My Movie Business: A Memoir
by John Irving
I've seen the film version of The Cider House Rules at least ten times, and my worn copy of the novel is one of my most prized books. I don't even let guests touch it; I've been known to buy them their own copy rather than let them preview the story with mine.
Needless to say, I was more than interested to find out why John Irving decided to cut out major parts of his novel for the film adaptation. No spoilers here, but the film is drastically different than the book. I thought this memoir would be a detailed description answering every one of my questions. After I read it, most of my questions have remained unanswered.
It's not a bad read; it just wasn't what I was expecting. A good portion of the book discusses his journey while writing The Cider House Rules, and an equally lengthy section details his experiences with Hollywood's adaptations of his other novels. I thought the entire book was going to center on The Cider House Rules. I thought he would provide more answers as to why he made the cuts and changes he did, rather than devoting an entire chapter to his hopes for the promotional poster of the film, which had not yet been released at the time.
Still, if you're a John Irving fan and would like a quick read that you can imagine was a fireside chat between you two at a quiet party, you might enjoy this book.
Be sure and check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of John Irving's novels A Widow for One Year and The Cider House Rules!
Needless to say, I was more than interested to find out why John Irving decided to cut out major parts of his novel for the film adaptation. No spoilers here, but the film is drastically different than the book. I thought this memoir would be a detailed description answering every one of my questions. After I read it, most of my questions have remained unanswered.
It's not a bad read; it just wasn't what I was expecting. A good portion of the book discusses his journey while writing The Cider House Rules, and an equally lengthy section details his experiences with Hollywood's adaptations of his other novels. I thought the entire book was going to center on The Cider House Rules. I thought he would provide more answers as to why he made the cuts and changes he did, rather than devoting an entire chapter to his hopes for the promotional poster of the film, which had not yet been released at the time.
Still, if you're a John Irving fan and would like a quick read that you can imagine was a fireside chat between you two at a quiet party, you might enjoy this book.
Be sure and check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of John Irving's novels A Widow for One Year and The Cider House Rules!