The Book Was Better Than The Film: A Panel Discussion

We are sorry to have to make changes to the advertised event, but Louise Willder has been forced to cancel her previously advertised visit to the Festival for health reasons. 

We have now arranged a substitute event which focuses on Louise’s book, The Book Was Better: The Triumphs and Travesties of Book to Film Adaptation.

This will be a panel event with Eleanor Thornley, Chief Executive at QUAD, leading the discussion with film and literature experts: The panel line-up will be announced soon on this page and the Derby Book Festival website.

Signed copies of Louise’s book, The Book Was Better will be available at the event, and the previously advertised screening of Sense and Sensibility will go ahead as planned.  Tickets for the film are for free for all ticket holders to this event.

Is the book always better than the film?

According to legions of book lovers around the world, Hollywood never gets it right – they gloss over crucial moments, the dialogue sounds bizarre and the characters never look like they’re supposed to.

But what about Jaws or The Godfather? These films are so much better than the potboiler novels they came from. And then there are some perfect adaptations. Doesn’t every reader’s heart sing when they watch Ang Lee’s Sense and Sensibility?

In her book, Louise uncovers what makes a good adaptation, how some can be so bad, and why we insist on telling the same stories over and over again.