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Is the Movie Better Than the Book?

Wallace Yovetich

Staff Writer

Wallace Yovetich grew up in a home where reading was preferred to TV, playing outside was actually fun, and she was thrilled when her older brothers weren’t home so she could have a turn on the Atari. Now-a-days she watches a bit more TV, and considers sitting on the porch swing (with her laptop) “playing outside”. She still thinks reading is preferable to most things, though she’d really like to find out where her mom put that old Atari (Frogger addicts die hard). She runs a series of Read-a-Longs throughout the year (as well as posting fun bookish tidbits throughout the week) on her blog, Unputdownables. After teaching for seven years, Wallace is now an aspiring writer. Blog: Unputdownables Twitter: @WallaceYovetich

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For the most part, we know that the book is usually better than the movie. However, there are a few exceptions (sorry, there just are). I went to the Rioters with this, sure that I’d be ducking rotten tomatoes, and surprisingly I was given a list of movies that others thought were better than the books. Here’s what we came up with for movies that were as good or better than the book. Do you have any to add? Do you hate me (just a little) for making this list?

  • The Help*
  • The Devil Wears Prada*
  • Julie and Julia (actually better than both books)*
  • The Shawshank Redemption
  • The Fight Club
  • Children of Men
  • The Godfather
  • The Shining
  • The Lady Vanishes
  • The Wheel Spins
  • The English Patient
  • Big Fish
  • Twilight

    *I concede that I haven’t read or seen all of the movies on this list. The titles with asterisks next to their names are the ones I contributed.