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the_devotress's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
As a fan of the Lynne Ramsey film adaptation of this, it was interesting seeing the differences between these two versions of the same story.
As usual with book-to-film adaptations of character-centric stories that are actually about something else, the film loses a lot of the meditations on Scottish identity that fill this book, but the forefront character exploration is Lynne Ramsey's strength anyway and that shows in her film.
The other main difference is, if I recall correctly, Ramsey speeds up the pace of the story significantly, which improves the story a lot. There are points here where the actual story doesn't really move forward for stretches of 30 pages at a time, which helps the lonely, freefalling vibes of Morvern's character, but makes the reading experience a lot less enjoyable.
unfortunately, in this round of adaptation wars, the film won.
As usual with book-to-film adaptations of character-centric stories that are actually about something else, the film loses a lot of the meditations on Scottish identity that fill this book, but the forefront character exploration is Lynne Ramsey's strength anyway and that shows in her film.
The other main difference is, if I recall correctly, Ramsey speeds up the pace of the story significantly, which improves the story a lot. There are points here where the actual story doesn't really move forward for stretches of 30 pages at a time, which helps the lonely, freefalling vibes of Morvern's character, but makes the reading experience a lot less enjoyable.
unfortunately, in this round of adaptation wars, the film won.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Blood
Minor: Sexism and Vomit