Brain Soup Goes Gilmore discussion

Did you see the movie? What did you think? How well did it represent the book? Did it hold up as a good movie on its own?

I saw the movie first, a few years back. It was beautiful and made me cry so when I saw the book I bought it, where it sat on my shelf untouched until this month.

I loved the movie, and I don't know if I would have ever read the book if I hadn't seen the movie first, but I REALLY wish I had read the book first. I got all the delicious thrills of discovering how their lives were intricately wound together across time when watching the movie, but that meant there were less thrills when reading.

Fortunately for me, I had forgotten (SPOILERS) the frostbite, how Alba's conception took place, and a few other things like that. And then there were new discoveries in the book - like Gomez's relationship with Clare (!), and I don't remember Clare's 18th birthday being in the movie.

The one thing I thought the movie did better than the book was the final scene. I preferred seeing Henry encounter a younger Clare rather than when she was 82. (I guess they made that choice so they could still use Rachel McAdams as Clare and not have to dress her up as an old woman?) I liked him seeing Alba again there, and I liked Clare running out and embracing him. I think that feeling was amplified on reading the book because Henry's letter said he didn't want Clare to spend all her time waiting. And then she waited 50 years to see him again anyway.

I'll be keen to hear the thoughts of someone who's seen the movie more recently!