From Dean Koontz: "I’ve always believed that the characters in a novel are more important than any other element. If they don’t earn our empathy and compel our attention, the most urgent subject matter and the most whiz-bang story will fall flat."
We've talked a few times about character vs. plot. One of the must successful authors of our time tells us what he thinks.
Author Martha Conway gave us this little gem: "Buy a book on IndieBound. And they will buy it from the closest bookstore to you and send it to you from there"
Stephen King's Mr. Mercedes debuted on August 9 on DirectTV and DirectTV Now.
You all (some) know that The Glass Castle is in my top 12 all-time. It was on the bestseller list for 7 years! Well, now it's a movie, starring Woody Harrelson, Naomi Watts, and Brie Larson. It opened on August 11. I thought it was very well done (3.75/4)
Marina Adair's Summer in the Vineyard, starring Rachel Leigh Cook, aired on The Hallmark channel August 12. I'm sure you can On Demand it. This is her 2nd book that's been made into a TV movie. Pretty darn impressive.
BIG QUESTION: My buddy Phil brought this up yesterday. And it's something that I never really gave any thought to. What do we think of the endings of the books we read? I have to say that the endings that made the biggest impression on me are the ones that I did NOT like. There are 2 that come to mind.
1. The Firm, John Grisham. I thought the ending was so messed up that I never read another one of his novels! (except for 1 novella)
2. Bel Canto, Ann Patchett. I still loved this book (it sits on my rec table at Recycle Books on Sunday mornings). But I definitely felt like she took the easy way out.
I know there are many others where I either loved or didn't love the ending. But these are the 2 that come to mind. So, which book endings stand out for you?
The ones that stand out for me are the ones that totally knock me for a loop. I love those kind of endings! But of course, it has to make sense - maybe the ending of The Firm didn't for you (I read it but don't really remember it)
ReplyDeleteI didn't actually try to think of books with endings that I liked (or didn't like). The Firm and Bel Canto just immediately came to mind. I would say the great majority of books that I read have endings that I either like or don't dislike.
DeleteI didn't think the trailer of The Glass Castle looked all that great so I haven't bothered with the movie. It sounds like I was wrong and need to see it!
ReplyDeleteMy wife, who also loved the book, gave it a 2.75/4. I gave it a 3.74/4. So, who do you believe? Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 49 (critics)/79 (viewers).
DeleteI love The Glass Castle too, but haven't seen the movie yet. I need to see if it's still playing here! I remember thinking that the ending of Bel Canto saved it for me, lol.
ReplyDeleteFunny how we each interpreted the ending. Different strokes, and all that stuff.
Delete