Little resemblance to the novel
341639
"A Little Princess" is a classic children's story.  Unfortunately, this particular film adaptation played too fast and loose with the story line, leaving it closer to the Shirley Temple movie than to the original novel.  On the positive side, Liesl Matthews is wonderful in the role.
4030268
If you are expecting the movie, you will be surprised. Almost nothing is the same. The pace is slower, the characters more developed, the plot somewhat less fantastic. And more supporting characters are included as well.  I enjoyed the movie and I enjoyed the book. Very different experiences.
2924980
Early on in the movie, Chase proposes (seemingly madly) that they play a game in which she (Chase) is Mrs. Ramsay and Elizabeth is Lily.  If you miss that, you miss the entire movie, which is a reenactment of Virginia Woolf's novel "To the Lighthouse", a brilliant and subtle portrait of repression, suffering, loss.  This movie does a fair job of bringing the essence of Virginia Woolf's novel to the screen, but apparently missed the mark in terms of generating empathy for and understanding of  the leading character (Chase/Mrs. Ramsay).  Made me want to go back and re-read Woolf, which I guess is a commendation for the movie.
4974119
I teach the short story version of "Flowers for Algernon" in 8th grade. I use to show the 1968 version but it's so dated and the kids have a hard time following along. I was hoping that this was going to be a better version and while it follows along closely with the novel it leaves out key parts, like the bus-boy scene and Dr. Strauss. It also feels really rushed and the acting is pretty meh. Additionally, there's cursing peppered throughout the movie and Charlie sleeps with Ms. Kinnian. So, while I'm willing to show this version again because it's going to be easier for the students to follow along with it's not just amazing.
3177148
I haven't checked to see whether this book or "Red Rising" by Pierce Brown were written first, but they have both profound stylistic and plot similarities. The young commoner, technologically modified to oppose his masters, leading a revolt from the mines, inspired by rebellious song, his mate murdered by the management, driven by revenge, and yet oddly self-identified with his martially feudal enemies. Same story, with only slight rearrangement.

Worse, the diction, verbiage, and tone is incredibly similar. This goes beyond mere flattery. Do we have an author with two pen names? The same autobot AI? I just don't know.
1358229
Don't get me wrong, I liked the novel (I read it in less than a week). It was a good story and certainly entertaining. The only problem was that, in my mind, it seemed like an alternative version of James Blish's "Spock Must Die" novel. It seems the Star Trek novels of the 1970's just couldn't focus on anyone else but Mr. Spock and/or Captain Kirk. There were other people on board the USS Enterprise. Unfortunately, the book just was not outstanding enough.
1119711
This book recounts the return to the Dyson Sphere encountered in the Star Trek Next Generation episode "Relics". There are some fun nods to the Horta race seen in the original series and the comic books, and a rushed tour of the giant structure in what appear to be its final hours. The book is very short and not particularly good. All the regular characters play their parts, but there isn't enough time for much to happen before the book comes to an unsatisfying end.

This book is very similar to a much better book titled "Excession", by author Ian M. Banks. I say this mostly because of the way both novels end. Take my advice and seek out the better book.
643241
People must like the idea behind this novel more than the novel itself. It's a run-of-the-mill mystery that was surprising in its simplicity. The movie adaptations were much more interesting.
644201
The title and author make it look like the novel. However, this item is a play by Edward Albee, based on the work by Nabokov. You can see this if you read the full review. I am rating this a "1" because I wanted the book, not the play. However, the play maybe fantastic, so if a play is what you really want, disregard my review.
49512
First of all, this is hardly anything like the book so don't be surprised if you come in as a fan.

Cinematically, this is a beautifully shot film with great cinematography. However, it does lack some substance and can come across boring. They don't lend a lot of backstory and they don't develop the characters a whole lot. I'm usually not an advocate for long movies, but I feel like this could have been a lot more interesting if it had an extra 20-30min. Not to mention the accents from all three actors are pretty whack.
1726092
This rare little tie-in book is not exactly a novelization. It's Michael Chrichton's script for the film, there are several minor changes, some scenes would be shortened in the film, some removed entirely, there is even a slightly alternate ending which, in my opinion, was better. Since the script is basically what you see on the screen, how you felt about the movie should tell you how you'll feel about the book.
1961560
My husband and I read the book, and the movie was so severely altered (by necessity, as the book was very long!) that it was disappointing.  The actors were fine, but the comparison between the book and the movie was more disappointing than usual with such a comparison.
1587540
Characters and plot line were similar to the Blade Runner movie, but, other than that, the book is quite different.  The book wasn't at the same level of excellence as movie; but it is an interesting and engaging novel.
908699
Compared to the movie, the novel is a classic.  It is one of those books that could have been so much better.  Still it was an enjoyable read.
4432144
To my mind the Virgil Tibbs in the novel didn't have quite the same presence or "weight" of Sidney Poitier in the movie. Virgil Tibbs in the novel seemed to be a more subdued presence, I was expecting more fire from his character.

Have wanted to read this novel for ages and have to admit being a shade disappointed because I had such high expectations. It is well written and the mystery component well delivered but it is the finely wrought characterisation between the amateur Chief of Police Gillespie and the professional Virgil Tibbs that draws the reader in. A novel of prejudice and racial discrimination.
1578967
Love the book, just like the movie, but the kittens are boring and not fuzzy and cute like the movie.
4197724
I picked this short story up on my Kindle after I saw the new movie starring Brad Pitt. I did like the movie, but felt it was lacking the punch it could have had. I was curious whether this short story was drastically different than the movie.

The only thing that this story and the movie have in common is the fact that it is about a person aging backwards. This story was fun to read, though. It was much more fanciful and ridiculous than the movie is. At the same time, it is very sad as the story goes on.

This book is definitely worth a quick read, especially if you have seen the film and want to check out the source material. I would recommend picking up one of the collections by F. Scott Fitzgerald, though. This short story cost about $7, and is only about 60 pages. I think for almost the same price, I could have gotten one of the short story books by F. Scott Fitzgerald.