A Wrinkle in Time

[Danno]

Anyone seen the flick yet?

I did not read the book as a kid, but had obviously heard of it (I was a voracious sci fi reader, so not sure why I skipped it). But I recently read it to my 7yo, and quite frankly thought it sucked. She didn't love it either. But now that there's a movie out, she's super excited to see it. Wondering if it's decent, been seeing mixed reviews so far.

For those who loved the book (I'm sure there are some here), please explain why? I thought the writing was terrible, she couldn't come up with a better name for the bad guy than "IT"? And the three good helper characters were "Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Which, and Mrs. I fucking can't remember the third"? And she makes them totally ephemeral and barely existing in tangible form, which allows her to basically not have to describe them or have them do virtually anything but talk? I just thought it was drab writing, without a truly compelling story to make up for it.

[PB]

What's not to like about Oprah being excessively Oprah??

Gag me with a S. sempervirons

[summit]

I read all three of the books a young kid and loved them

[warthog]

They can't all be Harry Potter and appeal to all ages.
Some are just kids books.

[Danno]

They can't all be Harry Potter and appeal to all ages.
Some are just kids books.

I have a seven year old, I read a lot of books for kids, and she and I both thought this one sucked.

[dookeyXXX]

I have a seven year old, I read a lot of books for kids, and she and I both thought this one sucked.

just out of curiosity, if your daugher thought the book sucked, why is she so "super excited" to see the film?

usually if i think a book sucked, I'm not really that interested in seeing the film...

i read the entire series in about the 5th grade (back in the '70s) and recall digging it (it was up there with The Chronicles of Narnia series, the The Chronicles of Prydain series, The White Mountains series, and The Dark Is Rising series as "must" reads for that era and definitely helped pave the way for Harry Potter and all the other recent series that have captured the minds of the subsequent generations).
I have not re-visited the books as an adult, though.
And I have no interest in seeing the film after watching the trailer.
That said, I have been buying the books when I see them at used bookstores, perhaps just out of nostalgia. And maybe, if I get the inkling, I'll revisit them, but I have too many other books to read in the meantime.

[Danno]

I didn't even know it was a series, lol.

Why does she want to see the movie? Because she's 7, and the idea of seeing a movie made from a book that she's read is still pretty exciting to her! When we were reading it, we talked about how neither of us liked it much, but as soon as she saw it was a movie, her opinion changed. She's a screen junkie.

My wife is reading the Narnia series to her right now and she loves it. I'm going to start the hobbit sometime soon.

[SumJongGuy]

Saw the film last weekend with my daughter.. Ya, big yawn.....

[warthog]

My daughter is 10 going on 11 soon. She just bought a book series called The School for Good and Evil. I have never seen her so excited to read a book. Hope it is good.

[powpig]

I read the book and at least one of the sequels when I was a kid and liked 'em. Whether the writing was any good and would stand the test of time, I have no idea, I was probably around 10.

I did see the 2003 TV movie and it was awful. I expect this new version to be similarly bad.

[MakersTeleMark]

My daughter is 10 going on 11 soon. She just bought a book series called The School for Good and Evil. I have never seen her so excited to read a book. Hope it is good.

Isn't that something that you would want to preview as a parent?

[dookeyXXX]

I did see the 2003 TV movie and it was awful...

funny you should say that.

according to Wikipedia, "In an interview with Newsweek, when L'Engle was asked if the (2003) film "met her expectations", she said, "Yes, I expected it to be bad, and it is.""

here's a link to the actual interview from 2004: http://www.newsweek.com/i-dare-you-127959

[dookeyXXX]

I didn't even know it was a series, lol.

FYI/FWIW...

A Wrinkle in Time sequels (collectively known as "The Time Quintet"):

A Wind in the Door
A Swiftly Tilting Planet
Many Waters
An Acceptable Time.

[teledad]

My daughter is 10 going on 11 soon. She just bought a book series called The School for Good and Evil. I have never seen her so excited to read a book. Hope it is good.

My daughter read School for Good & Evil when she was around that age and loved it (and the sequels). I tried reading it and couldn't really get into it, but I'm not the target audience.

Read Wrinkle in Time and sequels as a kid (it was just a trilogy at the time) and thought they were OK but nothing special. At this point I don't even remember what they were about.

[MontuckyFried]

I did see the 2003 TV movie and it was awful. I expect this new version to be similarly bad.

That's funny. I saw the made-for-TV movie as well, and actually rather enjoyed it. Had to accept it for what it was, being low-budget TV schlock, but then again I do enjoy B-movies. I think going in with super low expectations, I may enjoy the new one too. I'm in for a rental.