I recently plowed through The Light Between Oceans, enjoying the suspense of how the situation could possibly play out:

In the aftermath of WWI, a veteran takes a post as a lighthouse keeper at Janus Rock, which is hours by boat off of the coast of Australia. He and his new wife are the only people on the island, and they try to start a family. After multiple miscarriages and stillbirths, they are heartbroken. But then… a boat containing a dead man and a healthy baby drifts to their shore!

This book was a quick and entertaining read that required me to consider the morality and implications of these people’s choices. The ending was so emotional for me that it left me dehydrated the next day after staying up way past my bedtime to finish it in peace!  I know this is not a new release (2012), but if you have not read this yet, I do recommend it! It left me desperate to discuss the situation with someone; it would be a great choice for a book club.

Thus, I was really curious to see the movie, which is a somewhat recent release. The movie followed the book very closely, but unfortunately it just didn’t add anything for me except for making me question my initial character allegiances (maybe because this time around I already knew information that is initially withheld in the story). Maybe this is a better movie for people who haven’t read the book? For the record I have not finished the movie yet. I am not sure if I will. It cost me $5.99 and I have 24 more hours to do so…I’m just not sure I can take all that crying again, or maybe I’m worried I wouldn’t even feel the same emotion this time around??

Even though this experience strongly supports “book over movie,” I can sometimes really appreciate a movie that mimics a book. Atonement and Far from the Madding Crowd are the most recent examples that immediately come to mind.

And in a very rare example, I blogged about a movie has actually enhanced my experience with the book.

And in an even rarer example, I have blogged about a movie that is BETTER than the book.

But in the case of A Light Between Oceans my recommendation is:

Book: READ; Movie: SKIP.

And if you want to discuss which character you felt the most sorry for, please drop me a note or comment below!