Book vs Movie: The Time Traveler's Wife

Minor spoilers.

I like discussing movie adaptations because I always find it interesting to see the story in a new light. Telling that story in another format sometimes can even improve on the original material.

When it comes to writing these reviews, I try to keep it spoiler free. Sometimes I might add minor spoilers, but that’s about it. I want to keep it simple so that people who haven’t read the book or watched the movie can still read it.

Today we’re looking at The Time Traveler’s Wife.

I was really looking forward to see The Time Traveler’s Wife movie especially after reading the book. I’ve been avoiding it since it came out back in 2009 because I wanted to read the book first. And I’m proud to say I’ve succeeded.

Although I really wanted to see this adaptation, I had no expectations going in. After I finished the book and saw the trailer, I immediately thought that the movie wouldn’t do the book justice. In some aspects, I was right.

First, I want to clarify that this is NOT a bad movie. In fact, it was much better than I expected. I was surprised by how faithful it was to the source material. The Time Traveler’s Wife is not an easy book to adapt. Turning a 500-page book into a 90 minutes movie requires talent. There is no way anyone can fit in everything in the book with that amount of time. I understand that  a huge amount  will cut out from the movie, however it has to be done well.

Here’s my first problem with the movie, it cut out too much. I said in my book review that I had problems with the pacing of the book. As for the movie, I had the opposite problem. Things moved too quickly. You don’t get enough time to spend with these characters and care about their relationship. We don’t spend merely enough time with Clare as a child as we do in the book.  It's more focused on of Henry’s side of the story.

I don't have a problem having Henry be the main main character, but it almost feel like some parts of the story is lost. I think what made the relationship so good in the book is that you get to see both sides of the story. I'm not saying that it's the script's fault. I thought the screenwriter did a great job adapting the story. I'm just saying that this movie should have been longer. If this movie was over 2 hours long, it would have been a much better adaptation that could stand on it's own against the book.

Speaking of standing on it's on, The Time Traveler’s Wife movie... it doesn't do that very well. Because I didn't get to see Clare's side of the story from when she was a child (in the movie), I didn't exactly get why she fell in love with Henry in the first place. I didn't feel how much of an impact he made in her life as a child and as a teenager.

You definitely have to read the book in order to appreciate this movie. There's nothing wrong with that. The filmmakers knew going in that the movie wouldn't be as good as the book, based on the behind the scenes interviews I saw. Those who haven't read the book will look at the movie as a pleasant yet forgettable romance. That also explains why the movie didn't gain the popularity it should have being based on a well-beloved, very popular novel.

In conclusion, the winner is obvious. The book is so much better. It's more complaining, complex and an unforgettable read. The movie is also very good. I advise you to see it if you are a fan of the book. It's a much simpler take on the story, but it's a very faithful adaptation with incredible performances from both leads.

Winner: Book

Book Review: The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Title: The Time Traveler's Wife

Author: Audrey Niffenegger
Publisher: MacAdam/Cage
Release Date: September 9th 2003
Pages: 560
Reading Group: Adult
Buy the Book: Amazon
Source: Bought


Summery

When Henry meets Clare, he is twenty-eight and she is twenty. Henry has never met Clare before; Clare has known Henry since she was six. Impossible but true, because Henry finds himself periodically displaced in time, pulled to moments of emotional gravity from his life, past and future. Henry and Clare's attempts to live normal lives are threatened by a force they can neither prevent nor control, making their passionate love story intensely moving and entirely unforgettable. The Time Traveler's Wife is a story of fate, hope and belief, and more than that, it's about the power of love to endure beyond the bounds of time.

Review

This book has been haunting me for two years screaming for me to read it. Only back in January I felt this overwhelming desire to pick it up and read it. I know I’m late in joining the bandwagon, but it’s always a good thing because you get to open the book with an open mind.

I found some difficulties writing this review because I couldn't think of something that hasn't already been said about The Time Traveler's Wife. Everyone read this book and loves it. I'll try not repeat what anyone said, but forgive me if I ended up doing that.

The Time Traveler’s Wife is an engrossing love story that will make you believe in true love and the power of destiny.

This is a love story that chronicles the lives of Henry and Clare and how they deal with their abnormal situation. How does it feel to be the one left behind? how does it feel to be the one who always have to leave and powerless to control it? How does it feel to know things ahead of time but can't do anything about it? The book answers all these questions by showing us how can love survive against all odds.

The story is very well-crafted and cleverly put together. This is the kind of book you have to read over and over again in order to put the pieces together. I just finished the book and I already want to read it again. You can sense that the author spend so much time planning this book, and I admire her for that.

What makes the story so wonderful is its characters. The two main characters, Henry and Clare, are very well-developed and you get to see them grow throughout the story. We get to see the story from both sides and how each of them deal with the situation. It's easy to feel for these characters and what they're going through. As any couple, there are good times and bad times, but they stay together no matter what how awful things are sometimes.

Although this is the story of Henry and Clare, I'm glad that the side characters shine as well, which what I didn't expect. The side characters are great with each having a significance to the main plot. In fact, they are part of the puzzle pieces that put the story together. I have to say my favorite out of all of them was Kimy, Henry's caretaker.

The book made me appreciate how precious the time you spend with your loved ones because you don't know what might happen tomorrow. You don't know when they will disappear. Love is not easy. The only way to survive through the difficult times is your inner strength. Only a strong person would tolerate waiting for Henry and still love him.

Of course, this book does have its problems. For one, it has pacing issues. Although it's an easy read, it's a very long one. The author gives you even the little details about the lives of those characters that I felt could have been cut out. I consider this a minor complaint because I appreciated these little details when I finished the book. However, impatient readers might be turned off by the slow pacing.

Another issue I had with the book is the writing. It wasn't bad, but it was filled with grammatical errors. I don't usually notice these things so I don't think it's a good sign that I was able to spot these errors multiple times. Also there's the thing with the dialogue. Although it was very enjoyable to read, I found it unrealistic sometimes. As I was reading some parts, I thought; "No body talks like that!"

In the end, I think The Time Traveler’s Wife is deserving of all the hype that surrounds it. It has its problems, but the good parts do more that enough to keep the reader engaged. It's a clever story with a sweet touching romance and well-developed characters. If you love romance, you more than likely will devour this book. I personally think every couple, especially married couple should read it. It's a great representation on how love works and what it means to love another person. The Time Traveler’s Wife is a book that I'll never forget.

Final Grade