If you know me (or you've read my blogs), you'll probably know that I am a book over TV kinda gal. Although I do love the odd series here and there, it can sometimes take me ages to get into a new one whereas I can pick up a book and easily finish it that night!
I've read quite a lot of books and watched the TV series too so I thought it would be interesting to see how they marry up against one another. I've surprised myself here as I usually much prefer books but some of these series just cannot be beaten!
Keep reading to see how I've rated 5 books vs their TV show addition!
Possibly the most popular Netflix series in 2021, Bridgerton initially didn’t appeal much to me. However, due to all the positive reviews and hype I had to give it a go. This is possibly one of my favourite ever series! It gave me Jane Austen mixed with Gossip Girl vibes and I LOVED it! From the outfits, to the locations, the lavish parties and the scandal, I couldn’t fault it. I also thought that the casting was fabulous and worked really well.
After I finished the series (and watched it again) I still wanted more so I started to read the book. I actually really liked it. I enjoyed how each chapter started with an excerpt of Lady Whistledown’s Society Paper. However I felt that there could have been better descriptions of the outfits and the locations as, personally, this is a huge part of the attraction to the series. If I hadn’t watched the TV series, I would have struggled to picture it in my head. I have currently only read the first book so I can’t comment on whether this is something that improves throughout the others.
Overall, I’d recommend the first book as it is an easy read and I whizzed through it! However, the TV series is something else and if you haven’t watched it already then you HAVE to start it!
I heard the hype about this series and just had to watch it straight away. I watched this back in 2020 and absolutely loved it. I thought the casting was brilliant and the plot gripping and fast paced.
I had really high hopes for the book after watching the series but I was really disappointed and didn’t manage to get much further than 30%. I found it quite hard to get into and just found myself skipping over large sections hoping to reach the interesting part. The writing style reminded me of a teen fiction book which I think was part of the reason I didn’t enjoy it as much, as I prefer a more mature style. I’m unsure whether I’d have enjoyed it a little more if I read the book first but I’m quite sure I wouldn’t have felt any different and maybe would have missed out on watching an amazing series!
I would highly recommend watching Little Fires Everywhere on Hulu but I’m not sure that I would recommend the book.
I first read The Handmaid’s Tale when I was studying English Literature at A Level for a project focusing on Dystopian Fiction. I found the concept really original and cleverly written. This book was like nothing I've ever read before. I loved the descriptions as I felt that I could truly picture the situations. A true classic.
I think the series is amazing. It really brings to life the descriptions used within the book and builds upon the original concept with exciting story lines, particularly from Season 2 onwards. From this season, the writers have become really creative and maintained a gripping plot that follows on from Atwood's original one. I think I have felt every emotion whilst watching this: shocked, disgusted, happy, sad, hopeful... It is definitely worth a watch if you're after something a little different but it isn't one for the faint hearted as some scenes can be quite graphic and shocking.
I absolutely LOVED the concept of this. I first read the book several years ago as I found the brief blurb really intriguing. I wasn't disappointed. I think that I liked it so much as scarily, this is something that could actually happen in real life. Sadly people are blackmailed every day, usually by people that they know to some extent but with the heavy use of social media, it could easily occur from a stranger.
I found the book gripping and I enjoyed the different scenarios. Although a little far fetched at times, in my opinion, when people are desperate I can understand how some of the situations may occur. I won't elaborate as I don't want to spoil it if you haven't already read the book or watched it!
I really enjoyed the Netflix series. I liked that the protagonist was a female as in the book it was mainly a man and I enjoyed the power roles used. I thought that the casting was really good and thoroughly enjoyed watching this. I would definitely recommend it as a series to anyone who is looking for a new thriller to watch. Equally, the book was a fast-paced, easy read and I would also recommend this.
I'm not sure I'd actually be able to choose which I preferred more as I really enjoyed both in different ways!
Another extremely popular Netflix series (sorry for being such a cliche!) and one that I loved. I've watched both series but I'll just focus on the first one for now. I thought that the casting was fantastic. I found Penn Bagley to play the role of Joe really well, coming across as really creepy and fitting with the narrative in the book. His voice just fits so well also! I loved how fast paced this series was and it always had you guessing what would happen next. I think the series exaggerated certain scenes for theatrical purposes which worked well and provided the shock factor for viewers.
I read the book recently as I saw it was 99p on Kindle so I thought I'd give it a try. The writing style isn't usually my taste but I thought it worked well and gave a good insight into Joe's character and the reasoning behind his actions. I thought at times some of the descriptions were quite crass and I would have expected different language used, particularly in line with Joe's high level of appreciation, adoration and obsession with Beck. I think that with this occurring early on it could put some readers off and they might not continue with the book. It is a good book and I did enjoy it but I personally thought the series had the winning touch!
-
If you read or watch any of the above, I'd love to know your thoughts!
No comments
Post a Comment