My family’s always looking for a good series to enjoy together, and this was one we had attempted over the summer. Of course, as I mentioned in my review of Montgomery’s introductory book, Anne of Green Gables, I grew up watching the Megan Follows TV series and am not too masculine to admit that I loved the shows. In fact, after finishing Book 1 in the series, we went out and borrowed the Anne of Green Gables show from the library and my kids’ reaction was the same as my own at that age. Loved it.
For these reasons—and since we all really enjoyed the first book immensely—we were excited to dive into this sequel, hoping that it would spark an eight- or ten-book frolic through the wonderful world of Anne Shirley. Alas, I barely recognized a thing of the TV series in this book, and that disheartened me to it all as I read it to my kids.
Books and Their Films
Normally, I’m thrilled to read a book after having watched the film, especially when the storylines are so different. For example, one of the first books that captured my literary heart was 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke, the novelization of Stanley Kubrick’s epic film which was published after the film was released. You can read all about it my book review elsewhere, but suffice it to say that Arthur C. Clarke helped unravel the mysteries of that film, and turned a total yawn-fest into one of my favorite movies of all time. Books have the power to illuminate the nooks and crannies that films often miss, simply due to the natures of the different media.
Another example that I discuss elsewhere is Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Identity. Everyone’s seen the Matt Damon film and enjoyed it for what it was, a modern spy thriller. Years after I saw the film, though, I went back to read the book and realized that its distance from modern times, technology, and world crises impacted the plot so drastically that it was almost as if I were reading a completely different story, yet with the same characters and thrills of the movie. Again, I loved it.
The differences noted in these reading experiences reinforced my opinion that books-made-from-movies and movies-made-from-books needn’t be so despised. While “The book is better” may be true in most instances, that doesn’t negate the power of film to bring the reader’s imagination to light. Incidentally, Stanley Kubrick’s interpretation of Stephen King’s The Shining is another example that comes to mind as I write this.
I’ve taken this foray into books-vs.-movies for a reason. While I loved the TV series about Anne of Avonlea, the original book left me wanting. I barely recognized anything between the two! Certainly, there were spurts of commonality: college is coming for Anne Shirley, Dianna’s falling in love, etc. But there were too few to make it enjoyable.
The Book Itself…and That Dumb ol’ Paul Irving!
The chapters in this book were very episodic, more so than in Book 1. That can often be a good approach for an author, because it means readers can read the book in chunks. At the same time, it also allows for readers to put the book down without much loss, since there exist no cliffhangers or reasons to press on.
Perhaps the worst part of this book, though, is that little do-no-wrong, Benjamin-Button brat Paul Irving. Man, every time he spoke, I wanted to slap him upside the head—-not because I condone violence against children, mind you, but because that five-year old kid was actually a 70-year-old man hiding in a child’s body (also, he’s fictional). He was unrealistic and he tainted the whole book for me. I was with David throughout the story: what’s the point in being good if I can’t be as good as dumb ol’ Paul Irving?
To avoid more disheartening reading—but more importantly, to avoid Paul Irving—we’ve elected to forgo the rest of the books in this series and just stick with the TV program. None of us have a problem with that.
©2021 E.T.