The Art of Adaptation is a unique monthly book/film discussion series exploring movie adaptations of books (details below).

MAY ZOOM SESSION (May 12): The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler (book 1985, film 1988).

William Hurt plays a man mourning the death of his son, but gradually coming out of his shell thanks to the efforts of a zany young woman (Geena Davis, in an Oscar-winning performance).  Tyler’s sensitive, nuanced book won the National Book Critics Circle Award and was a Pulitzer-Prize finalist, and the adaptation (by Frank Galati and director Lawrence Kasdan) is faithful to her text.

[ Check out ebook on OverDrive | Stream Movie on Hoopla ]

Discussion on Zoom begins at 7:00 p.m. on May 12.  After signing up (below) you will be emailed the Zoom link.

ABOUT THE SERIES:

Each month, participants read a designated book and then watch the movie version.  On the second Wednesday evening of the month at 7:00 p.m., we gather by Zoom for an informal discussion, exploring how the adaptation stacked up, and the strengths and weaknesses of different storytelling media.  The diverse books cover the period 1939 to 2010, and the movie versions encompass a variety of genres, including drama, musical, horror, and works based on true stories.

The books and movies are available to borrow free from Gates Public Library, or to download/stream from the library’s OverDrive and Hoopla services (details below).

Download the full schedule
 

HOW TO BORROW THE BOOKS AND MOVIES:

Copies of the books will be available for checkout at Gates Public Library one month prior to the discussion date.  To borrow, you’ll need a library card from Gates or another public library in Monroe County (how to get a card).  Most titles (as indicated in the description) are available in e-book and e-audiobook formats from OverDrive, though the number of e-copies is generally low.

The movies can be watched either by streaming them from Hoopla using the links above, or borrowing DVD and/or Blu-ray copies from Gates Public Library.  To use Hoopla, you must have a Gates Public Library card, or a card from another subscribing MCLS library (Chili, Fairport, Greece, Irondequoit, Pittsford, Rochester Public Library).