Flashback Friday: The Face on the Milk Carton

Weekends are hard, we understand.  So every weekend we're going to review a book we re-read recently, but first read in the past (basically a book that is more 'young' than 'adult' - something we loved in middle school/junior high - grades 6-10) Who doesn't love a little reminiscing?  First Up: The Face on the Milk Carton

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 Author: Caroline B. Cooney

Series: Janie Johnson # 1

Genres: Mystery, Middle Grade

Publisher: Random House Children’s Books

Released: 13 April 1996

Summary: courtesy of goodreads.com No one ever really paid close attention to the faces of the missing children on the milk cartons. But as Janie Johnson glanced at the face of the ordinary little girl with her hair in tight pigtails, wearing a dress with a narrow white collar--a three-year-old who had been kidnapped twelve years before from a shopping mall in New Jersey--she felt overcome with shock. She recognized that little girl--it was she. How could it possibly be true?
Janie can't believe that her loving parents kidnapped her, but as she begins to piece things together, nothing makes sense. Something is terribly wrong. Are Mr. and Mrs. Johnson really Janie's parents? And if not, who is Janie Johnson, and what really happened?

For Fans Of: Stranger With My Face, Running Out of Time, The Terrorist, and Tune in Anytime

My Review: Where do I even begin?  I remember when I was TA (so long ago!) for the librarian and I stumbled upon this, my first every Caroline B. Cooney book (or as I, in all of my librarian 7^th grade glory referred to her as: Carrie B. As in: “hey, have you read this Carrie B. book yet?  Best book ever!” – I was a big ole’ nerd, don’t judge ;) I remember sneaking The Face on the Milk Carton into a school-wide assembly and reading it instead of paying attention.  Have I always been this big of a nerd, well yeah.  You could probably say that.  The Face on the Milk Carton was the game changer for me though.  It was the first book that I remember reading that was distinctly not what I had deemed a “little kid book.”  Books that I loved like Bloomability, and The Music of Dolphins, and From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, this was not.  This girl had a boyfriend.  This girl kissed that boyfriend.  Holy crap, my seventh grader heart skipped a beat!  I would have killed to have Reeve be by boyfriend (never mind that Reeve was, like, six years older than I was – he drove a Jeep and lived next door dang it!)  But that wasn’t the only thing that made me love this book, when you’re in junior high you have a tendency to think that everything in your life is awful, so finding your face on a milk carton wouldn’t be so bad. Now, this isn’t where I’m going to rant and rave about the plot and pacing, honestly, this book will probably take you an hour to read, but I will say this.  As far as things go, this is a really fun read for girls at the age (around 13-14) the girls that are at the very beginning of jumping into the YA genre.  It doesn’t have a lot of depth, and it’s straightforward.  The mystery aspect is definitely the strongest plot line, and Carrie B.’s writing style is one that I really love because it reads fast (even in junior high, it read fast – like two days).  But I will say this: I loved that Janie was pretty normal, she went to school, ate lunch with her friends, ditched class sometimes, and is legitimately freaked when she finds her face on a milk carton.  She knows her next door neighbors, she goes to football games, she worries about getting her driver’s license.  She isn’t making out with vampires, being alienated from a crowd for no discernible reason, etc.  Janie was literally the every girl.  Not the every girl who dated a vampire, or werewolf, she was legitimately normal.  Falling in love with people that she had known forever, being friends and eating cafeteria food.  I think sometimes we get away from this, don’t get me wrong, I love paranormal romance novels, but for middle school and junior high school kids I think that Carrie B (and a slew of other authors) are often overlooked by educators.  For instance: I volunteer at an elementary school (this is true, I’m not making it up for a review – I hang out with sixth graders during the school year) and they have a designated time for reading.  Nearly every girl was reading one of the four Twilight books.  They’re in sixth grade!  That means they’re turning 12!  A little young for Twilight, in my opinion (and yes, some were reading Breaking Dawn).  Which is why I usually pick up one of these whenever I’m shopping on Amazon, because when I’ve got kids that are that age, I want them to gain what I did from books like this one, and others:  That being normal is okay.  That wanting that normality, like Janie does, is okay.  Sure, Carrie B. writes a lot of different kinds of books, but I have to say, add her name to the E.L. Konisburg, Sharon Creech, Avi, Ann Rinaldi, etc. etc. etc. fan group, because her books are pretty great, they deal with real issues without being too old for their specified age group.  The Face on the Milk Carton will forever be one of my favorites, if you haven’t read it yet, I promise it will probably only take you a few hours. And sure, it’s not dense in any way, but it’s fun.  Oh, and don't forget to check out the movie on youtube! Hahaha, you can start watching part one by clicking here.

Film vs. Book: Jane Eyre

This actually works out perfectly, because neither Truly Becoming or New Romantic have read Jane Eyre.  (you guys should really talk to them about that - Jane Eyre is mandatory reading! ;)

Okay, trailer first:

I have loved Jane Eyre for a long time, and it enhanced into an obsession after I saw the BBC version of it in 2006.  I would spend the weekend curled up on the couch watching that film and then read the book and then watch the movie and then read the book, and so on.  So when I heard they were doing a remake I was kind of terrified.  And then when I saw that they had cast two people I didn't know as the leads I was even more terrified.  How can you beat Toby and Ruth?  Why bother with a new one?  The 2006 one had my heart!  Little did I know that left in the hands of director Cary Fukunaga this literary masterpiece would turn into a cinematic masterpiece as well. (In my mind)

What I loved about this adaptation:

Michael Fassbender.

Seriously, for me, Michael was the perfect Rochester.  Although I saw, and repeatedly watch the 2006 one with Toby Stephens and Ruth Wilson, I always felt like Toby was a little too - nice?  In the book Rochester is a mean son of a gun, but Toby's Rochester said everything out of humor to Jane.  When I read the book I am always distinctly afraid of Rochester, he's like literature's first bad boy that your incredibly attracted to, but he's a little bit of a loose cannon so maybe your afraid too.  Anyways, Michael Fassbender, you have my heart (as Rochester - not in real life) especially at the end, with the beard and the tears...ahhh swoon.

The language:

I was afraid because this was a modern interpretation (and not produced by the BBC) that it would loose the language that is so uniquely Jane but it didn't!  I was so pleased to hear some of my favorite lines from the book spoken in the film. Mia Wasikowska was an incredible Jane.  Loved her so much.

The cinematography, the pacing, I could go on and on....

Oh my gosh, this is EXACTLY how I imagined Jane, kind of desolate and yet utterly beautiful at the same time.  The pacing and the script of this film were also incredible.  I did notice a LOT of similarities with the 2006 version (which I also loved) but somehow this one seemed a little bit more haunting to me.  There was hardly every anything truly lit up in this version of the film, which I felt like really enhanced the Gothic overtones of the novel.  Gothic style books usually have elements of the creepster style vibe, and the lighting and set, along with the lovely lovely music (you can buy the score here, I recommend it) makes this one of my favorite Jane Eyre adaptations.  (Although the 2006 is the closest second ever!)

So there you have it.  If you love Jane Eyre, and you love movies, I recommend this one.  

I mean seriously, who doesn't want to stare at Michael Fassbender for two hours?

I love the British Poster! Gorgeous!

What is YA?

What is YA?

A Musing on the Genre 

by Hopeless Wanderer

With both New Romantic and Truly Becoming out of town, and thus out of internet connection for the week, I've taken over the blog, until Sunday.  And because I've caught up on all the reviews for books that I've read recently I wanted to talk about something else:

The YA Genre.

This is a blog geared mostly towards YA.

Recently (about seven months) ago I bought a KindleTouch, and since then I've spent countless dollars buying books on Amazon instead of moving my butt into the library.  I honestly can't remember the last time I went into the library to check out a YA book and not a book for a paper.  Anyways, I digress.

The point is:  I found it interesting that when I would go into the library a lot of the books that I had found on Amazon listed under "YA" or "Teen" were actually in the Adult section.  Why is that?  I thought.  What makes a book jump from YA to Adult?

The YALSA and ALA (and wikipedia) define YA as the following: "a young adult as someone between the ages of twelve and eighteen. Authors and readers of young adult (YA) novels often define the genre as literature as traditionally written for ages ranging from twelve years up to the age of eighteen, while some publishers may market young adult literature to as low as age ten or as high as age twenty-five. The terms young-adult novel, juvenile novel, young-adult book, etc. refer to the works in the YA category."

source:wikipedia

Okay, except that I'm over the age of eighteen and I really only search the 'Teen' category on Amazon.  I'm not alone here, and I understand that.  But sometimes I wonder, do we need a new category?  Maybe something to split up the younger YA and the older YA? So that when I read some YA I don't do this:

I love books about kids in college, books like Providence, and Flat Out Love, but recently in an article written by Jessica Park she expressed that the age of the main character in Flat Out Love was "categorically too old" at eighteen (source) for the novel to be published in the current YA market. Okay.  I understand.  YA are geared to kids in Jr. High and High School.  

But what about those books about college students that still fit into the young adult class of theme, language, and plot structure?  It seems to me, though I haven't done a lot of research, that they have a harder time getting published because they don't fit into any genre.

So here's what I think:

Why not create a genre for them? Split things up, so that you have Juvenile books ranging from ages 8-15 and YA ranging from 15-25.  Of course I know that I'll be reading YA, probably for the rest of my life, long after I'm 25 I can assure you, but I don't feel like it's okay to be loosing out on great stories because characters are "categorically to old" for a genre.  I don't like this idea of "rating" YA books either because I'm not sure that you really can. Books aren't movies, and things can be stated different ways to mean different things.  Writing is so subjective.  Would I let my future 13 year old read all of these titles?

No, probably not, but I wouldn't want to hinder then once they got older either.  Over the past few years the YA genre has really started to grow-up and transcend age.  Which means that a lot of things that wouldn't have been okay in what technically is YA is okay now.  This isn't a bad thing, it's just a statement at where the world is going.  Right now there isn't a balance, and I feel like there needs to be one.  We're loosing out on good books, while letting bad things happen to younger kids in books because said characters are not "categorically too old".

Flat Out Love is one of my favorite books, and I shudder to think what Ms. Park would have done if she didn't self-publish.  It's such a great book how it is, and I believe that there are more great books out there trying to find a way to be published, when the audience is already here! (seriously though, I'm like, right here)  The genre-naming people just haven't caught up yet.

This musing does not reflect the general views of all reviewers on The Pie Bookery, it was written solely by me, Hopeless Wanderer after a trip to the library.

Note added by New Romantic:

I work at the local public Library and know the in and the outs of why our libraries categorize the books the way they do. I recently read Finnikin of the Rock and in our county libraries it is considered Young Adult. After talking with the branch manager about the content of the book, she realized that Finnikin of the Rock should actually be cataloged under "Adult".
Why?
Here is what my county library considers to be the difference between YA and Adult (it may be very different for other libraries around the world, I'm just adding my two cents worth)

1. Young Adult follows characters that are between the ages of 13 to 18.

2. Adult books generally follow characters that are 19+

3. If the book is YA and has questionable content. (such as too much kissing, touching, or anything 'blush-worthy' as we like to say; however if it is happening in a 'school related setting' it is still cataloged as YA.)

4. Now for an example of 'blush-worthy' content in a 13-18 year old  age range but the book is cataloged as Adult is Graceling. The characters are under 19 but there is a specific blush scene outside a 'school related setting' that makes it Adult.

As for why Finnikin of the Rock should be cataloged as Adult (according to our library standards) is because the characters are 19+ and there is quite a bit of 'blush-worthy' scenes that do not take place in a 'school related setting'.

I definitely agree with Hopeless Wanderer that YA is such a hard genre to pinpoint. When patrons come to me and ask me about the Young Adult genre, I tell them there is a really fine line and they should tread the waters cautiously.

When I am finding books to read and review for this blog, I usually use Goodreads, the Young Adult section of Barnes and Noble, and Amazon.
I will read YA books til I'm old. (I too am in my twenties). They have such a wide range of stories to be told and they keep us on our toes.

Again, this doesn't reflect the general views of all reviewers on The Pie Bookery, it is just me, New Romantic adding in my two cents.

Eden

Author: Jamie McGuire

Series: Providence # 3

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult

Publisher: CreateSpace

Released: 3 April 2012

Summary: courtesy of goodreads.com She had seen the unspeakable.
She would learn the unknowable.
Now, she would fight the invincible.
In the third and final installment of the Providence series, Nina Grey will marry the wrong man, carry the child that was never supposed to be born, and fight a war she can't win.
Faced with the impossible task of protecting his new wife and unborn child against the throes of Hell, Jared Ryel is allowed no mistakes. Pressured to return the Naissance de Demoniac to Jerusalem, he revisits St. Ann's to learn the answers were in front of him all along.
Together, they must survive long enough to let their child save them - and the world

For Fans Of: Providence, Requiem, and Breaking Dawn

My Review: Wow!  Eden perfectly wrapped up this series for me!  Such a lovely end to a fun and eventful series!  The two minuscule problems I had with Requiem were perfectly accounted for and settled in this one.  (Thank heavens for Claire! She and Ryan are perfection.)  This series was so much fun to read, and though Jared got progressively over-protective I still felt like it came from a good place, and he didn’t stop Nina from doing what she wanted altogether.  The only thing I did have a hard time with was towards the end when Nina has a panic attack.  You’ll know what I’m talking about when you get there.  It just seemed kind of out of character for her.  After everything that happens to her throughout the series, for her to panic and freak out like she does seemed strange.  However, she IS pregnant which probably contributes to the strange behavior, and I was kind of waiting for her to crack after everything that had happened to her over the last three years.  All in all, this was a great series for summer, fun, fast reads, and I really enjoy McGuire’s writing style, her dialogue and banter is very well thought out and witty, especially the swoon-worthy things that Jared says (cue: the vows holyfreakingcrap) If you liked books that were in the same vein as Twilight and Hush, Hush you will definitely love this series, I know I did.

Requiem

Author: Jamie McGuire

Series: Providence # 2

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult

Publisher: Jamie McGuire, LLC

Released: 11 June 2011

Summary:  courtesy of goodreads.com In the old world shadows of Providence, Rhode Island, Nina Grey finds herself the center of a war between Hell and Earth.
Struggling with her father’s recent death, Nina meets Jared Ryel by chance…or so she believes. Although his stunning good looks and mysterious talents are a welcome distraction, it soon becomes clear that Jared knows more about Nina than even her friends at Brown University. When questions outnumber answers, Jared risks everything to keep the woman he was born to save—by sharing the secret he was sworn to protect.
When her father’s former associates begin following her in the dark, Nina learns that her father is not the man she thought he was, but a thief who stole from demons. Searching for the truth behind her father’s death, Nina stumbles upon something she never expected—something Hell wants—and only she holds the key

For Fans Of: Providence, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn, and Crescendo

My Review: Requiem was a really good follow up.  I felt like Requiem took the perfect spot as the middle book in a trilogy, it wrapped up nearly everything that happened in Providence, while setting up a strong background for what I assume will happen in Eden.  So, what I liked about Requiem:

1. Jared.  Question: will I ever get over Jared.  Answer: No.

2. Claire.  I have to admit, I really just love the Ryel family.  Jared, Claire, and Bex are all such well rounded characters with such surprising personalities.  I really enjoyed Claire stepping forward into the spotlight in this one.  Her interactions with Ryan were also so hilarious, and the straightforwardness gives such a breath of fresh air compared to Jared’s drawn out explanations.

3.  Beth.  Beth is basically the best, best friend a girl could ask for.  She just accepts Nina for who she is, and accepts all of her excuses for not being at work (and they are good excuses).  She understands Nina’s job probably better than Nina does (like any fantastic assistant/bff) And she is such a great balance for Nina’s personality.  Rarely does she have any massive freak out moments. 

4. The dreams.  They added just what I wanted for this story, a little bit of heart pounding mystery.  Anyone who knows me knows that I scare easy, and these night terrors of Nina’s really made my heart go double time.  It’s also nice whenever I get to see Gabe.  Jared, being one of my favorite characters, seems to take a lot from his dad, so getting to see the way Gabe acted/reacted was pretty awesome.  Also, there is another someone that has dreams from Gabe and I found that little tidbit to be cute and heartbreaking all at once. Love.

What I had a hard time with in this one.

1.  It still felt like Nina was a little bit hung up on Ryan.  I understand that she feels bad about certain choices he makes, but girlfriend, come on.  You’re hurting your fiancé over a dude that is kind of a jerk, and also a consenting adult who is old enough to make his own decisions.  It’s strange because in Providence, I felt like Ryan didn’t have a chance, however in Requiem the Nina/Ryan relationship somehow seemed stronger (at least in the beginning).

2. Sasha.  Sasha felt like a bulk character to me.  I kept waiting for her to do something truly heinous (involving Shax or another demon) but she didn’t.  As a matter of fact she kind of faded into the background, maybe she’ll have a bigger role in Eden?  Who knows, but in this one she was kind of a loose cannon and my mind kept wandering to what she would do next instead of focusing on the story at hand.

All in all, I really enjoyed Requiem, as I mentioned before it fulfills the duty held by most middle books in a trilogy, and reads similar to Providence (though I felt Providence was a sort of whirlwind, and Requiem was a little more peaceful pacing-wise) Although there were some scenes in which I kind of lost some steam (being in the middle east, I just really don’t like Ryan with Nina. Ugh.)  Again, four pies because I’m literally hungering to get my hands on Eden!

Cover Loving Saturday

Hopeless Wanderer's Pick

Amy and Roger's Epic Detour.  Now, all of you know that I adore this book in the most high order.  I read it three or four times a year, and what first drew me to it was the cover.  I love to road trip, it's the best kind of vacation in my opinion so when I saw a cover of two people holding hands in the middle of the road, I knew that this book was going to be amazing, and boy I was right.  There are so many things about this cover I love, it perfectly catches the spirit of the novel, in both is ambiguity in not showing Amy and Roger's faces, to it's placement, with them being in California, Nevada, or Utah (I like to imagine the loneliest road in America, but I'm almost 100% that's not it, it's just one of my favorite parts - the whole book is my favorite part)  I love the script too (especially the E, in Epic, isn't it so gorgeous?) and how everything has the summer-y feel with the yellow wash.  I LOVE that hint of best friends or something more with the interlocking fingers.  A perfect cover for one of my favorite reads!

New Romantic's Pick(s)

The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare.

I couldn’t pick just one cover to love. So I picked two series. What more can I say about these covers besides they are absolutely beautiful! Whoever the artist was who designed them, I’m recruiting when I publish my book. And the covers reflect what is written inside them. Pure. Awesomeness. I love how for the first few books of The Mortal Instruments, you can’t see their faces, and then eventually you do. I honestly wish they would have the models for the cover be the actors in the movie! They are how I imagined the characters when I read the books. I’m not one for endorsing tattoos, but the shadowhunter’s tats are awesome! I like how they’re somewhat translucent on the cover, even though that’s not how they are in the books. And of course I can’t forget the wonderful Infernal Devices. Those covers just captured the essence of what the story is about. I can sum up why I like these covers in one word; BEAUTIFUL.

As always, thank you for this incredible idea imlovingbooks.com.  Everyone check out her site! She is such a fun reviewer! (her link is in our sidebar!)

Book vs Film: The Hunger Games

Once again it's Thursday and we find ourselves comparing the movie and book, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins today.

New Romantic's Thoughts

I read the Hunger Games Trilogy wayyy before there was talk of a movie (I'm talking first came out). My friend from work wouldn't shut up about it so I was instantly hooked. I loved every minute of those books (you can read my review on The Hunger Games Here.)

When I found out there was going to be a movie, I was thrilled. I went pre-opening night, bought a t-shirt and wore it with my orange jeans and orange TOMS. I was the girl on fire; or I tried to be. First initial thought on the movie; I loved it. But once you go back and read the book again, you remember things that should of happened but didn't. 

The main thing I found lacking was the scene where Peeta looses his leg at the end and is being kept from Katniss and she's screaming and pounding on the glass separating them. I think this was a crucial moment in the book that shows us that Katniss might (I say might because I am definitely NOT a Peeta fan.) be developing feelings for Peeta. Totally left this part out.

I thought the movie could have been longer. (I am one of those nut jobs that love the 3 hour plus movies, think Lord of the Rings extended edition). The movie left out a lot of things I thought would have been in the movie (Madge), and weren't. 

I really liked how we saw some scenes from Katniss's point of view, like the part where she is suffering from the trackerjacker poison and the camera is all blurry, yes I liked that, or the part after the explosion and her ears are ringing and you can hear it too, yep liked that too. 

I guess I'm immune to violence or something, because I thought the fight scenes were too vauge. Yes, they had to watch it because of the rating, but I think they could of shown a bit more. 

The pacing was wayyy too fast for my taste. It was like a gun went off and we ran a 100m dash and we were finished just like that (snaps fingers). Back to what I just said, they could of added more.

I loved the cast. I thought they did a fantastic job casting Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss. She's perfect. I wish Peeta would of been taller and more burly but that's just me. And I wish Gale had more screen time.

Even though I was very nit-picky with the movie, I will definitely be buying it for sure!

Truly Becoming’s Thoughts

I read The Hunger Games, long before the movie came out, and let me say I really loved The Hunger Games both the book and the movie! There are so many things:  I loved that it was from Katniss’ point of view.  I liked the way the Capitol was portrayed, especially Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman!  He was exactly how I imagined him, and very funny!  I LOVED the cast.  I thought they did an awesome job, all of them.  My favorite part was when Katniss was hallucinating after being stung by the Tracker Jackers, it was awesome!  The only things I did like were 1. Rue’s death didn’t feel long enough for me, I imagined more mourning in the book and 2.  When Peeta threw the bread at Katniss, it definitely wasn’t even close to how I imagined.

Overall I loved the movie! (and of course the book!) I can’t wait to buy it on DVD!

Hopeless Wanderer’s Thoughts

Okay, let me just say.  I fall into the very small margin of people that saw this movie and were more disappointed.  I don’t really like to talk about it because it usually just insights negative discussion and I know I’m in the smaller margin okay? I get it.  Let’s start off with things I liked about the movie:

1. Cinna.  Cinna was perfect, and just how I imagined him.

2. Rue, Rue was sweet and cute.

3. The Captiol.  Everything about it.  The train that took them there, the way the people looked.

4. Effie Trinket.  Holy crap, Elizabeth Banks was the PERFECT Effie.

5. The look of District 12.

6. The main characters, I felt like all of the tributes looked perfect, as well as Haymitch, Prim, and especially Seneca Crane (Wes Bentley you are hot ;)

7. The soundtrack and score.

What I didn’t like:

The pacing, the cinematography, the script, and special effects.  Let me say this:  I feel like this had potential to be an AMAZING movie.  But there were so many changes in it that were just to obvious and took away from too much of the story for me.  Peeta doesn’t loose his leg?  WTF?!  Actually, EVERYTHING between Peeta and Katniss was either downplayed or obliterated.  Don’t get me wrong, I understand that there are Gale/Katniss shippers.  I respect you.  But she ends up with Peeta.  And I think it’s going to be pretty  weird when suddenly they’re married in the third one.  That’s something you have to build up to.  This movie didn’t.  Really, honestly, it didn’t.  And Haymitch’s notes when they were in the Games?  No. No.  You take a ton of stuff out, and then add random stuff it?  That is not okay.  You take literally three minutes of film time to watch Katniss string an arrow and then you cut out the bulk of Rue’s death.  Not okay.  The bulk of Catching Fire, relies on Peeta and Katniss acting like they’re in love.  Seriously, that’s basically one of the two main plot lines that run through that book, so to not show it at all in this film made me feel annoyed.  I get that she doesn’t like him and she’s only doing it to survive and that might make Katniss seem heartless.  But Katniss isn’t really a character for everyone to love anyway.  She’s strong and resilient, but I don’t want to be like her!  Ahh, I digress.

This is turning way too much into a rant.  In short:  everything was going for this movie, but the final product relied so heavily on everyone in the audience to have read the book that it was disjointed, and clunky.  Luckily, I had read the book, but friends of mine who haven’t have been incredibly disappointed and confused.  Though, honestly I encourage you to see the film and keep an open mind, like I said, I’m the small minority.  90% of people I talk to have adored this film and felt like it was an incredible adaptation of the book, I’m just not one of those people.  I felt like it was really slow until the last fifteen minutes (about the time everyone is dead and they’re fighting the wolf hybrids on the cornucopia) when suddenly everything was over, even though there was still another quarter of the book to get through.  This book isn’t that long, they could have had more scenes from the book in it.  It would have been easy, I think that’s why I am truly annoyed.  They wasted so much time that could have been used more wisely in other ways.   I don’t regret seeing it, and like Truly I’ll probably end up buying it because I did find the film entertaining, but I didn’t feel like it was as accurate to the book as it could have been. (which is not to say it wasn’t accurate at all, just that they could have added more instead of taking so long to show monotonous things).