This was a fantastic movie that I may even have seen in a movie theater (how sad is it that I cannot even remember this?).I definitely saw it not long after it came out on DVD, and it was so good, I decided to go ahead and buy a copy, and I seem to watch it at least once a year, or so. It was the other movie directed by Gus Van Sant about a troubled but brilliant student with enormous potential, who falls in love with a girl while finding a mentor that changes his life, only to almost squander these opportunities and throw it all away, before everything finally (predictably, perhaps?) falls into place a the end. You can definitely see the similarities between the two movies, for that matter.
Largely forgotten, however, was a copy of the book I had gotten some years ago (apparently, according to the sticker that is still on the cover, way back in 2007). It was used and in the discount racks, and when I saw it, I grabbed it. But it had remained kind of hidden in storage for a while, and I was pleasantly surprised to find the copy again not long ago. I was reading some other stuff at the time, but kept it nearby, wanting to finally get around to reading it, which I definitely wanted to do. A few days ago, I picked it up, and just started reading it. It was captivating, and I just got into it. It is not a long read, and so I finished within a few days. Probably could have finished it within a day, two tops, if I had really wanted to.
It was a rewarding read. If anything, it is even better than the movie! There are more details, and it explains certain aspects that the movie is not clear on, or only glosses over. It makes me want to go ahead and see the movie again!
Let me be clear, though: it is not a radical departure from the movie, or anything. In fact, it is one of the movies that stays fairly true and close to the book. The only differences, seemingly, were cuts of scenes from the book, in the interests of time, presumably, and perhaps understandably.
The book delves a bit more into some of the actual written words of the main character, Jamal, and his mentor, William Forrester, the fictional great writer of this story that this story largely revolves around. There is obviously more psychology in the book than in the movie, which is only normal, after all.
James Ellison writes this work with an emotional punch, and I think the ending in the book is more thorough, and more emotionally charged, than the movie, and that is saying something! The language, ironically, seems stronger, rawer, in the movie, than in the book. Usually, it seems like that is the reverse. I do not know why that is, but it kind of raised my eyebrows a bit, since it seemed so unusual.
It is a testament to this story, and James Ellison, that it was the kind of book that I wished was a bit longer, and that I almost regretted finishing, because I was enjoying it and wanted it to go on a little longer, not ready for it to end yet.
Consequently, on a completely unrelated note: I wrote this review while listening to a reading of Edgar Allen Poe's “The Raven” by James Earl Jones. Pretty unique, and his voice adds a very unique quality to this already unique and captivating poem. Recommended!
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