, and happier outcomes for the characters. It’s a good movie for the depressing days of the pandemic, engaging and feel-good with hints of romance. Its good-boy character is refreshing. He’s neither of the popular YA extremes of golden boy or rebel. He is a sweet nerd who plays it safe but while he takes risks to help and find the girl he loves, he doesn’t drop his responsibilities or forget about other people in his life afterwards. It’s a good film to watch to counteract the very similar but much more painful Looking for Alaska.
I was excited to see the new adaptation of RebeccaRebecca and thought it began pretty well. The protagonist seems more awkward and relatable here, and her imagination and artistic tendencies are emphasized. The coarseness of her employer is really brought out here, making the young companion more sympathetic. The Maxim here is more attractive than that in the Hitchcock movie, but beside the now more interesting girl, he seems to have become less so. There are a couple of sour notes in their relationship for me caused by his pointed remark on needing an heir--was that why he cast his eye on a young woman, then? Was he looking for a new partner principally for that? He is kind to her but does not seem particularly amused by her, even in the condescending manner that original Maxim was. He condescends and appears intrigued but not that charmed by her.
But then, I had difficulty as an adolescent finding their relationship romantic, and now I realize it probably wasn’t meant to be so, which is why the new movie ending emphasizing romance seems contrived. It was in fact a little creepy in making it seem the young wife was turning into a Rebecca! The protagonist of the book didn’t have a particularly happy ending, except maybe for realizing her honest, simple worth (for what it’s worth) was greater than false, manipulative Rebecca’s. I’m not romantic enough to find being the one good thing in a sad, tortured man’s life romantic. Some consolation for sharing someone’s sad, tortured life. I think most women these days would agree, and so it’s absurd to force a beautiful spin on the ending. The best conceivable ending for Rebecca is relief at having gotten away with, well, murder. You’d need a whole other book to make it believable that they can have an actual happy life after that (not Susan Hill’s, though). I also found the weird dream sequences in the book overdone and Mrs. Danvers’ scenes too rushed. But the movie was visually beautiful, especially the full-color Manderley, and having seen all that tasteful opulence makes me feel the tragedy of its destruction all the more.
I watched Dahling Nick and was delighted to see one of my favorite stories, "May Day Eve" brought to life. The depiction was true to the text, but I’ve always wished for a version that filled in more of the gaps in the lovers’ courtship and married life. I’ve always felt uneasy reading the last segment of the story, being compelled to be sympathetic to Badoy while knowing that he had made Agueda’s life unhappy though I realize part of his tragedy is his inability to realize his domineering behavior towards his spirited wife was wrong. He adhered to the conventions of society even if it resulted in him destroying what he loved best in her. It’s an incredibly beautiful and perceptive story, and while it’s right not to meddle with it, and certainly not like in Rebecca in a way that would insist its central couple had a truly romantic life together, it wouldn’t hurt to draw out more from the story in adaptations.
I also checked out some snippets from the TV series of my daughter’s and my favorite Roman Mysteries and found the cast delightful. I still prefer reading the books, though, to pick up more historical knowledge.
And there was Little Women. I finally finished watching all the existing feature-length film versions, but I expect a comparison of them will take a whole other blog post so more on thatin the future.
Dash and Lily was the series I ended the year with, and a delightful one it was. Dash and Lily are a great pair to hang out with, with their creativity and wit. I hope to see the next installments of their series on Christmases to come, and read the books as well. Reading unfortunately takes more time and concentration than watching, and it’s hard to come by those these days with all the distracting tasks and issues. So it’s a good thing there are some really good literary film adaptations out there.
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