10 Brilliant Screen Adaptations That Expressed the True Essence of the Books They Were Based On

It’s not that easy to make viewers happy with the screen adaptations of their favorite books. But these 10 new movies and series were admired by even the pickiest readers.

Anatomy of a Scandal

The series is based on the debut novel of journalist Sarah Vaughan. This book became an international bestseller. The main heroine is married to a powerful statesman. But her life changes overnight after her husband is charged with a crime.

The series’ IMDb rating is 7.0. In an interview, Sarah mentioned that she trusted the show makers because they perfectly understood the main idea of the book.

Where the Crawdads Sing

By July 2022, 15 million copies of this novel were sold, making it one of the best-selling books of all time. In 2018, it was selected for Reese Witherspoon’s book club, and it was Witherspoon who became the producer of the future film.

The movie received mixed reviews. However, according to many viewers, the screen adaptation was excellent. The story revolves around a girl named Kya who’s spent most of her life in the marshes.

The Summer I Turned Pretty

This is a coming-of-age story. The main character Isabel finds herself inside a love triangle with 2 brothers. After the series’ release, the book became a best seller on the internet.

• I love the books. Love them. They’re so warm and sweet, and I was so nervous when I heard there was going to be a TV series. I thought the series would never be able to match the tone of the books I have.
  I was wrong! This series kept that warm and sweet feeling and followed the books so well. Loved it! Excited for the next season! © callijacquelle / IMDb

Pieces of Her

The main character tries to unravel the mysteries that surround her mother’s past. According to critics, the series’ plot is more complicated than the one in the book.

As for viewers, they say that the show creators kept the original story but still made some changes. And the biggest of them is the finale of the series. Most likely, this was done in order to make season 2.

• One episode in and I am hooked! I will always watch anything with Toni Collette. But this series has a depth that I have not seen in a while. Fantastic casting, fantastic story! Love it. © mmlaquerre / IMDb

Bridgerton (Season 2)

The second season of the TV show is based on the second book of the novel series Bridgerton by Julia Quinn. According to book fans, the series doesn’t fully follow the original story, but this makes it even better. There is an entire thread on the internet where series fans discuss what changes the show made when adapting the book. Currently, the IMDb rating of the series is 7.4, and a new season is planned to be released in 2023.

The Sandman

The Sandman is a comic book written by Neil Gaiman. It is about the life of Morpheus, the master of dreams, who has spent 100 years in prison, and now he has to adapt to the modern world. In 2022, the book was adapted to the big screen, and the resulting series was admired by the audience. According to them, the show didn’t disappoint them and met their expectations.

Shadow and Bone (Season 2)

This series is based on the fantasy novels of the same name that are among The New York Times top 10 best sellers. The main heroine lives in a world where there are magic-users and ordinary people. Suddenly, she discovers that she possesses a power that can save the entire world from chaos. According to fans of the series, the second season of the show turned out to be even better than the first one.

Mayfair Witches

This series is about a girl who belongs to a dynasty of powerful witches. The show received mixed reviews, but viewers praised the performance of Alexandra Daddario and Beth Grant. The show makers revealed that it turned out to be a very difficult task to condense the story of a 1,000-page book into 8 episodes.

The Lying Life of Adults

According to fans, transferring Elena Ferrante’s books onto the screen wasn’t an easy endeavor, as they are not plot-driven stories. There’s a lot of soul-searching and introspection. But the series creators did a great job.

The Lying Life of Adults TV show is about Giovanna, who soon finds out that adult life is full of lies and deceit.

A Man Called Otto

A Man Called Otto is the second screen adaptation of Fredrik Backman’s novel A Man Called Ove. According to some viewers, the first film deserves an Oscar, as well as the movie starring Tom Hanks. The moviemakers had a difficult task to solve because they had to remake the Swedish movie, which was already great. But they coped with it well. Some viewers mention that Tom Hanks’ charisma added charm to the movie, and it is almost an exact replica of the original.

• Beautifully acted film portrayal of loss and loneliness. I adored this film and wish they would make more like it. © fender-32191 / IMDb

Would you like to find out what other great screen adaptations there are? Then check out one of these articles below:

• 20 Internet Users Share the Movies That Outshined the Books They Are Based On
• 14 Screen Adaptations That Outshined the Books