Book reviews and movie castings

I listened to this book during one of my trips to Austin and several trips to McKinney.

It's a weird story to summarize so I am using someone else's description:

A novel by Audrey Niffenegger, it is an unconventional love story that centers on a man with a strange genetic disorder that causes him to unpredictably time-travel and his wife, an artist, who has to cope with his frequent absences and dangerous experiences. In this book, unlike many other time travel stories, it is not possible to change the past or future.
(from Wikipedia)

That's the simple explanation. It's a love story. Or as one customer said to me at Whole Foods a long time ago when I told him I like Kingsolver, "Oh, chick books". At first, I was offended when he said that but then I thought, "Yeah, chick books! Of course, HE would scorn it. He's a guy! There's no way he'd understand!" and then I felt like I was apart of a secret club and that made me feel better.

I digress.

During the first half of the book, I couldn't stop thinking about it! I loved it. I laughed, cried, laughed and then cried some more.

Then the rhythm changed. Some of the characters started acting differently without explaining why. Then we find out more about certain character's past and future, actually, and it's mind boggling and not in a good way. More like a WTF? sort of way.

It did end on a nice, hopeful note...if not a little sad.

I was totally let down by the first 1/3 of the last half, then it got a little better towards the very end. But it still pulled at my heart strings and made me a bit mad in the way it ended, which some people (ahem, Audrey) might have wanted.

I guess in certain books I want to escape. I mean, that's why I read fiction right? If I wanted depressing, sad stories I would read some non-fiction or poetry, right? Or I would stay away from Nicholas Sparks, who likes to end all his books with a "ohhh...no!" moment. But I know to stay away from certain authors when I don't want something depressing.

But I didn't know with TTW! It said love story. It started off so strong and loving!

Then it reached in, Simpsons style, and pulled out my heart. "Oh you won't be needing this!" (After a long time searching, I am sorry to say I couldn't find a picture of that moment...)

And that made me kind of mad.

So, then I find out they are making the book into a movie! And now that I have been forewarned and have already survived the first telling of the story, I am looking forward to the Hollywood version of it!

Except for one thing:


I don't think Rachel McAdams is right for the part. She's too cute. Clare is sophisticated and grace embodied. Clare has to deal with major emotional drama of falling in love with her husband when she was a little girl, meeting him in her 20s (and his first time meeting her) and then waiting for him each time he time travels. Not only that but this character really wants a baby which is hard to do when your husband has a genetic dis-order that causes him to time-travel (meaning it's passed on to the baby). I am afraid McAdams, although cute and a decent actress, won't be able to portray the subtleties Clare discusses in the book, which is hard anyways to translate to the screen.

But I found a Clare!


Behold. Mirando Otto.

Also, if it were up to me, I would totally make this film end happier and I would cast Mirando Otto as Clare. I mean, just look at this woman! And I should know who to cast since I have done nothing but think about that book since I finished it a month ago.


So, I would recomend this book, but be warned! It will make you cry! And it's true, it IS a love story, but a freakin' SAD love story!