Seven Classic Book Adaptations Coming To Your Screen Soon

 

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Classic book adaptations make up all of my favorite movies. They are timeless and well-loved stories for a reason! The end of 2019 and beginning of 2020 look like they will hold plenty of new book-to-movie adaptations for us to check out. There's not a whole lot of information about any of these yet, but I've included links so you can begin to follow the news about them for yourself. 

Little Women
I know, I know - there was literally a new version that aired on PBS just last year! But coming this December you can see the March sisters on the big screen again, with a star-studded cast including Emma Watson, Saoirse Ronan, Meryl Streep, and more! 

Pride and Prejudice
While I have my doubts that anyone can top Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy, I am excited that we're getting a remake of this beloved Austen story! The 1995 one is marvelous, of course, but it definitely shows its age. I believe my heart has room to be open to the possibility of liking this one, too.

The Secret Garden
Speaking of Colin Firth, he's going to have a lead role in this new adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett's tale. I always preferred Burnett's A Little Princess myself, but I know this is a favorite of many.

Sanditon
Jane Austen's final and incomplete novel is making it to the screen in an adaptation by Andrew Davies. I've read one finished version of the book and quite enjoyed it; maybe I should read it again before this airs!

Rebecca
I was excited to hear the news that Netflix will give us a new look at Daphne du Maurier's most famous story! Lily James will play the second Mrs. de Winter, and I have no doubt they will do a smashing job bringing this gothic tale to life.

Emma
Opposite my feelings of the new Pride and Prejudice, it feels too soon for another version of Austen's Emma. The 2009 one is so perfectly lovely! I'll admit to already being prejudiced against this Mr. Knightley. Surely there's no way he can beat Jonny Lee Miller, Jeremy Northam, or Brent Bailey's portrayals!

The Call of the Wild
OK, here's the truth - I probably would have very little interest in this movie except for the fact that it will have Dan Stevens, Harrison Ford, and Karen Gillan in it. That's a cast I'll show up for!

BONUS!

If we were making wishlists of books we'd like to see play out on the screen, I'd like to put in a good word for Emily of Deep Valley by Maud Hart Lovelace, which is inspirational and has surprisingly modern themes for being set in 1912. Another suggestion is Lucy Maud Montgomery's The Blue Castle, which some people count as their favorite work by LMM, even above Anne of Green Gables.

I'd also like to suggest remakes for A Girl of the Limberlost, as we've yet to have a really good adaptation, and Austen's Persuasion, as both the 1995 and 2007 versions leave a little something to be desired.

 

Find more Top Ten Tuesday posts at That Artsy Reader Girl.

"The Heart of a King" by Jill Eileen Smith

 


Having recently enjoyed Jill Eileen Smith's nonfiction book When Life Doesn't Match Your Dreams, I was excited to have the chance to review her new release on the loves of King Solomon. This book blends four novellas into one story, choosing to focus on four of the many, many women married to this most wise king. 

I was truly impressed with how the author blended Scripture, research, and imagination to flesh out King Solomon. For example, he had to have known the history of his parents, David and Bathsheba, and this story explores how that that cautionary tale may have played into his own pursuit of many wives. It also reflected on how David was not allowed to build the Temple because he was a man of war, while Solomon was called to a reign of peace and that may also have influenced the treaty marriages he undertook. 

The first wife portrayed is Naamah, whom the Bible lists as the mother of Solomon's heir Rehoboam. Though Smith does not directly forecast to events that took place after Solomon's death, it was easy to extrapolate how Rehoboam's mindset might have been shaped by Naamah and her experiences in Solomon's court. I realize that's speculation, but it was incredibly well done.

My favorite wife as written here was probably Abishag, the young woman first brought to the palace to tend to King David in his old age. The other two women who are given their own stories here are an Egyptian princess and the queen of Sheba.

I would recommend this story to readers of Biblical fiction, though given that marriage and the marriage relationship have such focus, I wouldn't recommend it for young readers. My only complaint about the story was that I wished we'd heard more from each wife throughout the entire length of the book, but I understand that's not how novellas work, even ones somewhat overlapping and woven together like these. This was my first fiction read by this author and I'd definitely be interested in reading through her previous releases at some point.

I received my copy of the book from the publisher. All thoughts in this review are my own.