We are coming to the end of awards season for film and television, which has me thinking about some of the best (and worst) stories to come to the screen. This week I'm sharing a 4-3-2 review (I may have just made this up, but I like it!):

4 Book-to-Screen Adaptations I am Excited to Watch 🍿

A River Runs Through it by Norman Mclean- an absolutely beautiful retelling of this book with stunning cinematography.
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck- incredible performances by Gary Sinise and John Malkovich make this a must-see heartbreaker.
The Color Purple by Alice Walker- a powerful adaptation of this classic, bold, breathtaking novel.

I am unreasonably angry about how these movies completely botched two of my favorite books.

The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy- My theory is that Barbara Streisand decided to focus only on the love story in this book because she directed and stared in the movie. The love story between Lowenstein and Tom is NOT the point of this incredibly beautiful, tragic, sweeping saga. As I read on Goodreads, it is “a thunderstorm of a novel” about family, trauma, and fighting for the land you call home. I'm mad at you, Babs.

Simon Birch, the film adaptation of A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving- Don't even get me started on this one. It's like comparing apples and oranges. Or, more accurately, comparing crisp, autumnal, freshly picked apples with spoiled, worm-infested oranges. A Prayer for Owen Meany is in my top 3 books of all time. It is an astonishingly brilliant and moving novel, and this movie was a disgraceful imitation.

There, I've said my piece.

What about you? What book-to-screen adaptations are you excited to watch? Which ones have you loved? Which ones have you hated?

I'd love to know!