Novels and the unwillingness of some..

[Drawn That Way]

It's difficult to get some of my friends to read--Not that I force or badger them or anything. Although largely out of print and really only available via online (or public library, if you happen to be that fortunate), I've strongly recommended that my friends (or anyone, for that matter) read, 'Who Censored Roger Rabbit?'

Why?

Because it's the entire reason for the film existing, albeit known under a different title, and because the plot from the film greatly differs from the book. Exponentially, even. Granted, it's much more dark than the film and actually a bit heartbreaking.. It's a great read and I'm trying not to spoil anything for anyone, but I strongly feel as though they would enjoy it. I feel that most anyone would.

The problem that I frequently run into is that my friends (and most people I meet) are stuck on the film. So stuck, in fact, that they had not only never known about the book, but they were completely against the idea of reading it.

Have you ever had to deal with people not giving a good book a chance, due to their blind devotion to a film adaptation?

[dentil]

Gosh, I didn't even know there was a book behind the movie - which I also happened to revisit lately for reasons unknown. I'll definitely look out for that though, once I'm up to speed with my back log of to-reads, (I am far too slow to match my eagerness). The movie was enjoyable, but not exactly great enough to be worth clinging onto in my opinion.
I've never really had friends who were like that - then again I'm not much for reccomending books to people. Shame, they would probably benefit.

[Asurendra]

Most movies were books first. Lord Of The Rings, for example. I've seen the movies, never read the books (though I'd like to rectify this at some point). Harry Potter is another prime example that left a lot out of the movie adaptations.

Reading leaves more to your own imagination, which lets you practice using it. Also makes you more literate, and it can help to expand your vocabulary. And finally, you can put so much more into a book for so much less effort and money; movies cost millions of dollars to make.

Anyone who would spurn a book for a movie doesn't know what they're missing; and frankly? Let 'em miss. It's entirely their loss.

[Eizoryu]

I did not know that it was a novel. I'm going to have to look into finding and reading it sometime. I liked the movie, even though my dad put up a fuss about it because of Jessica.

I'm trying to think of a time when someone said they preferred the movie so much that they refused to have anything to do with the book, but I can't. I don't recommend novels to people often, so I can't say I've dealt with that kind of mulishness. People have told me they won't read LotR and just watch the movies (My MIL, for example), but I respect that Tolkien's verbosity is not appreciated by all.

I can most certainly think of instances where someone would, though. Take I, Robot, for example. Nothing at all like the novel, as it is simply based on a concept/possibility that the anthology of the same name brings to light. And Asimov, admittedly, wasn't the most interesting of writers. His ideas are far better than his writing. But I can imagine people I know refusing to try the book because it's not at all what the storyline was in the movie.

[anna bandana]

I have the opposite problem with some of my friends: they don't want to see the movie if they've read and loved the book first.

I recently read Fight Club and loved it. I saw the movie first and was obsessed with it. I can now say I love both adaptations.

[Anja Sedai]

I have more of a problem convincing people to read things that don't have a film/tv adaptation. When a book has been adapted I can usually convince them that the book is equally awesome or more awesome and get them to try it. But if a book doesn't have an adaptation, it's like people think it must not be interesting enough. I tried for years to get people to read Game of Thrones before the tv show and no one would read it. Then the show came out and everyone who brushed off my recommendation before was suddenly reading the books. I'm happy that they ended up reading them, but still really frustrated.

[Raye Delvego]

First off i wanna say that I did not know there was a book *adds it to my "to read" list*

Second to answer the question about people not reading the books due to the movies.

My mother REFUSES to read the harry potter books because she says "why read the books when the movies have all the information needed?"

[Trainer Iris]

I am currently having such a problem with a friend of mine. It's really very frustrating, because they don't seem to realize just how much they're missing out on.

[Sianserais]

Raye Delvego

First off i wanna say that I did not know there was a book *adds it to my "to read" list*

Second to answer the question about people not reading the books due to the movies.

My mother REFUSES to read the harry potter books because she says "why read the books when the movies have all the information needed?"

Ugh. I don't get that attitude at all. I'm currently trying to get one of my young cousins to try reading them - so far no luck. Personally, I wanted to like the movies, but I can't actually make myself sit through any of them. It's kind of like fingernails on a chalkboard to me... So when they're on TV I may have it on while I'm busy doing something else.

To the OP, I also never knew there was a book. Never thought to look for one. I suspect that's part of the problem with my cousin, though. He liked the movies well enough, I hear.

[Ping of Death]

Most people don't want to read unless it's required in school. I've asked a few people before why they don't like reading and they said it's not as stimulating as watching a movie or listening to music. They also said reading takes effort. You can't really blame them if they prefer to watch a movie version that takes only 2 to 3 hours than a book that's 300 pages thick (hey some people think 300 pages is too much).

I guess for these people the story's much easier to understand and appreciate in a movie because you don't have to go through pages of descriptions just to get a 'feel' of the setting and the personality of the characters. Images deliver the message much easier than written words. People are just lazy.

[Raye Delvego]

Sianserais

Raye Delvego

First off i wanna say that I did not know there was a book *adds it to my "to read" list*

Second to answer the question about people not reading the books due to the movies.

My mother REFUSES to read the harry potter books because she says "why read the books when the movies have all the information needed?"

Ugh. I don't get that attitude at all. I'm currently trying to get one of my young cousins to try reading them - so far no luck. Personally, I wanted to like the movies, but I can't actually make myself sit through any of them. It's kind of like fingernails on a chalkboard to me... So when they're on TV I may have it on while I'm busy doing something else.

To the OP, I also never knew there was a book. Never thought to look for one. I suspect that's part of the problem with my cousin, though. He liked the movies well enough, I hear.

I try to go into movies thinking from an entertainment point of view. I HATE the Eragon and Golden Compass movies from the novel point of view because they changed SOOO much. However they are EXCELLENT movies if you have never read the books or know nothing about them.