The Book Thief book vs film

With a book as beloved as Markus Zusak's The Book Thief, an adaptation was always going to be a challenge. The story, narrated by death himself, follows a young girl as she arrives in a small town in Germany to live with her new foster parents – as WW2 looms.

The casting, first of all, is sublime, with Geoffrey Rush in particular on hand to warm and break your heart in equal measure. Hans is an adorable, loving father to Liesel but he is also incredibly brave and compassionate - traits which often lead him into trouble. Rush personifies this duality flawlessly, showing both the softer and more courageous elements to the character. Emily Watson does a brilliant job of showing the really harsh side to mother Rosa along with the caring, big-hearted side not everyone gets to see. She shouts and scowls a lot but there is love there too.

Young Sophie Nélisse shines as Liesel, showing the maturity the role requires, much like Liesel herself. You feel her pain and her joy and her struggle to stay close to people when she has been abandoned by those she holds dearest in the world. Nélisse captures this maturity alongside the innocence of youth and the desperation for human connection – all traits which make Liesel such a compelling character.
 

Though the story is undoubtedly Liesel’s, there is time to look further afield, at Kristallnacht, the climate of fear and supremacy, and the propaganda. Knowing the extent of the atrocities of the Holocaust only makes these scenes all the more tragic and real and there is something so horrifying about seeing it through the eyes not just of Liesel but of her school friends. While some struggle to come to terms with the society in which they live, hiding their true feelings for fear of inviting danger, others relish it and become genuinely terrifying. Perhaps to cope with the 12A certificate, much of the horror itself is left out, with the concentration camps ignored and not much seen of the Jews being marched through the town. The film largely hides away from the atrocities of war, only facing it when it lands on its doorstep – much like the characters themselves.

The overwhelming theme of words and their power is there in the film much like it is in the book, from Liesel’s struggle to learn to read to Max’s thoughts on books and writing. Words are everywhere, from the books Liesel reads with her papa, to the speeches made at rallies. They are powerful and important and hard to ignore. Words are life, Liesel, after all.

The biggest difference between book and film seems to be the general order of things. What is explained early on in the book is left to shock you later in the film. Though much of the story is cut to fit into the film's running time, some elements of it are developed further in the film, leaving certain revelations more obvious for viewers - the relationships between Liesel and Rudy, and Liesel and Ilsa, especially. The cuts, overall, make sense, but the additions add little. There is a sense that things are being spelled out for viewers rather than having things left to find out on their own. One scene in particular simply was not necessary. There was the feeling that it was trying to force the audience to cry – which is ridiculous for a film which already has such emotional subject matter.

The real challenge here was to convert the tone of the novel onto the big screen, to make it joyous, heartbreaking and beautiful all at the same time. Overall, The Book Thief film manages to capture the heartache and humour of the Zusak novel but loses much of the magic and poetic beauty of the original. The narration, the part of the book which gave The Book Thief its magic, is only really there for the opening and closing sequences of the film. Without it, the film lacks that magic that the book manages. It’s possible that the film makers realised they would not be able to match the original in this aspect and so opted to make the focus more on Liesel's story. To be honest, I'm not sure any voice could have made the narrator work as well as it did in the book. Not even Morgan Freeman!

When viewed as an adaptation, there are holes. The overall lack of narration and absence of the beautiful images from the book are sorely missed. However, as a standalone film, it is truly beautiful to watch with a breathtaking cast and stunning shots throughout. Heaven Street really does come to life on the big screen.

I only wonder how much of the emotion I felt was thanks to the film and not thanks to the memories of the book the film triggered.

Film – 3.5/5
Book – 5/5

Did the adaptation work for you? Share your thoughts on either the book or film on Twitter using #bookvsfilmclub and join the debate.

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit film review

Light years away from his comedic action hero in This Means War (2012), Chris Pine takes on the dramatic role of Jack Ryan in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit as he tries to stop Russia attacking the US and causing total economic meltdown in the process. With his girlfriend Cathy (Keira Knightley) back home suspecting him of having an affair and clearly getting tired of his elusive nature, Jack flies off to Moscow to investigate the origins of the attack.

Soon after he lands, all hell breaks loose and he finds his analyst desk job quickly moving into something more operational. And that's all before his girlfriend shows up to surprise him and becomes part of their attempt to find out what Viktor Cherevin (Kenneth Branagh) is up to. With Kevin Costner as his mentor and Knightley at his side, Pine certainly rises to the challenge of action hero, more Jason Bourne than John McClane. The car chases and fight sequences are impressive and great fun to watch. Though trained as a marine, Jack Ryan is new at espionage. He has the skills to protect himself but manages to include that element of just ‘winging it’ a lot of the time too – something which makes his character that much more endearing.

Despite all the against-type accents (Knightley as an American and Branagh as a Russian), the film is rooted in the action, the script and the characters. As a result, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit manages to be an explosive action film with an exciting plot. Being reminded of the 9/11 attacks is a little too much realism for me in a film like this but there are enough car chases to remind you that it really is just well-made fiction.

Film - 4/5 FOBLES

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is released in cinemas on Friday 24th January 2014

Book Review: Sworn Secret by Amanda Jennings

It's hard to write a book about death without making readers feel completely depressed and not want to carry on reading - yet somehow Amanda Jennings has managed it with her novel Sworn Secret.

Teenager Anna dies in a tragic accident and her sister, mother and father all deal with her death in very different ways. Jennings explores each of them by switching between perspectives to show the full extent of the family's despair. In doing so, she perfectly captures the teenage angst of Lizzie, all-consuming loss felt by their mother Kate and the many ways dad Jon is just trying to keep everything together.

By adding in the element of mystery, there is a driving force behind the story that makes readers want to continue on even when things get really emotional. And emotional the story does become. It is hard-going at the beginning but necessary. In order to fully appreciate the events that follow, the reader needs to see the extent of the family's loss and how each of them are trying to cope with it in their own way.

Once the mystery element is added, though, and young Lizzie starts to experience her first love, the pain and beauty of family bonds becomes that much more important. There is still something missing in the events of Anna's death and her family cannot really deal with her loss until they know what really happened. In the process, of course, they are destroying each other and Lizzie is being ignored in the process. By the time they realise how badly they need each other, will the damage have already been done?

A heartbreakingly real story that is full of emotion with despair and love in the extremes.

4/5 FOBLES

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug film review

I was one of the minority it seems in that I thoroughly enjoyed the first Hobbit film. It built at a great pace and was a fun, action-packed adventure. For The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, however, the careful pacing of the first film seems to have gone out the Hobbiton window, leaving behind a film that is, in parts, jaw-droppingly spectacular (seriously, my jaw actually dropped!) and in others, mind-numbingly dull.

As the film begins, a darkness is spreading over Middle Earth. Gandalf (Ian McKellen) is getting concerned and implores Bilbo (Martin Freeman) and the dwarves (led by Richard Armitage) to hurry along with their quest before their window of opportunity closes. Thorin (Armitage) starts getting more ruthless the closer he gets to reclaiming the wealth and home of his people and Bilbo begins to use the ring, which starts to reveal a little more of the power it holds over him.

There is plenty of action – between all the walking and running – including a hilarious sequence involving barrels. On their journey, the group runs into many scary creatures, including an animal who can shapeshift, many dreaded orcs and plenty of ill-tempered elves. Legolas (Orlando Bloom) makes an appearance and scowls his way through every scene he's in. Fortunately, many of these scenes take place alongside Evangeline Lily's newly-created Tauriel, who becomes a welcome breath of fresh air, bringing a spark, ferocity and heart to an otherwise dull group of male characters. The film boasts an impressive cast list but sadly most of the characters which are intending to be menacing or strike fear in the viewers are laughable and have no depth. You would think with all that time to develop their characters, a bit more attention could have been paid.

That said, one character who is anything but dull is Bilbo himself. Thanks to Freeman, Bilbo manages to bring courage, inner turmoil over his precious ring and humour to the role. Many of the laugh out loud moments are thanks to him and his mannerisms and when he finally meets the dragon, Smaug (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch), he – like the dragon himself – truly shines. Smaug's arrival is undoubtedly the best part of the whole film. I'd say he is worth the wait but even that might be pushing it. Both the special effects used to bring Smaug to life and the incredible vocal talents of Cumberbatch make for one of the most incredible, breath-taking creatures ever seen on screen, from the moment his eye is first visible to that when he reveals his full size and power.

The real issue with the film is that the really good parts of it are far too sparse and by the time they arrive, you've barely got enough motivation to keep paying attention. The group spends so long walking and talking that every time a literal or figurative roadblock is put before them, you figure out a way out long before they do. It quickly becomes easy not to care and when Smaug finally appears, you may find yourself willing him on instead.

It is really such a shame that this brilliant story has been dragged out over three films. Though this second of the trilogy offered a few moments of spectacular, the rest just felt like filler. The end result is overly long and self-indulgent.

Film - 2.5 FOBLES

Book Review: Joyland by Stephen King

Is there anything Stephen King can't do? Apparently not. 

For his latest novel, Joyland, King has turned his incomporable writing style to a piece of pulp fiction which follows a young man as he recovers from his break-up, by working at an amusement park. 

As is always the case with King's stories, each and every character - no matter how small - is so intricately woven that you care about each relationship, each event.

Joyland is more of a coming-of-age tale than anything else for the most part but throw in a haunted ride legend and a mystery woman with a sick kid and you have every ingredient for a great King tale.

Joyland is endearing, adorable, frightening and it really is a joyous read.

4 FOBLES

Book Review: World War Z by Max Brooks

World War Z by Max Brooks is more of a sociological report than a novel, beginning with the origins of the undead outbreak and taking the reader on a journey across countries as each society deals with the threat in their own way. As people join forces or cut their losses, Brooks uses the very unhuman undead to explore the human psyche, the need for survival and the lengths people will go to out of fear and desperation. After all, you may be able to avoid being bitten by a zombie, but will you manage to stay warm, find food and continue living?

Every few pages, the interviewer (who is never revealed - though I suspect may have led to the Brad Pitt character in the film adaptation) moves on to a new subject in an apparently never-ending attempt to understand what happened and how it all began. Some stories are very personal about average people surviving against all odds while others look at military personnel and officials. But each story is unique and compelling in their own right. My personal favourite involves a blind man who survived in the forest by himself!

The detail of the zombies is beautifully captured, too, as it is done through the eyes of so many different interviewees.

The interview style and the fact that the stories are broken up so regularly makes the novel something of a difficult read but it is easy to keep picking it back up and delving further into the story of a planet in crisis.
Book - 4.5 FOBLES - fascinating and beautifully crafted

Having not seen the film I am in no position to compare the two but from what I've been told, the film is massively different. Have you seen it? What did you think?

Theatre Review: The Hothouse with Harold Pinter panel discussion

Guardian theatre critic and Harold Pinter biographer Michael Billington joined actresses Gina McKee and Lia Williams, writer Nick Payne and theatre director Jamie Lloyd for a special panel discussion of the playwright's work last week, ahead of the production of his play The Hothouse which stars John Simm, Simon Russell Beale and Harry Melling.

The panel discussed the influence of Pinter as a playwright, from the Pinter pause and the real meaning behind what is not said to the importance of timing in his dialogue. Pinter, they said, was revolutionary in the world of theatre and was amongst the first group of playwrights to provide works with ambiguous endings, where audiences could interpret the play the way they wanted to. Every line and every gesture, according to the panel, had significance.


Harry Melling (Lamb) - The Hothouse
Photo Credit Johan Persson

The Hothouse follows the staff of a mental health facility as Christmas Day brings the news of both a birth and a death amongst their patients. Chaos ensues as the chief, Roote, starts to panic about the implications of such events taking place under his roof.

The play moves at breakneck speed with the dialogue delivered as quickly as a Wimbledon tennis match - flying from one actor to the next and back again. The performances are often manic, adding to the hilarity but, though it is hilarious throughout and provides numerous belly laughs, the play is incredibly dark. The patients are never actually seen but hearing the way the staff talk about them is horrifying. They refer to them in numbers and look at them as an imposition and inconvenience. The news that one of the patients has given birth means that one of the staff has been having sexual relations with her but this reveal is met more with indignation at the extra work the birth has created rather than horror at the relationship itself. The most horrifying scenes are that of Lamb (played by Melling) undergoing electric shock treatment. His performance is so vivid that the result is immensely unsettling. 

For the most part, The Hothouse follows a steady rhythm but it leaps, rather unexpectedly, into one of the more shocking and unresolved endings for which Pinter is now so well known.

A clever, insightful but slightly disjointed work.

4/5 FOBLES

The Hothouse runs until August 3rd at Trafalgar Transformed.

Cloud Atlas: Book vs Film

Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell's sweeping epic tale of six paths connecting over time and space does not leap off the pages as the easiest book to adapt for the big screen. However, Tom Tykwer and Andy and Lana Wachowski didn't let a little thing like complexity stop them adapting it onto the big screen.

The book was one of the most challenging novels I have ever read but man, was I proud when I reached the end of it. The book spans our past, present and future with six different storylines that are connected in some way as each person's soul continues to move through time. One man writes a diary that is read by another, one composes music that is listened to by another....

What made the book such an impressive piece of literature, though, is not just the complexity of weaving six storylines together as one. What Mitchell has managed to achieve with this book is nothing short of miraculous. He uses different styles for each - letters, diary entries, transcribed interviews - and alters the language to suit the era. His intricate prose is simply stunning to behold. It is all about the language he uses but thanks to his insane skill as a writer, the story becomes so much more than the words on the pages.

To adapt this 2004 Man Booker prize-winning book onto the big screen then, presents no end of problems. How do you cater for the sheer number of characters required? How do you compress all the intricacies of such a complex plot into just one film? How do you convey the subtleties of the customs and linguistics of the book in something as overt as a film?

Well first of all, the stellar cast enlisted for the film each played a different role in each of the six storylines, showing the connection between them all the more overtly. The layout has been altered too. While the book stuck with one story, moved onto the next and then worked its way back, the film jumps between them all continuously. This, once again, serves to reinforce the inate connection between everyone.

What the film manages to capture is sublime. With an incredible cast, perfect direction, six different worlds that are entirely immersive and plenty of action, drama, romance and intrigue, the film manages to remain compelling irrespective of its length.

Somehow, though the beautiful language and prose used in the book isn't exactly conveyed onto the big screen, the book adds as an aid. The pair work well as just that - a pair. Understanding the basic concepts of the book beforehand makes it that much easier to follow how each story is linked in the film. If you went into the film knowing nothing, it would probably be a jarring experience that would leave most viewers baffled. It is hard to enjoy something, after all, that just flies over your head. That said, it isn't essential to read the book before seeing the film. A lot is explained and a little research beforehand will suffice.

When I first read the book a couple of years ago, I only gave it 3/5. Yet now, having seen the film and given more thought to the story and what Mitchell achieved, I can appreciate it for what it is. Both book and film are challenging, require constant focus and attention and are certainly not easy to follow but if you have the time and patience, they are both thought-provoking and stunning to behold.

Book and film - 5/5 FOBLES

Book Review: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

Every now and then a book comes along that is so delicious it warms you like a heated fruit pie in the middle of winter. It stays with you even when you're not reading it because the characters are so vivid and real and welcoming, they have a lingering effect. The mouthful that is The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is one such book. 

Written entirely in letter form, the book is set soon after the end of World War Two as one author happens to begin correspondence with a man on the isle of Guernsey and starts to learn about the hilariously named literary society to which he belongs. As their correspondence continues, Julie begins to question her new pen pal about the origins of the club. As her investigations deepen, she begins to learn about all the members and just what happened to them during the war - when they were forced to live under Nazi occupation and cut off from the rest of the country.

To tell you more of the story would not be fair as each new discovery Julie (and, in turn, the reader) makes is what makes the book such a pleasure to read. It is a touching and incredibly beautiful story, with the unique prose of each person's letters adding such an insight into their character that they leap off the pages. Readers will no doubt fall completely in love with each of them, just as Julie does and finish the book wanting to go to one of their society meetings.

5 FOBLES - a gorgeous, touching and entirely immersive delight

A film adaptation is in the works but casting issues have been delaying progress beyond that of Kate Winslet as Julie and Kenneth Branagh directing. Having read the book, I can now see why finding just the right cast for this brilliant ensemble piece is so important. Fingers crossed they do it justice! It certainly is a promising start...
 

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Book Review: Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

R is a zombie. He hangs out in an abandoned airport with other zombies and, other than the occasional attack on the living so they can feast on their brains, doesn't really do much. he doesn't remember his former life, or even his own name... but he thinks it begins with an R. Along with his fellow zombies, R has no desires, no real passions or feelings - save the compulsion to eat. So when they encounter a bunch of the living and start to devour them, R is taken aback by the need not to eat but to save one of them. 

When the zombies eat brains in this dystopian future, they get a glimpse into the mind of that person. It is this 'transference' of sorts that sees R affected by a strong connection with the young man he is devouring. In a flash, he sees the world as Perry saw it and - for the first time in this new zombie 'life' of his - begins to feel, to think, to see. What he sees first and foremost is Julie - Perry's former girlfriend. As soon as he sees her cowering in the corner amongst all the bloodshed, his only compulsion is to protect her and therein begins this captivating zom-rom-com.

Warm Bodies is a darkly comic take on the zombie apocalypse genre with two incredible central leads - both damaged, both looking to the other to improve themselves. R's inner voice - conflicting and collaborating with that of Perry - is intoxicating and for a book that relies heavily on narrative rather than dialogue, this is essential. It is, rather brilliantly, his story not hers. R has the opening and it is with him that the reader first connects. Warm Bodies is about what happens when this zombie meets a girl - not the other way around.

Though the clever wit and humour work superbly here, this is not a laugh riot. Serious questions are raised about the uncertain future of the human race and how something so overpowering as this can affect people's priorities and beliefs. The characters are able or unable to forgive, thanks to the new world they find themselves in. Many simply strive to stay alive, while others question the meaning of their prolonged existence and some give up hope altogether.

On each page, there is something new and exciting to discover just as R finds himself changing the more time he spends with Julie. The brave original twist Marion has taken on this age-old apocalyptic/zombie genre is a revelation. It manages to be serious and thought-provoking but hilarious, romantic and gorgeous - with brain eating for good measure.

4.5/5 FOBLES

The film adaptation of Warm Bodies, which stars Nicholas Hoult, is out in cinemas in February. It is directed by Jonathan Levine (50/50) and also stars Teresa Palmer and John Malkovich.

Book Review: Yours Truly by Kirsty Greenwood

There comes a time in every reviewer's career when someone they know and love publishes a book. Do you dare read it? What if it's awful? Usually, I have no qualms giving low ratings to books when I think they're horrendous (just check out my Danielle Steel review if you don't believe me!) When it's somebody you know, though, it's harder to be mean, to be honest - that is unless the book is so brilliant all you have to do in your review is lavish it with praise! This, fortunately, is what happened when I decided to download Yours Truly by Kirsty Greenwood, the ever-fearless leader of the Novelicious team. Believe me, if I'd hated it, I would have kept shtum, not told her I downloaded it and just not done a review. Because who wants to be mean to a friend like that? So Kirsty, thank you for writing a book I can proudly share with fellow book-lovers!

Natalie Butterworth (best name ever!) is nice, a people-pleaser who avoids confrontation like the plague. She is looking forward to settling down with dream-man Olly after their impending wedding. Her mum and sister are excitedly 'helping' organise the wedding, arranging everything - even the dress. Though Natalie hates the dress, she wouldn't dream of taking the joy that comes with organising her own daughter's wedding away from her mother. After all, the wedding isn't just about her, and she doesn't want to seem ungrateful.

Natalie is horrified then when, after a night out with best friend Meg, she realises that she's been inadvertently hypnotised to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth whenever somebody asks her a question. When does she realise this? When her fiancé turns to her in bed and asks her "How was that for you?"

Natalie's adventure gets underway when she starts her search for the elusive Amazing Brian to get him to un-hypnotise her before anything can ruin the wedding (as if telling her fiancé he's bad in the sack didn't already do that!). It is an adventure that will take her to the quaint village of Little Trooley, where she meets the rather gorgeous Riley, owner of The Little Whimsey pub, and a whole host of brilliant village characters.

Yours Truly by Kirsty Greenwood is a fun, hilarious adventure that will have you laughing - rather embarrassingly - in public on numerous occasions. Natalie is a great central character and seeing her get in touch with her own hidden honesty is endearing, awkward and brilliantly funny.

5 FOBLES

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen: Book vs Film

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is the story of an extremely wealthy Sheikh who enjoys Salmon fishing in his Scottish home so much, he wants to introduce the sport back home in the Yemen. So Harriet, a woman who works for the company that look after his many estates, enlists the help of fisheries expert Dr. Alfred Jones to plan the project and make it work.

But Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is not really about Salmon, more the journey each of the characters takes during the whole process. Harriet is a strong woman, persuading Dr Jones to come on board with the project against his better judgement. However, she's also incredibly fragile as she writes letters to her fiance Robert while he is away at war. Dr Jones is in a practical and altogether loveless marriage, accustomed to the civility and monotony of everyday life. He believes the project is utter rubbish but when politicians get involved and make it a high-priority project, he is forced to take part. The Sheikh is a spiritual man, wanting the sport in the Yemen as a way to blur class boundaries and unify his people - though the people in the Yemen do not agree with his plans. He is the kind of awe-inspiring man that leaps off the page and will have many readers wishing they could have met him.

Overall, the developing friendship between the Sheikh, Harried and Alfred is what makes the story so fascinating. The Sheikh's beliefs and way of looking at the world eventually start to rub off on the pragmatic Dr Jones and he begins to realise that perhaps there is more to life than what he currently has with his wife. Harriet, a woman who must keep her cool in all situations, is struggling without her fiance and not hearing from him unnerves her. 

The end of the book though is utterly shocking and breaks with convention in every way. Though some unexpected endings work well, this one seemed completely out of place and was ultimately quite jarring and unsatisfactory.  Due possibly to the constant shift in styles, it also doesn't feel like it really ends - it just stops.  I actually turned the page to see what happened next and realised there was no more.

Paul Torday's book was interesting in its delivery thanks to the combination of communications - there are emails, letters, memos and interview transcriptions. This makes it an easy book to dip in and out of. There are no chapter headings, only shifts in communication style. There is comedy, drama and emotion. Overall, it was an interesting concept but left a little to be desired in its execution.

Sadly, one rather central character - that of the Prime Minister's right-hand man Peter Maxwell - is utterly self-serving and dull to read. When there were pages and pages of his interview, I found myself skimming through them. In the adaptation, the biggest stroke of genius was turning the dull Peter Maxwell into the hilariously cheeky Patricia Maxwell. Kristin Scott Thomas breathed life into a tired role with a brilliantly witty and humorous performance. She stole the screen every time she appeared and had many viewers grinning from ear to ear.

Emily Blunt was also great casting in the role of Harriet, oozing both professional charm and a fragility in equal measure. Sadly though, in making her fiance Robert her boyfriend of only a few weeks, the stress and anguish she feels at his being at war feels a little over the top. Amr Waked was good in the role of the Sheikh but sadly did not quite live up to the sheer presence of the character which Torday wrote so beautifully. Ewan McGregor was brilliantly cast as Dr Jones, delivering his lines with a monotony and dryness that somehow made him more endearing. The changes he goes through as the story develops are done with such subtlety that you often don't realise they've happened until after the event. 

The film also uses the communication style of the book well, incorporating the use of emails with screenshots and voiceovers, texts and even a rather entertaining speech bubble instant message function between Maxwell and the Prime Minister. 

The film, directed by Lars Hallström (The Cider House Rules, Chocolat), managed to iron out many of the kinks that existed in the book, bringing humour to a dull central role and shifting the focus more to the developing friendship between the three main characters. However, just when I thought the end of the book was jarring, the filmmakers decided to completely change it for the film. This story is not all about the ending luckily, so the film is not completely destroyed for the change - and for those who haven't read the book, it may well have worked. However, the filmmakers reluctance to part with any of the characters turned a shocking ending into a sentimental one. The result was a cute, nice film which will no doubt make audiences smile but could have been far braver.

Book - 3/5

Film - 3/5

Book Review: The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

Apocalyptic style stories are usually quite sudden and dramatic. In The Day of the Triffids, most of the world's population went blind overnight. In The Day After Tomorrow, the climate shift is forecast to happen in 100 years and starts happening within half an hour of the film's opening credits. People rush out and clear shelves in supermarkets, buy guns, start looting - chaos ensues. 

Debut Author Karen Thompson Walker, however, takes a different approach in The Age of Miracles - a book that is hauntingly realistic in its catastrophe because it happens so gradually. One day, there are 24 hours in a day, then suddenly people notice there aren't. The days have slowly been getting longer because, people realise, Earth's rotational pull has been slowing down.

This isn't a terrifying and sudden battle for survival. Nobody knows the effects this 'slowing' is going to have on the planet and governments and the people of Earth try to adapt to the new way of things. There is, after all, nowhere to run to avoid this impending catastrophe. It reaches every corner of the globe.

The Age of Miracles looks at these gradual changes through the eyes of a girl on the cusp of her adolescence, from the moment it was announced to the world. As the world adjusts in whatever ways they can, Julia - our guide - notes what she observes around her while dealing with the awkwardness of talking to boys, buying a bra and the everyday struggle to find happiness. She is as much in the dark as the adults and is learning as she goes, about the slowing and about herself.

The days get longer and so do the nights. Before long, the sun is up for more than 24 hours straight and people are struggling to keep going. New time-keeping measures are put in place which divide communities. Plants begin to die, birds struggle to stay airborne and people struggle to cope with the dramatic shift in their sleeping patterns.

This is certainly a debut worth looking out for. With beautiful flowing prose and not a sentence of preachy, sanctimonous drivel in sight, The Age of Miracles will politely make you think twice about leaving lights on unnecessarily, putting TVs on standby or complaining about a little rain. It will make you appreciate daylight - no matter how cloud-filled the sky may be - and the darkness that comes with the setting sun.

The Age of Miracles is not an action-packed disaster story, rather it looks at Julia and the people around her as they are forced to change what they know; adapt or die. A beautiful, compelling and utterly intoxicating debut.
 

4 FOBLES

The Age of Miracles will be published in the UK in June by Simon & Schuster - it is available to pre-order now.

Book Review: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

*WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM BOOK ONE - THE HUNGER GAMES AND TWO - CATCHING FIRE*

When we left Katniss Everdeen at the end of Catching Fire, she had just made it out of her second Hunger Games in two years only to learn that Peeta had been captured and a rebellion had begun against the Capitol. 

Mockingjay picks up with Katniss in a state of mental confusion. She has been so heavily sedated to deal with her breakdown that she struggles to tell the difference between nightmare and reality. The leaders in District 13 are struggling to get her on board as the symbolic image of the rebels' fight and she can barely construct a coherent thought in her head. As she starts to get a grip on reality, the gravity of her absence finally seems to dawn on her and she realises the power she could have in helping the rebels with their cause. But she has her focus on more specific things - finding Peeta and killing President Snow.

Reluctant to be yet another pawn in somebody else's game, Katniss struggles to take orders as her efforts to help those fighting in other districts are recorded and beamed out to the citizens of Panem, showing them and President Snow that she and the rebels are all still fighting. But are the rebels being totally honest with her or just using her for their own gain? Has too much damage been done already for Katniss to ever come back from it? And what are the peacekeepers in the Capitol doing to Peeta?

Where many authors would have picked up this third installment in the trilogy with action and fighting, Suzanne Collins bravely acknowledges the person behind all the action - Katniss Everdeen - and allows her time out of battle to try and deal with what has happened to her. She is filled in on all that she missed while in the arena the second time round and often has relapses into a state of severe agitation and confusion. She is a fighter - there is no question - but in allowing this vulnerability and weakness to shine through, Collins allows the reader time to really embrace Katniss and will her onwards. Then of course, there is the ever confusing love triangle between her and her best friend Gale and fellow victor Peeta. Her worry for Peeta while he is being tortured by the Capitol starts to seem more than just friendly concern and Gale doesn't know how to take it.

Collins kills indiscriminately, much more like Harry Potter author JK Rowling than Twilight author Stephenie Meyer. But she does not kill off her characters lightly. By revealing early on that she is not afraid to kill people off, she keeps the reader guessing. There is no comfort in knowing it will all be alright in the end. You know no such thing. Emotions run high in this final book in the saga and Collins keeps you guessing till the very end as to whether or not it will all have been worth it. Have tissues at the ready for an emotional rollercoaster of a read.

Mockingjay is a gripping and action-packed end to the Hunger Games trilogy fraught with emotion at every stage.

4/5 FOBLES 

For your chance to win the entire trilogy you have until Wednesday 29th February to enter the competition over at Novelicious.

Book Review: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

*WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM BOOK ONE - THE HUNGER GAMES*

In The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins created an incredibly strong female lead in Katniss Everdeen. She was a survivor, pushed to the brink and forced to kill in order to survive in a world where the inhabitants live in constant fear of their oppresive and harsh government.

In The Hunger Games, Katniss managed to win the Hunger Games along with fellow District 12 contender Peeta Mellark. When we left them, they had just returned to their district to reap the benefits of their new-found status, wealth and security.

In Catching Fire, the second book in the Hunger Games trilogy, Katniss is still fighting for survival - but in a very different way. Having managed to get out of the games alive - and not alone - Katniss has attracted a lot of unwanted attention. Though hers and Peeta's final act of defiance was played by the Capitol as an act of love, the devilishly sinister President Snow and his fellow officials are unconvinced that the people haven't seen through it. In his attempt to squash any rising rebellion, Snow pays a personal visit to Katniss threatening her with the assassination of everybody she holds dear - her mother, sister and best friend Gale. She soon realises that if she is to protect the people she loves, she must keep up the pretence of her love with Peeta and convince the people of Panem that she is head over heels for him. If she doesn't manage it, it's all over.

It is also the 75th year of the games, meaning that the government are about to pull something spectacular to prove their all-seeing power to the masses and take Katniss down a peg or two. It isn't long before Katniss must decide if she is to fight the system or run from it.

In this sequel, Collins has taken a much deeper look at the world of Panem. The opening celebratory tour takes Katniss and Peeta through each of the districts where they soon realise things are a lot stricter than what they are used to in District 12. The unwanted attention their win has brought on Katniss does not stop with her. More and more peacekeepers are brought into District 12 and public whippings and punishments are reinstated in a district that had, until now, been left largely to its own devices. While The Hunger Games merely hinted at the true horror of Panem, Catching Fire reveals it in all its terrifying glory.

The love triangle between Katniss, Peeta and Gale is also looked at much more closely as she starts to realise her true feelings for Gale but is forced to accept a love with Peeta. After spending so much time with him and going through the games together, she begins to realise how good he really is and allows herself to have feelings for him - though Gale is never far from her thoughts.

The action takes a while to get going in Catching Fire but the sinister arrival of President Snow and the forced pretence of the tour more than makes up for its absence. When the action does get going again, just as in The Hunger Games, the book becomes impossible to put down. I devoured it in two days and couldn't rest till I knew how it all ended. And of course all the ending did was make me desperate to read the third and final book in the saga.

The impending release of the first film next month has many people excited but I, for one, am looking ahead to when this book will be made into a film. The incredible Donald Sutherland is cast as President Snow and seeing more of him can only be a good thing along with a whole host of new characters.

5/5 FOBLES - Gripping, fascinating, clever, emotional, action-packed and utterly impossible to put down.

Read my review of the last book in the Hunger Games series - Mockingjay.

Tarantula vs The Skin I Live In: Book vs Film

The Skin I Live in was the latest in a long line of Spanish films from master Director Pedro Almodóvar. The film is a difficult one to explain as most of the plot must be kept entirely secret in order for the audience to experience it for themselves.

The plot, for those who don't know, revolves around a doctor called Robert and the mystery woman Eve he keeps locked away in his house.

The book Tarantula, written by Thierry Jonquet, is incredibly different to the film. The big reveal - for those who have seen the film - remains in tact. It is everything else that changes. The book is in France while the film is in Spain, the maid (no relation in the book) is on holiday throughout and therefore has no involvement whatsoever. The ending, powerful in the film, is utterly different and even more shocking in the book.

But the biggest change is what the doctor does to Eve throughout. In the film, she is kept under lock and key, going slowly mad in her own solitute. In the book, however, Robert pimps her out to the nastiest men he can find and watches through the one-sided mirror, revelling in Eve's pain.

To tell you any of the other plot twists would give too much away. But if you were impressed by the film then the book is certainly worth reading. It's also incredibly short. Just beware of reading it in public as the cover might turn a few heads.

Though there are numerous differences, both book and film standalone as brilliantly complex and dark works. The care Almodóvar took with the film forgives him the alterations.

Book: 4 FOBLES
Film: 3.5 FOBLES

For my film review of The Skin I Live In, click here.

Reviews: The Artist, The Inbetweeners and Carnage

It's been a mixed bag of films for me over the last few days from the classic to the vulgar to the brilliantly clever and utterly hilarious.

The Artist

When a film has been raved about as much as this one has, it's hard to live up to the hype. I expected greatness - and was not disappointed. Apart from a short stint in the middle where the film started to drag just a little, the film is beautiful, emotional and utterly joyous.
The performances are incredible particularly by the two leads Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo, evoking sadness and humour in equal measure and often with surprising subtlety given the style of this throwback to the era of silent films. The score is stunning and compliments each mood perfectly.
An absolute must-see for film buffs and non buffs alike. It's superb.

4.5/5 FOBLES

The Inbetweeners

Ridiculous, shocking, vulgar and ridiculous (OK I said that twice), the film sees the four boys go on holiday. Simon's stalkerish obsession with Carly takes on new heights.
The jokes are more crass, the plot all the more farcical. It's closer to Kevin and Perry than the series but for fans of the show, you will of course be expecting this. It doesn't have the same concise humour as the episodes but it's not an awful way to while away a couple of hours - if you like that sort of thing.

2.5/5 FOBLES

Carnage

When two eleven year old boys have a minor altercation at the park and one hits the other across the face with a stick, the two sets of parents decide to sit down and talk about what to do next - all amicably, all as adults.
What starts out as an adult conversation gradually turns into utter chaos. Loyalties switch, hilarity ensues and all manner of chaos takes place under one roof. And after the introduction of alcohol, the true personalities and frustrations of the four rear their ugly heads.
The script is brilliant as the film is all dialogue and very little action. Each actor is perfectly cast from the neurotic, overbearing Jodie Foster to the workaholic Christoph Waltz.
Based on the play "God of Carnage" by Yasmina Reza, this film version all takes place in the one setting - the apartment of the "victim's" parents and not for one second does it ease up.

4.5/5 FOBLES

Scott Pilgrim vs the World: Comic Book vs Film

Guest post by Scott Inkson

Scott Pilgrim vs the World was a comedy-hit in 2010 for director Edgar Wright; while it underperformed at the box-office, it became an instant cult-hit and entered many people's favourite film lists. Scott Pilgrim vs the World was an adaptation of Canadian writer Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim set of black’n’white digests about an early-twenties Canadian slacker, part-time musician who falls for an American delivery girl, Ramona Flowers. He finds she comes with baggage in the form of seven evil-exes - whom he must defeat. It is at heart your typical boy-meets-girl.

If it sounds bonkers, it is because it is joyously so. Reality is rather subjective, and if you are willing to buy into the premise and fantastical style of representation of the film – you are in for a rather good time. 

As there are six Scott Pilgrim books, (the last one finished alongside the adaptation), the film obviously can only service them through its own abridged version of them; and the overall A-story of Scott Pilgrim. Much like the other comedy-comicbook hit of the same year Kick-Ass (and several other multi-issue/book adaptations) it adapts the first part almost exactly before focusing on its own path rather than remaining overly faithful - specific, necessary scenes and story-points aside. 

The film itself is almost structured as if it was a musical, as it drives us towards these lavish, larger-than-life, fantastical set-pieces of expression - which of course bare no resemblance to reality but nevertheless service the kernel of truth inherent in the story. It is a testament to the level of detail and commitment to the Scott Pilgrim influence that there is a number motif in the film, informing us constantly what level we are at. That is level, as in video-game level, Scott’s main vice and by which he seemingly likes to filter reality through. It is a Canadian, filmic version of Spaced which makes Edgar Wright the perfect director for this out-there - but culturally relevant film - that acts as geek-bait to all us perpetual teens over-aware of popular culture.

I read the Scott Pilgrim books on the run-up to the film when a friend suggested to me they would be right up my street. I found that not only were they up my street but they were already in my house, sat in my bedroom and playing Legend of Zelda on my SNES. 

Scott Pilgrim is a rom-com for the iGeneration who grew up with 90’s video-game consoles and lo-fi music. It may seem like a sugar-rush that is style-over-substance to non-geeks or those no longer young-at-heart. However, those who understand that style can be substance (when done with express-purpose) are in for a metatextual meal of mirth as the interplay of styles is often quite witty or wonderfully expressed. It also contains more truth than people give it credit for - who hasn’t demonised a significant other's exes and quested to overtake them in significance in a loved ones life? In Scott Pilgrim he gets to do it in glorious expressive-and-metaphoric fights and contests before learning an important lesson in love and life in the end.

If computer games, stylised fighting, slacker-comedy, and a sweet centre is your thing – you will fall in lesbian with Scott Pilgrim vs the World – just be sure to read the books too.

Book(s) – Brilliant manga-inspired reads containing a lot of humour, charm and scatological pop-culture and video-game references - 5/5 

Film – Worthy and almost guilt-inspiring fun adaptation that has entered the favourites of many people of a certain persuasion or generation - 5/5

John Grisham Talks Adaptations

The lovely folks over at Tesco Books asked people to submit questions for an interview with bestselling author John Grisham. My question was picked and here's what Grisham had to say in response.

Lots of your books have been turned into films. How well do you think they represent your books and what is your favourite film?

"I have been very lucky with Hollywood. I've had nine books adapted. Eight were enjoyable. The Chamber was a bad one. I stay away from it...I try and sell film rights to people with good track records.

The best adaptation was The Rainmaker...by Francis Ford Coppola and was a very faithful adaptation from the book and my favourite movie. I also like A Time to Kill, which was my first book.

They're all fun to watch. I don't get involved in making the movies because I don't know how to make movies. I don't go to the set anymore. I don't hang out and try to tell the director how to make a film. That's not what I do. I sit back and watch it like everybody else and hope it's good."

For the full interview check out John Grisham's velvety voice at Tesco Books.

Book Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Katniss Everdeen lives in District 12 of Panem with her mother and little sister Primrose. After the death of her father and her mother's subsequent breakdown, she has had to take charge of her little family, risking the death penalty daily by entering the woods with best friend Gale to hunt for food.

Every year, one boy and one girl from each district aged between 12 and 18 are selected to take part in The Hunger Games - a fight-to-the-death reality show where there can only be one victor. Once you turn 12, your name is entered and is again with every birthday. There are also ways to buy food, which is scarce in many districts, by adding your name even more times.

For 16 year old Katniss, the odds are not in her favour. She has been getting food and supplies for her family by adding her name to the pot and for her age has been entered five times already. 12 year old sister Prim has only been entered once. But when the name for the girl Tribute in District 12 is called out, Katniss is horrified to hear that of her little sister. She immediately steps forward and volunteers as Tribute in her sister's place - becoming one of the 24 young people who will, in a few short days, be dropped into the games.

In Katniss Everdeen, Collins has created a fantastic female lead. She is flawed in her social skills, cold and harsh with her mother and does not really understand the world, romance or love. But at the heart of it all she is a survivor. She loves her sister in a protective maternal way, but other than that she looks at each day as a battle, a hunt for food, for trade, for carrying on whichever way she can.

The reality show style of the games means that she quickly becomes more a pageant show contestant than a fighting machine, trying to win the affection of sponsors who will then drop things into the game to help her along the way. Though she knows she must ultimately kill him, she is advised by her team to befriend Peeta, the boy chosen to represent District 12 alongside her. The two are the only District pair to enter the procession holding hands and they share their training time, while others work alone.

"They want a good show" she is told. And so, because she will do whatever she has to to survive, she goes along with it. She blushes, flirts and plays up the romance to the cameras. Anything to put the odds more in her favour. The relationship that develops between the two, and all its hidden understones, is a fascinating one as Katniss starts to realise that perhaps it is not all just for the cameras.

The book also has an incredibly fast pace, even for the massive stints when Katniss is alone in the games. She is always thinking, always planning, so there is always something to do, some plan to follow. When each chapter ends, you just want to keep reading to see what is around the next corner.

The book has striking parallels to Battle Royale but fans of the book and film of the Japanese hit should not be put off. The Hunger Games is an entirely different approach to the same concept. It is a young adult fiction book and set in a dystopian fantasy style reality instead of the "real world" of the Battle Royale. By doing this, it manages to be different enough that fans will not be constantly comparing the two. Battle Royale is a much darker novel and though the violence still exists in The Hunger Games, it is not nearly as terrifying. A few nasty deaths did make me wince but they are more ugly than scary.

The fantasy element is not just in the customs, clothing and names of Panem's inhabitants but in the creatures. There are genetically modified birds that mimic song, the muttations - creatures that are wolf-like in nature but also walk like humans, and tracker jackers - wasps that have an enhanced sting that can easily kill a person.

A superb, clever and imaginative book that left me dying to read the following two books in the trilogy.

I cannot WAIT for the film in March 2012!

4.5/5 FOBLES

Read my review of Book 2 in the series Catching Fire here