WWW Wednesday, 28-February-2018

Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived here on Taking on a World of Words. Just answer the three questions below and leave a link to your post in the comments for others to look at. No blog? No problem! Just leave a comment with your responses. Please, take some time to visit the other participants and see what others are reading. So, let’s get to it!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Note: For users of Blogspot blogs, I’m unable to comment on your posts as a WordPress blogger unless you’ve enabled Name/URL comments. This is a known WordPress/Blogspot issue. Please consider enabling this to participate more fully in the community.

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Currently reading: I’m back to reading Harry Potter y las Reliquias de la Muerte by J.K. Rowling. I bought a White Noise song to listen to on repeat so I could read this book on the airplane I’m over half way through it now! I’m not sure how long I’ll stick with it before another book interrupts but I’m being hopeful that this will be finished before summer rolls around.
Still holding with The Circle by Dave Eggers. Sad day.
Since I was on vacation for a few days, I didn’t get a chance to listen to Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire much. I have a few drives starting today that will give me some more time with it.
It’s a slow go with Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver as well but I got at least one long run in where I could listen to it. Again, being with family all the time isn’t ideal for audiobook listening so I was a bit slow here this week.
I got through a fair chunk of The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp on the plane when I finished X (see below). The narrator’s voice is really strong and I’m still adjusting to that but enjoying it all the same.

Recently finished: I finished X by Ilyasah Shabazz on the plane! It was a good read and really informative. I’m looking forward to hearing the author speak later this year. I’m sure it will be a little emotionally charged, but reading her bio, she’s a pro at these types of presentations. She’ll probably speak this summer.

No reviews this week because of my vacation. I’ve got a huge list of posts to write and I’ll be getting around to it soon, I promise! Its going to be my main focus this weekend (besides laundry).

Reading Next: Still no plans! I’ve got too much going to think about that just yet. I’m sure something will come along in a week or so and I’ll put it here then.

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Leave a comment with your link and a comment (if you’re so inclined). Take a look at the other participant links in the comments and look at what others are reading.

Have any opinions on these choices?

Until next time, write on.

You can follow me on Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. I’m available via email at SamAStevensWriter@gmail.com. And as always, feel free to leave a comment!

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On Vacation

I’m taking a few days off to enjoy my vacation!

My family is traveling to California to wish my Grandpa a happy 100th birthday! His official birthday is Monday and I’m leaving today and returning Tuesday. I’ll be back for next WWW Wednesday but until then I’ll be enjoying time with my wonderful family and doing a bit of running in the warmer weather.

Until next time, write on.

You can follow me on Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. I’m available via email at SamAStevensWriter@gmail.com. And as always, feel free to leave a comment!

WWW Wednesday, 21-February-2018

Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived here on Taking on a World of Words. Just answer the three questions below and leave a link to your post in the comments for others to look at. No blog? No problem! Just leave a comment with your responses. Please, take some time to visit the other participants and see what others are reading. So, let’s get to it!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Note: For users of Blogspot blogs, I’m unable to comment on your posts as a WordPress blogger unless you’ve enabled Name/URL comments. This is a known WordPress/Blogspot issue. Please consider enabling this to participate more fully in the community.

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Currently reading: Unfortunately, I’ve had to put Harry Potter y las Reliquias de la Muerte by J.K. Rowling on hold for a short while for a book club selection. I’m hoping I fly through it and can get back to this soon!
I have the saddest news. I lost the hold on The Circle by Dave Eggers! I went to read it at lunch yesterday and it had returned and when I went to check it out again, I couldn’t! I’m so sad that I’ll have to wait to get back to this story.
FINALLY! I’ve just started Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire this week! It’s great to get on to a new audiobook. I’m still getting into it so not much to report here. Trying to remember the first book is taking a lot of my concentration now, haha.
I also started Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver. I remember Taylor and Turtle better than I thought I would. It’s  the side characters I don’t remember well but I’m sure I’ll pick it up quickly.
I started a book club selection as well, X by Ilyasah Shabazz. This is a fictionalized account of the story of Malcolm X as written by his third daughter. Shabazz will be speaking in my area later this year (or maybe early next year) so look for quite a few more posts about this book going forward!
Because I lost the hold on The Circle, I started another ebook. This time I picked The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp. Yes, I realize that means I have six books going right now! This is a lot for me and I’m feeling more than a bit overwhelmed but I will press on!

Recently finished: I finished a book! I’m so excited to be able to say that after a long time of nothing making its way to this list. I wrapped up A Widow for One Year by John Irving. I adore Irving and this book was ‘classic Irving’ and it was great to read something of his. The last Irving book I read was very different from his normal style and topics so it feels like returning to an old friend.
I wrapped up My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante yesterday during my run. Woo! It ended a bit abruptly and I’m unsure if I want to keep reading the series and find out more about what happens to these characters. Let’s call it TBD at the moment.

No reviews this week! I’ll have ones for Irving and Ferrante soon.

Reading Next: I’m going to say I have no plans. I really hope to finish some of my six going on right now before I start worrying about what comes next. I think I have too much on my plate already, haha.

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Leave a comment with your link and a comment (if you’re so inclined). Take a look at the other participant links in the comments and look at what others are reading.

Have any opinions on these choices?

Until next time, write on.

You can follow me on Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. I’m available via email at SamAStevensWriter@gmail.com. And as always, feel free to leave a comment!

Off Topic Thursday (on a Tuesday): Knitting

I realized I’m not going to be posting on the last Thursday of this month due to a planned vacation so I’m here to do my monthly Off Topic Thursday a bit early. I want to talk about one of my favorite non-reading pastimes: knitting!

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Finished another one! I kind of improvised the pattern (taken from a wash cloth pattern!) and I’m happy with the result. My first time doing a #pickupandknit stitch for the border. #amknitting

A post shared by Sam Ann Elizabeth (@samannelizabeth) on Jan 17, 2018 at 5:32pm PST

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It’s finally done! My 2017 #weatherblanket was finished this morning. I missed one row (oops) so it’s only 364 rows. I went through two full skeins of orange and green. I loved this project and I’m already stocked to start a new one for 2018 #amknitting #weatherblanket2017

A post shared by Sam Ann Elizabeth (@samannelizabeth) on Jan 1, 2018 at 8:50am PST

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My remnant blanket is getting almost too big to photograph! Donations are always being accepted. #amknitting

A post shared by Sam Ann Elizabeth (@samannelizabeth) on Oct 16, 2017 at 4:22pm PDT

These three are a fair representation of the knitting I do. The first one, and a project many of you may know about from my monthly updates, is my obsessive baby blanket knitting! I have trouble sitting still and watching TV. If my hands aren’t busy, I’ll get fidgety which usually results in me eating something. So, to stop eating so much, I do crafts. While I latchhook and cross stitch, knitting is my biggest guilty pleasure. I decided to take those long hours spent watching Game of Thrones (the first and second times through) and put them to good use! I knit a baby blanket for every couple that invites me to their wedding for each child. I keep a stock pile of two ‘girl’ colors, two ‘boy’ colors, and two neutral colors. I send them off as soon as the couple announces the gender or I find out they’re not going to find out. My friends have given me really positive feedback and I have pictures of these babies coming home from the hospital in the blankets or wrapped in them at very young ages. It’s been really rewarding and I love doing it.

The second picture is a project I started last year and fell in love with. It’s called a weather blanket. Ideally, (unless you skip a row like me) the blanket has 365 or 366 rows, one representing each day of the year. The color of each row corresponds to the high temperatures of the day. In the one pictured, purple is cold and red is hot. I’m doing one for 2018 as well. The whole thing is shades of purple from dark to light. I don’t have any pictures of it yet (I’m a few weeks behind!) but I’m sure I’ll post to Instagram through the year so keep an eye peeled there.

The last one is my ugly project. It’s a remnant blanket, using remnants from yarn not completely used in other projects. I get remnants from friends so not all of the yarn is even mine. It’s taken on a life of its own and the blanket is no longer square and has inconsistent textures and weighted yarn. I love it. It’s been so fun to work on and I smile every time I see it. I think it’s one of those ‘only a mother could love’ situations.

I’ve knitted other things, too, but I stick mostly to blankets. I had too many scarves so I had to branch out. I’ve done winter headbands and mug coozies and I’d love to try socks or a sweater some day. I try to push myself to try a new stitch or technique each time I pick a blanket pattern so I’m always learning.

Are any of you knitters? What kind of things are you knitting? Until next time, write on.

You can follow me on Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. I’m available via email at SamAStevensWriter@gmail.com. And as always, feel free to leave a comment!

Book Club Reflection: The Paris Wife by Paula McClain

Author Paul McClain is coming to my local area to speak next month so my book club decided to read The Paris Wife in anticipating of hearing her speak. I read this book a number of years ago and I heard McClain speak a while back as well. I didn’t re-read the book and I’m not able to go to the presentation so I went to my book club more to listen than anything. I remembered not liking the book and re-read my review before going. I’m not sure if I came away with anything different from what I thought after my initial reading, but it’s always great to hear what these women and men have to say.

McClain was born in 1965 and her background is in education. She taught English and, obviously, taught Hemingway to her students. She said it was when she was revisiting A Moveable Feast that she got the idea for this novel.

There were some readers in the group who were shocked to hear Hemingway lived in Michigan! He’s so often associated with Florida and Paris that Michigan, especially rural Michigan, seems like a stretch. Horton Bay, MI is located close to Boyne and Charlevoix for anyone who knows their Michigan geography. For those who only know a Michigander’s annoying habit of pointing out locations on their hand, it’s the fingernail of the ring finger.

With so many books written about Pound, Dos Passos, Fitzgerald, and Hemingway, it was refreshing to have something written from a female perspective (Stein excluded). This group was ‘lovingly’ dubbed the Lost Generation. The survivors of World War I, even those who didn’t see battle, were a bit lost and directionless. Many lost friends and family and there was a feeling of no future and no reason to plan for it. It created a sense of carefree living that bordered on recklessness and these writers were defining the lifestyle.

Some readers, like me, felt Hadley was a little flat and a lot of things happened around her without her taking part in them. She tried to fit in with Hemingway, this wonderful younger man, and his friends by drinking and partying. She came off as a saint because she dealt with Ernest’s antics. This plays into my personal frustration with the ‘Famous Wives’ phenomenon we saw a while back (Under the Wide and Starry Sky, The Aviator’s Wife). These women are defined by the men they married. The books do not develop them enough to make the woman herself vivid and interesting to read about. To be fair, I’ve enjoyed books about Zelda Fitzgerald (Z, Call Me Zelda) because she’s her own woman and not defined by Scott. Anyway, I’ll step off this soapbox now…

Someone asked if anyone thought Hadley got pregnant on purpose. A few had suspicions and it seems somewhat plausible. She didn’t want to be alone and wanted to solidify her marriage to Ernest. Some of us were bothered by her not being involved in Bumby’s upbringing, but that was likely a product of the times. We wondered as well if their hands-off parenting was a reaction to their domineering mothers. Instead of being overly involved in their son’s life, they wanted to give him space. We also noted on how that hands-off/hands-on parenting can swing back and forth through time and after a hands-off time with Hippy culture in the 70s, we’ve moved to a very hands-on helicopter parent culture. Hm.

The same reader asked if we thought Hadley lost Ernest’s work on purpose. Her logic was thinking Hadley was jealous of Ernest and the time he spent writing and that if he didn’t have his work, he’d stay home and be near her. It was later admitted that losing his worth started the irrevocable change to their relationship. There wasn’t anyone else in our group who suspected this might have been on purpose.

Many suspected that Ernest suffered from PTSD and that others in the group may have as well. He was very sure of himself and cocky but there were moments when he was weak, crying uncontrollably and an emotional wreck. We also wondered if he had depression. With the number of suicides in his family, it’s likely it could have been a genetic condition.

The affair rubbed many of us the wrong way. There were so many affairs in their circle of friends that Ernest saw it as normal while Hadley hadn’t changed her perspective enough to see it this way. Sections of the book written in Ernest’s voice rationalized it, saying how his friends were able to do it so he should have no problem having an affair as well. What bothered a lot of us was that they were living off Hadley’s money and she should have just cut him off!

I’ve already heard McClain speak and it didn’t sway my opinion of her book much. I wonder if others in the group will have their impressions changed at all by hearing her.

Until next time, write on.

You can follow me on Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. I’m available via email at SamAStevensWriter@gmail.com. And as always, feel free to leave a comment!

Books as Movies or TV Shows: A Debate

My posts this week have really focused on books being turned into movies and TV shows. Books being made into TV shows is a more recent phenomenon that I’m getting on board with. Obviously, Game of Thrones has been wildly successful. I’m also a fan of other series such as Z and The Man in the High Castle on Amazon and I’ve heard good things about The Handmaid’s Tale and the BBC adaptations of the Cormoran Strike novels. Since the way we’re watching TV is changing, the way books are turned into a visual medium is changing, too.

Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was the first book to be turned into two movies. This was followed by Breaking Dawn and Mockingjay and I’m sure many others. It seems obvious that the reason for this was to give more of the book’s content time to come to the screen, an effort to keep more of what readers loved and turn it into more for movie-only fans to love. It doesn’t hurt that it’s a nice cash-grab for the studio as well!

TV shows are taking that even further. Instead of one of George R.R. Martin’s massive books being squeezed into one 120-minute movie or even two, we get ten episodes, 600 minutes, in the first season. Some series have had to go beyond what’s in the novel (The Man in the High Castle is a prime example) because fans are asking for more content than the book provided. Now, instead of cutting material, the problem is adding it.

Either way, we’re never going to get a page-for-page, line-for-line adaptation of a book to a movie or TV show. Someone will look different, speak differently, or be cut because books cannot realistically be turned directly into a visual scene. Some are better than others, to be sure, but none are perfect.

If I head a favorite book was going to be made visual, I’m not sure what I’d prefer. Is it better to have some things cut, maintain the main plot line, and see a movie that’s over in 120 minutes and I can pass my judgment at that time? Or should I hope for a season of 15 45-minute episodes that will add unnecessary characters and change the main plot to something that takes the main character well into season two to solve? Which is better? Is either one?

I’m personally a fan of the TV adaptations. I’m a big TV binger so I enjoy getting to see my favorite books as bite-sized-yet-bingable chunks to enjoy in my PJs while eating ice cream on my couch. (You are welcome for the visual.) I’m excited at the idea of a Lord of the Rings TV show. I hope I can stream it.

What do you prefer? Is there a ‘best’ way to see your favorite books come to life? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Until next time, write on.

You can follow me on Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. I’m available via email at SamAStevensWriter@gmail.com. And as always, feel free to leave a comment!

WWW Wednesday, 14-February-2018

Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived here on Taking on a World of Words. Just answer the three questions below and leave a link to your post in the comments for others to look at. No blog? No problem! Just leave a comment with your responses. Please, take some time to visit the other participants and see what others are reading. So, let’s get to it!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Note: For users of Blogspot blogs, I’m unable to comment on your posts as a WordPress blogger unless you’ve enabled Name/URL comments. This is a known WordPress/Blogspot issue. Please consider enabling this to participate more fully in the community.

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Currently reading: You’ll notice a pattern in this post. It’s exactly the same as last week. Yep. I’m really close to finishing A Widow for One Year by John Irving and I’m banking on finishing it by next week. I feel like there’s a lot of action still to go, but the disk count shows that I’m close to the end so we’ll see how Irving wraps this one up.
I’m almost halfway through Harry Potter y las Reliquias de la Muerte by J.K. Rowling which I see as a big accomplishment. I did a lot of reading on a snowy day that kept me indoors all day and got through about 50 pages in one day! And I didn’t have to take a nap afterward!
I’m almost halfway through My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante. The weather has made it hard to get out for my long runs which is where I make great progress on this one. Maybe the book fairies will give us a break in the weather so I can listen more? Or maybe we’ll get another 11 inches, who knows?
I’m barely making progress in The Circle by Dave Eggers. It’s going to be a long haul on this one. That’s nothing against Eggers or his book, just the nature of my ebook reading that keeps it slow and plodding. This will slowly make its way to the top of this paragraph as it sits on my ‘Currently Reading’ shelf for ages.

Recently finished: Sadly, nothing again. I don’t even have any reviews to report on. It’s just been that kind of week.

Reading Next: I’ll be getting Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire from the library this week so I can start it right away. I hope I remember enough from the first book to dive into this one without too many problems!
I also plan on starting Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver when I finish Ferrante’s book. I read the first book in this duology a few years back but I remember it pretty well. I adored that the small girl was named Turtle! I’m excited to hear more about her.

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Leave a comment with your link and a comment (if you’re so inclined). Take a look at the other participant links in the comments and look at what others are reading.

Have any opinions on these choices?

Until next time, write on.

You can follow me on Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. I’m available via email at SamAStevensWriter@gmail.com. And as always, feel free to leave a comment!

The 5 Stages of Finding Out Your Favorite Book is Becoming a Movie

I’m sure this has happened to us all at some point. You hear the amazing news that a book you LOVED is being made into a movie. This happened to me with Ready Player One and A Darker Shade of Magic I’m sure many of you experience it with Harry Potter. I feel there are some universal stages, like the stages of grief, that all readers go through upon receiving the news of a film adaptation.

Stage One: Denial
I believe my initial reaction to every movie adaptation announcement has either been, “What?!” or “No way!” Clearly, my first reaction is denial. Despite rave reviews of the book, I’m shocked someone in Hollywood agreed with me that a certain title was absolutely amazing and totally worthy of being seen by the millions of non-readers who will see the film.

Stage Two: Excitement
I believe my second reaction to finding out about each movie has been, “Heck yes!” or “I’m so pumped.” The idea of getting to see something that lives in your head on a 40-foot screen with surround-sound is an adrenaline rush waiting to happen. The satisfaction of hearing a good review of the movie from a friend who refused to read the book is the best. Being able to appreciate red herrings and see the small details that get you to the ending you know is coming makes you feel like Agatha Christie. And all of this is really going to happen because the book is being made into a movie!

Stage Three: Nervousness
But then, doubt starts to set in. What if they get rid of your favorite scene? The one that would be visually beautiful if done correctly but might blow the entire budget? What if the adorkable best friend is cast as some Hollywood hottie who is totally wrong for the character? What if the writers add a love triangle to build tension that is completely unnecessary to the amazing story that’s already been created. What if it’s nothing like the amazing book? What if the movie flops and all your friends wonder why you liked such a stupid story?

Stage Four: Anger
Why did they have to make your favorite book into a movie? There’s no way the (insert number of pages here) pages of amazing plot can be compacted into a 90-minute movie! There’s no way they’ll get Natalie Portman/Shailene Woodley/Sophie Turner to pull off the female lead and it’s impossible Leonardo DiCaprio/Chris [Pratt/Pine/Hemsworth/Evans] will get the male character’s personality right. This movie is going to be terrible! Why would your favorite author let this happen? (S)He is just chasing the next easy paycheck, you thought (s)he was better than that!

Stage Five: Acceptance
Okay, the casting is set and it’s not as bad as you thought. It’s not the director you would have picked, but (s)he has made some decent films in the past, some you even liked, and you can put your faith in him/her. Plus, the teaser trailer was way better than you expected and it looks like they didn’t completely cut your favorite scene. It’s going to be a bit different, but you’re okay with that. A movie is a different creative mind’s interpretation of something you loved. They’re not going to imagine it the same way you did.

Have you been through these stages? Any others you would add? I posted yesterday about some movie/TV adaptations I’m still excited about. We’ll see how long it takes me to accept them.

Until next time, write on.

You can follow me on Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. I’m available via email at SamAStevensWriter@gmail.com. And as always, feel free to leave a comment!

2018 Book to Screen Adaptations I’m Excited For

Each year, I get excited about seeing some books I’ve enjoyed coming to the big screen. Sometimes, I’m nervous. Other times, giddy. There are a huge number of books coming to theatres and the small screen this year. Below are the ones I’m excited for.

Love, Simon (book titled Simon vs. the Homosapien Agenda) by Becky Albertalli. I haven’t read this one yet, but I’m really excited to see what the screen does with a very well-received book. I’m hoping to do an audiobook of it quite soon.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. Oh. My. Gosh! I’ve been looking forward to this one since I finished the book, forced my husband to read it, and nerded out over the amazing storyline with him. It’s been three years and I’m finally close to seeing it on-screen!

The Girl in the Spider’s Web by David Lagercrantz. Another one I have yet to read that’s been languishing on my shelf. I loved the three books Larson wrote and I’m hoping Lagercrantz did well adapting Lisbeth and Mikael for his plots. I need to listen to or read this one soon!

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. It’s a push saying this is based on a book, but my excitement is no joke! You all know what a Potterhead I am and this is feeding my love and playing into my 1920s obsession.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer. This is one of the first books I read because I found it on Goodreads so it has a sentimental place in my heart. It was a cute story and I’m excited to see what’s done with the WWII setting.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. This will be awesome. Some of Bradbury’s ideas actually came to be. Others were a bit off base and off the wall. It will be interesting to see what the scriptwriters decided to do with the crazy world Bradbury created.

Ashes in the Snow (book titled Between Shades of Grey) by Ruta Sepetys. This is another one I haven’t read yet but have sitting on my shelf. I’ve heard amazing things about this author so I better get around to read it soon so I can enjoy the movie!

Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan. Confession time: I didn’t know this was a book first. I already watched the first episode and I’m liking it so far! I’m not sure I’ll go back and read the book, but I plan to watch the series through to the end.

C.B. Strike (based on the Cormoran Strike novels- The Cuckoo’s Calling, The Silkworm, and Career of Evil) by Robert Galbraith AKA J.K. Rowling. I’ve loved the first three books so far and I’m excited to see what the series looks like as a TV show. I hope the plots aren’t too rushed and can be spread out over a few episodes if not a season each.

The Miniaturist by Jesse Burton. This book wasn’t a favorite of mine, but I think seeing it on the TV screen and getting a visual of Amsterdam in that time period would be amazing. I’d love to see the town Nella explores and the great sugar stores Johannes has.

I guess I have a lot of watching to do! Any other movies or TV shows you all are excited for, readers? Are you waiting for any of these?

Until next time, write on.

You can follow me on Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. I’m available via email at SamAStevensWriter@gmail.com. And as always, feel free to leave a comment!

‘The Color Purple’ Movie Review

Movie Poster via Amazon

I was well aware of the movie version of this book. I’m aware of the play as well so I’ll have to keep an eye open and see if it’s being put on anywhere near me. You can read my book review of The Color Purple and I recommend the movie as well!

Things I Thought Were Awesome

Whoopi Goldberg. I didn’t know she was in this and I loved her! It seems like this might have been her first major role and I think she killed it. Celie’s a character that could easily come off as slow or unresponsive but Goldberg played her wonderfully. I got a better sense of the character from her. The young actress was incredible, too. I would have loved to see the two act together.

Harpo. I didn’t understand his characterization in the book, but the way he came across in the movie was great. He was always well-intentioned, even when he fought with Sofia but he was a bumbling idiot a lot of the time as well.

Changes That Didn’t Really Bother Me

Fewer time jumps. The book took place over a long period of time but because of aging the actresses, the movie concentrated a lot on Celie’s marriage to Mister and the year or so on either side of that and then on a time about 12-20 years later. I liked having a more set time period because I struggled knowing how much time had passed and how old children were and how long Shug had been with Mister.

Mister’s work ethic. There was a big point in the book about him being lazy and doing nothing around the house. The movie made it clear he wasn’t good in the home, but it showed him working the fields a lot and putting in the effort to earn a living. I found this a little contradictory but it wasn’t too distracting.

Cover image via Goodreads

Things That Were Taken Out and I’m Still Wondering Why

Sofia’s imprisonment. She comes back with an injured eye but it’s never really explained what happened to her or where she was. It almost seems like the injury happened when she was living with her sisters. I think her injury should have been taken out or it should have been clearer that she’d been in jail.

Mister’s redemption. He really redeemed himself by the end of the book but at the end of the movie, you were just glad he was gone. He might have been a better man when he had to be by himself, but we see him as a lonely drunk who manages to clean his porch, not a man who’s turned his life around.

Things That Changed Too Much

Not thinking Nettie was dead. To me, this was the largest emotional blow and not having it in the movie made the movie a little easier to take. It was alluded to, that there was a letter that went to Mister’s house, but we never hear that Nettie’s ship sank and she’s presumed dead. I wish that had made it in the final cut.

Shug and Celie’s relationship. This was such a big point in the book! The women share a kiss in the movie, but there’s almost nothing about Shug and Celie loving each other and how Shug running off with a younger man breaks Celie’s heart. I wish something more about that had been in because it said a lot about Shug’s character that the movie missed.

I was crying toward the end of the movie and (of course!) that’s when the maintenance guy showed up. I bet I looked silly. Reader, have you seen The Color Purple movie? What did you think?

Until next time, write on.

You can follow me on Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. I’m available via email at SamAStevensWriter@gmail.com. And as always, feel free to leave a comment!