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erica_o 's review for:
What's Eating Gilbert Grape
by Peter Hedges
You know what makes me hang my head in shame?
The fact that I didn't know this book was a book until earlier this year.
I am not even kidding. Yes, I am a librarian and have been for a really long time and still, I had no idea this was a book.
So much shame for me.
My ridiculous excuse that I just now made up to make myself feel better about my prior ignorance: This came out in 1991 and I had been in college for a year and was getting the hang of things and really buckling down to study and such. I didn't read for pleasure anymore and I think all fiction that came out between 1990-1995 that didn't go through the library was missed by me. That's my excuse.
Anyway, I now know this is a book and I have read it.
It makes the movie make a lot more sense. I liked the movie quite well (I did see that when it came out; I also just watched it the other night for the sake of comparison and if it said "Based on the book by Peter Hedges" in the beginning, I missed it both the first time and when I watched it again on Friday) but I like the book a lot better. It's much more nuanced, the relationships between everyone are deeper, more real, more painful. I could relate with Book Gilbert far better than I could with Movie Gilbert and now I don't think Juliette Lewis was such a good choice.
But whatever.
This was a solid story and the ending is much more powerful in text, at least it was for me.
The fact that I didn't know this book was a book until earlier this year.
I am not even kidding. Yes, I am a librarian and have been for a really long time and still, I had no idea this was a book.
So much shame for me.
My ridiculous excuse that I just now made up to make myself feel better about my prior ignorance: This came out in 1991 and I had been in college for a year and was getting the hang of things and really buckling down to study and such. I didn't read for pleasure anymore and I think all fiction that came out between 1990-1995 that didn't go through the library was missed by me. That's my excuse.
Anyway, I now know this is a book and I have read it.
It makes the movie make a lot more sense. I liked the movie quite well (I did see that when it came out; I also just watched it the other night for the sake of comparison and if it said "Based on the book by Peter Hedges" in the beginning, I missed it both the first time and when I watched it again on Friday) but I like the book a lot better. It's much more nuanced, the relationships between everyone are deeper, more real, more painful. I could relate with Book Gilbert far better than I could with Movie Gilbert and now I don't think Juliette Lewis was such a good choice.
But whatever.
This was a solid story and the ending is much more powerful in text, at least it was for me.