Get a Read on the Movies
Three of the most talked about movies this holiday season are based on best-selling books. I can’t pass judgment on the movies, but having read all three stories I can vouch that they are unquestionably captivating, transporting you completely to foreign worlds. If you promise to read, I’ll promise to see the movies.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Based on: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, one of the seven books in C.S.Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia series.
Plot: To avoid the threat of bombings in London, the four Pevensie kids are sent to stay with a wealthy, eccentric professor in the country. Strange things start to happen when Lucy finds a wardrobe during a game of hide-and-seek. When she climbs in, she finds a snowy woodland and a friendly faun. Soon all four are wandering through the snowy land ofNarnia , encountering mythical creatures and talking animals. They also find themselves at the center of a prophecy that will lead to the return of lion-messiah Aslan, and the downfall of the White Witch. But things don’t go according to plan when Edmund defects to the Witch’s side…
My take: This is a fairy tale, plain and simple. The story has suspense, adventure, action, and drama...What more could you want?
Memoirs of a Geisha
Based on: Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
Plot: This is the story of nine-year-old Chiyo, who is sold with her sister into slavery by their father after their mother’s death. Under the tutelage of the geisha Mameha, Chiyo (now Sayuri) grows up to be a famous geisha prized for her beauty and talents in the art of entertaining men.
My take: I could not put this book down. Golden, with degrees in Japanese art and history, brilliantly reveals the culture and traditions of an exotic world, closed to most Westerners. Highly recommended.
Brokeback Mountain
Based on: Brokeback Mountain, a short story published in 1999 as part of Annie Proulx’s collection titled Close Range: Wyoming Stories.
Plot: Ranch hands Ennis del Mar and Jack Twist meet and fall in love one summer while working as a sheepherder and camp tender. They eventually marry and father children, but their love needs to survive society’s intolerance of gay relationships.
My take: I read one of her previous books, The Shipping News, and couldn’t figure out why I couldn’t stop reading a book about such weird people. Brokeback Mountain has some the same character quirkiness. It also haunts you for days after reading it.
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