Writings by Diane

A few weeks ago, I finished We Were the Mulvaneys and I really didn't want to see it end.  As I drew near the last pages, I purposefully slowed down my reading of the printed words. I wanted to savor the last morsels before turning the very last page. There was a Lifetime movie made of Ms Oates' work, However, I'm upset that the movie version of the mother Corinne doesn't have flaming red long hair. I'm not the only reader to question the casting of a main character. The fans of Fifty Shades of Grey were so vocal in their discontent of the announcement of Charlie Hunnam was going to portray the lead character Mr Grey, they started a petition to recast the role.   Why do readers become so enraged when a character from a book doesn't make the seamless transition to screen? Why should it matter so much? For me, when I thoroughly enjoy a book, the characters take on a life of their own. The personifications on screen should feel authentic. I remember a classmat...

Now is the season for "beach reads" books. I always think of romance novels following in this category. When I was a teenager, I read many books written by Barbara Cartland . I must have reached my quota of stories about pure damsels being wooed by strong suitors, for now I shy away from this genre.  No, the book that is my summer read is We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates. This title has been on my radar for years. The past tense of the verb was what stuck in my brain. I was accustomed to present tense: We are Marshall , We are Family , We are the World .   However, this book's title seemed to have a hint of regret and sadness, which at the time didn't appeal to me at all. A few years later, I remember hearing that a Lifetime movie was produced based on the book. This fact served as a testament that it must be a true tearjerker and I once again steered clear. Recently, I saw this hard cover book at Savers on three separate occasions. Its position on the bo...