Brand Loyalty

How loyal are you to the books you read, and to the authors who write them?

I’m surprised how defensive I felt when I was watching a TV movie based on an Agatha Christie book and a totally different person was revealed as the murderer. How dare they second-guess the Queen of Crime? I was outraged – in fact, I was so outraged it came as a bit of a shock.

My daughter recently complained about a TV series she enjoys  – it’s based on a series of vampire books, and for the most part, she likes it. But she mentioned that a character who, in the books, dies in book two is still hanging around several episodes into the series. Much as she likes the show, this kind of bugs her.

I’m a big fan of Tess Gerritsen’s books, and I really like the TV series, Rizzoli and Isles, which is based on her characters. The TV series differs from the books in many ways, and Maura Isles backstory, in particular, is different in the show than in the books. But, maybe because I like the cast, I find myself forgiving of these differences. Or maybe it’s just that I know Tess Gerritsen is involved with the show – if it’s okay with her, then who am I to complain?

What about you – does it drive you crazy when movies based on books you like change key details? Readers of the Harry Potter books seemed very supportive of the movies, even though they were hardly carbon copies of the books.

What are some movies or TV shows that did a good job adapting the books? Which ones drive you nuts?