Friant’s Video Friday: Book to Film Adaption Comparison of The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
Kim is back with her thoughts on the book and film comparison of The Reader by Bernhard Schlink.
The Reader
Author: Bernhard Schlink
Published: June 26, 1997
216 Pages
Book Description:
Hailed for its coiled eroticism and the moral claims it makes upon the reader, this mesmerizing novel is a story of love and secrets, horror and compassion, unfolding against the haunted landscape of postwar Germany.
When he falls ill on his way home from school, fifteen-year-old Michael Berg is rescued by Hanna, a woman twice his age. In time she becomes his lover—then she inexplicably disappears. When Michael next sees her, he is a young law student, and she is on trial for a hideous crime. As he watches her refuse to defend her innocence, Michael gradually realizes that Hanna may be guarding a secret she considers more shameful than murder.
Kim’s Book to Film Adaptation Comparison:
Purchase Links:
Novel
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Film
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Book Review: The Therapist by B.A. Paris
The Therapist
Author: B.A. Paris
Published: July 13, 2021
Audiobook
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: August 25 -31, 2021
Jessica’s Rating: 2 stars
Book Description:
When Alice and Leo move into a newly renovated house in The Circle, a gated community of exclusive houses, it is everything they’ve dreamed of. But appearances can be deceptive…
As Alice is getting to know her neighbours, she discovers a devastating secret about her new home, and begins to feel a strong connection with Nina, the therapist who lived there before.
Alice becomes obsessed with trying to piece together what happened two years before. But no one wants to talk about it. Her neighbors are keeping secrets and things are not as perfect as they seem…
Jessica’s Review:
**Minor spoilers**
I am a B.A. Paris fan and have really enjoyed all her other books, until The Therapist. This one was just lackluster as it moved very slowly for me. I also did not connect with Alice and she just seemed too caught up in trying to figure out what really happened to the former resident Nina, who was murdered in the apartment. Once Alice found out about Nina’s murder after moving in, she stayed?!?!?! Leo didn’t bother to tell her when he bought the house!?!?! WHAT!?!?!? Yeah, they totally don’t have a good relationship.
Maybe it was that I listened to the audiobook on this one and have actually read the others. Sometimes audiobooks are hit or miss. I just had no feeling of suspense listening to The Therapist and by the time we got to the ending I wasn’t shocked or really cared with this one.
Since I have enjoyed all of her other novels, I will continue to read anything else she writes. I highly recommend her first novel: Behind Closed Doors. Read that one!
Purchase Links
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Book Review: The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
The Handmaid’s Tale
Series: The Handmaid’s Tale #1
Author: Margaret Atwood
First Published: 1985
314 Pages
Reviewed By: Kim
Kim’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining births, Offred and the other Handmaids are valued only if their ovaries are viable. Offred can remember the years before, when she lived and made love with her husband, Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now . . .
Funny, unexpected, horrifying, and altogether convincing, The Handmaid’s Tale is at once scathing satire, dire warning, and tour de force.
Kim’s Review:
What an intense read! Like Orwell and Bradbury, Atwood is great with the cautionary tales! It does take a little while to get going and figure out what is happening, but then it takes off! I realize that as a woman, my perspective is going to be different. Listening to Offred comparing her life in Gilead to her life during the Anarchy, I was terrified. Leaving abortion out of it (I’m not going to start a political fight, we all love each other too much to do that), all the rights and freedoms pulled from women are the kinds of things that we’re even seeing today for everyone! Thankfully, it hasn’t gotten nearly as far as Gilead, but like I said, Atwood is all about a cautionary tale. Is it as good as 1984 or Fahrenheit 451? I won’t say that. I’ll also say that maybe it could have used a little more action. However, it’s and engaging and scary read and I think the majority of Americans should read it!
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
