This is one of those perfect examples of how Hollywood completely butchers a book.
When I first saw the movie, I thought it was fantastic. I could not wait to read the book. I thought it would be just like the movie and I would ecstatic at the outcome and everything would be hunky dory.
Now that I've read the book, I'm really mad at the movie. First of all, it's a trilogy: it is followed by Inkspell and finally Inkdeath, which I fully intend to read. Second of all, they mangled the characters. Badly. Not a single character in the book seemed to be portrayed correctly in the movie. The aunt was not skinny and she was bit more brutish. The dad....I kept seeing Brenden Frasier, but it should have been someone else. Capricorn was the worst. He's supposed to be tall and skinny. Tall and skinny!!!
I loved the book. I started it over a month ago and just finished a few days ago. I chewed it slowly, enjoying it because it was a book about books and about people who collected books, fixed books, loved books, wrote books....came out of books... It was my dream book. I am going to place it next to The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. Actually, my goal is to have an entire bookshelf dedicated to the Inkheart Trilogy: have a nice copy of every book quoted in them, plus the 3.
A bit much? Well, I can be mildly OCD at times. I'm okay with that.
I also want a box just like Meggie had. I will go to great lengths to have this box made.
It's a fantastic story. I read a lot of reviews about it and how people don't seem to like it as much as the quotes that are in it. In a way, I suppose I somewhat agree. The idea of the book was perfection on paper. I think having that idea in one's head would make any attempt at writing the story seem feeble. But if one can get over the idea of a perfect book about books, then one might appreciate it more.
Highly recommended, especially for those of you, like me, who like fairy tales, happy endings, and know your literature!! Children's literature, that is.
I wish Funke had held out a few more years until the age of the Trilogy hit Hollywood. We could have had 3 movies instead of just one, and maybe the characters would have lived up to themselves. But if you have not seen the movie, read the entire trilogy first, that way you're not overwhelmed with images of Brenden Frasier and Paul Bettany while you're reading it.
Also, I may have to rewatch the movie, but I don't remember Mortola being in it, either... Hmm. And...the movie was missing fairies, trolls, glass men, and Tinker Bell!! The book was way more entertaining.
That's that.
