The 5 Best Book Adaptations Of 2023
I have been a writer for Maude Garrett since December 2020. I was the head Entertainment writer for her former site, Geek Bomb. My bread and butter is writing film and television reviews. After graduating from University, I never picked up a book again. Since there was so much reading during that period, my brain needed to rest afterwards. I stopped reading entirely. I often waited for the film to come out without reading the book. After Maude switched over and wanted to focus on building a book club, I wanted to challenge myself and read more.
The first book I picked up in early 2020 was Dune by Frank Herbert. I was determined to finish one of the chunkiest books I’ve ever read for the film’s release. After accomplishing that, two years later, because of my love for Timothée Chalamet, I read Bones and All by Camille De Angelis. In late 2022, Maude decided to make the changeover and my love for reading returned. The first book I covered for Maude’s Book Club was The Mayfair Witches by Anne Rice. I know what you’re thinking, “Another CHUNKY book for a new reader.” I said, “New reader,” because it felt like a clean slate. Being part of MBC has made me fall in love with reading again. I’ve even read some of the novels below to prepare for the films.
What began as a challenge has become incredibly natural to me. By planning out which books to read, I read even more than I ever anticipated. From one book every two years, I am almost at 34 books by the end of this year. By joining Goodreads, Fable, Storygraph and even the MBC community holding me accountable, I’ve exceeded my own reading goal of a book per month. It is so rewarding to finish a book. As someone whose life is centred around movies, it was necessary to expand my imagination and tap into another medium to explore different worlds. This is the natural progression of joining a book club, and I am eternally grateful that Maude Garrett and the community have made me fall in love with reading again.
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret
by Judy Blume and Kelly Freemon Craig
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret is one of the best adaptations this year. The majority of Judy Blume's novels should be a necessity for pre-teens. Her coming-of-age novels have explored themes like grief, religion, puberty, love and friendship. This novel had become Blume’s most popular or rather controversial because of the subject. Margaret Simon wanted to get her period so badly because her friends around her had their bodies changing. She didn’t want to be left out, so she began to pray to God. After moving to a new city and trying to make friends, Margaret prayed quite often because she felt like she had no one else to talk to.
The only conflict was that her parents raised her without a religion. So Margaret's building a connection with God made her think about how religion can be integrated into daily life. Her father is Jewish, and her mother is Catholic, and because of their falling out with the grandparents, Margaret’s mother vowed to have her choose when she was old enough. Writer-director Kelly Fremon Craig adapted this novel for the screen to perfection. From the casting to slowly unravelling the themes, she made a coming-of-age story that will be important for pre-teens for years to come.
Killers of the Flower Moon
by David Grann, Martin Scorsese, and Eric Roth
American journalist David Grann explored the history of the Osage and uncovered the truth about the massacre that occurred on their land. It was an American tragedy, and the lives of the Osage became lost in history. It became a story that would be passed down by generation, but no justice or retribution would be done. Grann constructed the novel and placed Mollie Burkhart’s family at the centre, while there were many investigations surrounding the deaths of other Osage. Director Martin Scorsese and Eric Roth adapted David Grann’s novel perfectly.
They focused on Kingpin William Hale and his nephew Ernest Burkhart, who was married to Mollie. The one thing Scorsese knows how to do is show the destruction of his lead character even after fights to justify his actions. The angle was bold considering the Osage, and Mollie specifically should have been the central focus, but Scorsese created a haunting American tragedy with the villain at the centre. Scorsese and Roth explored the history similarly to Grann’s structure while dramatizing the devastating story of Mollie and her sisters.
RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE
by Casey McQuiston, Matthew Lopez and Ted Malawer
The romance novel adaptation of the year was Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. If you haven’t read this charming novel, you have missed out this year. The book adaptation is perfect, even though they leave out some cute moments from the novel. The thing in any rom-com is CHEMISTRY, which Nicholas Galitzine and Taylor Zakhar Perez had. This is the ultimate enemies-to-lovers story between British Royalty and the son of an American President.
Not only was the book swoon-worthy and filled with adorable moments, but because of Galitzine and Zakhar Perez’s chemistry, the film exceeded the novel. McQuiston developed these characters so well that you wish they lived in reality. They’re lovable and unique, and their love story is important for everyone to see in the mainstream media. Rom-coms are filled with cheesy moments, scenes with secondhand embarrassment, and some steamy moments. It is one of the best films streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
THE KILLER
by Matz, Luc Jacamon, Andrew Kevin Waler and Alexis Nolent
The King of the Psychological Thriller returns to form with the adaptation of the graphic novel The Killer. David Fincher is a filmmaker who knows how to dissect the mind of his protagonist and have the viewer step into their mind. Whatever his character is thinking is projected into every object on the screen. The atmosphere, costume design, colour palette, and sound design work to create an intricate story that explores their life. The title character, “The Killer,” is a cold-hearted assassin hired to kill. After missing his target one evening, he becomes the new target and is on the run.
The graphic novel subverts expectations and has “The Killer” attempt to use his skillset to outsmart the men hired to kill him. It’s such a unique story, and Fincher masterfully takes the panels from the graphic novel and incorporates them in each scene. He uses the chapter titles to structure each portion of his film so the audience knows what’s about to unfold, but they don’t know how it will be executed. It’s a straightforward thriller with a much-needed twist for a story involving an assassin. He is one of the best filmmakers to accurately depict the source material in the majority of his work.
Oppenheimer
by Kai Bird, Martin Sherwin and Christopher Nolan
Oppenheimer is considered the best film of the year for some people. And by “some people,” I mean me. It is by far the best film made by Christopher Nolan and one of his most well-written screenplays to date. The film clocks in at three hours on the dot, but it is justified because the novel American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin is a total of 721 pages. Nolan’s screenplay is genius as he has both hearings; Oppenheimer’s security hearing and Lewis Strauss’s public hearing unfold simultaneously.
The information shared from both timelines comes together cohesively to fully explore Oppenheimer’s life. Nolan presented every single aspect of his life, from the moment he fell in love with physics to the aftermath of the atomic bomb he was put on display and analyzed. The most impressive aspect of the book adaptation is that time goes by quickly. It doesn’t feel like you’re sitting there for three hours. Nolan did not miss one detail because a book of that length highlighting the multiple accomplishments Oppenheimer achieved was all incorporated in the film, while Nolan questioned his morality.
Have you read any of the books listed above? Have you watched the films? If you have, let us know which one is your favourite! If you have any recommendations drop them in the comments below.
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