Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

there's a book for that

There's a book for that (TV edition): About a Boy

A few summers ago, I found out some of my favorite classic movies were based on books. (It’s not unusual for books to become movies these days, but for some reason it surprised me about some older works.) That year, I blogged a short series reviewing the books I’d read. You can search for those under the category “there’s a book for that.” Or you can click on the individual reviews at the end of this post.

This year, my discovery has been that a bunch of TV shows I like are based on books. So, I set out to read the books that some of those shows are based on.

about a boyThe first, About a Boy by  Nick Hornby, was a movie, yes, but my husband and I have been enjoying the TV version (NBC) of this story as well. (I love Minnie Driver, and I’m super sad that the network apparently canceled the show abruptly in the spring. Boo!) I don’t remember much about the movie except for Hugh Grant (who forgets Hugh Grant?), which is why I’m opting to include this in my TV-from-books series. (And yes, the cover of this book is from the movie, but this is the one the library had for me to read.)

If you’re unfamiliar, the story is about Will Freeman, a pretty self-centered 30-something guy who lives off the royalties of a hit song. In the book, his father wrote the song. In the TV show, he wrote it. Either way, he’s used to a life of luxury and leisure that revolves around him. He can hardly stand to be around his friends who have children and he’s a womanizer who likes to party. Will’s life is about one thing: Will.

And then he invents a child to meet women at a single parents’ group, and then he meets Marcus, the eclectic 12-year-old son of the even more eclectic Fiona, and they reluctantly start to bond. Will’s relationship with Marcus begins to draw him out of his bubble and forces him to awkwardly and uncomfortably care about other people.

On the TV show, we see this develop bit by bit, and even when I think the show has gone too far in illustrating Will’s lifestyle, there’s usually a redeeming moment when his relationship with Marcus brings him back.

I enjoyed the book because it adds depth to the characters. And even though I think Will is incredibly selfish and lazy, I appreciate the theme that authentic relationships can change us.

Each week this month, I’ll be posting another review of a book that has become a TV show. Next week: Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death by James Runcie (Grantchester, PBS).

Interested in the books-to-movies I reviewed? Here’s the list and links:

Mary Poppins.

The Princess Bride.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Memoirs of an English Governess at the Siamese Court.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

There’s a book for that: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

I give full credit to PBS and Robert Downey Jr. for sparking my interest in the classic tales of a British private investigator with a keen eye for detail.

Does that description even do Sherlock Holmes justice?

My husband and I have watched both of PBS’ Sherlock series (brilliant, I say, and I have a mild crush on Martin Freeman as Watson) and saw both of RDJ’s Sherlock movies in the theater. (That’s a big deal. We don’t get to the theater more than 3 or 4 times a year, if that.) And I’m looking forward to a CBS series this fall called “Elementary” starring another favorite, Jonny Lee Miller (I loved his show “Eli Stone,” which of course, means it was canceled.)

Somewhere, in the midst of all that Sherlock on-screen love, I read The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Once again, I was amazed at the storytelling. Throughout this series looking at classic books that have become movies, I have been disappointed in myself for not having read these books earlier. It was the same for Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. I have yet to read the other Sherlock compilations by Doyle, but I am eager to read them, and re-read this one. Each story, or “case,” is a quick yet thrilling read, and like the screen versions, are full of twists and turns you don’t expect.

So, it’s on this note that I end my first ever “There’s a Book For That” series. I could write endless posts on books that have become movies, and I’ll consider another series later in the year. For now, I hope you’ve enjoyed these looks at classic works. My own reading history has been enriched by these stories. I’m open to further suggestions, if you have them.

Happy reading!