The Heist with a Hitch

I know how much we all enjoy reading these simple, non-challenging novels that we have plenty of on our bookstore and library shelves. They are light and offer us a respite from our worries and troubles. While I have read and enjoyed many of these, I do think we deserve to be enlightened once in a while-you know, take the time to read a novel that just might shed some light on facts, ideas we seldom consider. Some of these novels may offer additonal invitations to us to question aspects of our beliefs and our spirituality. One such novel that practically called to me from the shelf, pleading "Please give me a try!" is the thoroughly enjoyable (though I do not claim it is an easy book to read) novel by Dara Horn's The World to Come. Wow. This is a book with a lot going for it! At the heart of the story is Ben, a depressed prodigy and recently divorced quiz show question writer. Attending a museum function, he comes in contact with a lovely Chagall painting that he nearly immediately steals. He also comes in contact with Erica, who seems wise to his thievery. Additonally, we have Sara, Ben's twin sister, a terrifically talented artist in her own right. At this point, you might say, this is enough for a livley novel, but, no, kind reader, that would be incorrect! We are invited to behold recent Chernobyl, Stalin's acts, Vietnam, a dandy introduction and acquaintance with Marc Chagall, a look into art and culture in nineteenth and twentieth century Russia, terrorism all woven into a wonderful tempting combo of fable-mystery-suspense-romance-historical fiction that questions and challenges the way we view the afterlife, as well as our lives on earth. At times frustrating, baffling and confounding, this novel is breathtaking. We are introduced to past, present and future in this intoxicating tale, breathtaking as it is amazing-do yourself a favor and please seek out this challenging novel.

Well, well, well, now that we are in a new year, having read, read, read while we were relaxing over the restful holiday break, I am just wondering how many of you will have suggestions about what your favorite books into movies have been. . .now that Academy Award season is upon us I am naturally curious as to how many of our favorite books and - maybe, not so-favorite-books - have been transformed into delightful, charming, wonderful or at least good movies.

Let's see . . . I have not read "Atonement"- maybe many of you have read it? The film is a visually lovely film, boasting some interesting acting and plot turmoil. However, I can't really say much else, as I did not read this particular novel by Ian McEwan. I also have not read the Upton Sinclair short novel Oil on which the fill "There will be Blood" is loosely based. However, I did see the film, which is a very moving experience-a stunning movie with its very dramatic soundtrack, boasts some remarkable acting, probably unlike anything I have seen in recent years.

Let's look back even a more than a few years at another interesting movie: "The Girl with the Pearl Earring", which was also a very enjoyable book by Tracy Chevalier. What I enjoyed so much in both is that there isn't a great deal of action, in fact, there's very little. However, this works so well with the subject, as we're invited to glimpse, study, behold Vermeer's seventeenth-century life as he becomes acquainted with a servant girl he is interested in portraying on canvas. The movie, starring Colin Firth, Scarlet Johansson, Cillian Murphy is such a deliberate, slow-moving, perhaps even lugubrious, film but it's looks so splendid-the colors, the light, the atmosphere, the interactions between characters. I really enjoyed it.

More recently, I saw the film version of the novel, The Kite Runner. While I thought it included lovely acting by the young boys as well as and especially the actor portraying the main character's father, I was rather surprised at how the filmmakers toned-down many of the explosive, political elements of the film. I recall that the novel really gave the reader an understanding of the dangers of the Taliban, representing some of its leaders as violent megalomaniacs. Much less so with the film, or, at least these portions were not dwelled upon, nor were they nearly as violent as Khaled Housseni portrayed them in his novel. Overall, while the film "The Kite Runner" was enjoyable, it also seemed somewhat "safe".

I have not read Into the Wild, nor have I seen the film. I understand there is a wide array of diverse opinion on how the story is treated in the film "version" of the non-fiction book.

I can think of two film experiences that were leaps and bound better than the books each was based upon. These would be "Forrest Gump", a thoroughly engaging movie, but a more dismal, senseless book cannot be found; "Big Fish" was also a somewhat entertaining movie, but the book was so ludicrous, lumbering and lumpy that even at a short 208 pages it seemed interminable. Ideas for others that have disappointed or surprised you??

How about the Joanne Harris' book Chocolat? A perfectly lovely film, "Chocolat" starring Juliet Binoche and Johnny Depp; one that can be seen repeatedly . . .

One pont to take into consideration: a novelist or writer has a seemingly infinite number of pages to write and we can spend hour upon hour with his/her creation. A filmmaker has a finite number of minutes to be used for his/her purpose and, therefore, some of our most favorite themes, threads, topics may be glossed over or omitted.

I am eager to find out what your choices will include! Let's hear from you. . .