Wild Things: YA Grown-Up discussion

I love this story. This is one of my all time favorites, and is really due for a re-read.

When I was growing up, I used to wish that Atticus was my dad. I loved him so much! He seemed so noble and brave and fair to me.

Please share your feelings about this one. :)

I have read this book who knows how many times. Oddly enough, my oldest is reading it in school right now and keeps makinf references to it! It is one of the very few times I think a movie is equal to the book without making any allowances or seeing them in a different light.

I wished my name was Scout from my first reading. Boo Radley...who could read this and not love that poor man. And Atticus as a dad? I'm right board with that!!

I wanted him as my dad too! I used to actually read this book upside down just to make it last longer.

Laura wrote: "I wanted him as my dad too! I used to actually read this book upside down just to make it last longer."

That's unique.

Yes, well I was a "unique" child and haven't changed much!

(I did the same thing with the first Twilight book.)

I read this book, but I probably have to say that it was one of my least favorite books ever... I just couldn't get into the characters (mainly Scout and Jem). I understand how you all could like it, but it isn't my cup of tea!

Aaaaahhh my very favorite book of all time ever in the history of the world. I love this book and I love the movie. I didn't read it as a kid though, I read it in my freshman year of high school for class. I've reread it since then, bought my own copy. It's the kind of book I can open up to any page and just start reading.

It's due for a re-read for me, too. Love love love this book.

I love this book. I agree with the idea that it is one of the very few where the movie compares. Both are very well done. This is one of those books that makes me sad when I talk to people who either haven't read it, or didn't like it. To me, this is just one of those perfect books that are possible to become totally lost in.

Another favorite! This one's in my Top 5. I was lucky that I never had to read it in school. I always hated books I had to read, just because I had to read them. I'm curious to know if that's what happened with you, Kathryn? Not trying to argue, just curious. I have to get my husband to read it. He had a neighbor back in his single days that I always called Boo Radley. I tried to explain it, but it's not the same.

I've never seen the movie because I'm afraid it will ruin the book for me. Atticus-in-my-head looks nothing like Gregory Peck. Not that I mind Gregory Peck... :-) Is it really just as good? I've had it buried at the bottom of my Netflix queue for a while now.

Oh, JG it is so good. I would definitely recommend watching it, Gregory Peck does an amazing job as Atticus.

The first time I saw the movie, I hated it. We watched it in English class the day after finishing the book, and the teacher asked us to look for differences. I was like, ok are you trying to make me hate this movie?! So, I wrote like 3 pages of differences, because I am nit-picky, and notice every single detail that is different. (And I mean I probably wrote down things like, Scout tied her shoe in this scene, but didn't do it in the book. Jem said ABCD in the movie, but in the book it was ABDC...)
Then, a couple years later, I had to watch it in a college film class. It had been a year or two since I had read the book, so I didn't nit pick the tiny differences, and I must say, I loved it!
I think there are 4 movies that came from books that I like having read the book first. If I see the movie first, I can like both of them, but if I read the book first, I hate the movie, with VERY few exceptions.

JG wrote: "Another favorite! This one's in my Top 5. I was lucky that I never had to read it in school. I always hated books I had to read, just because I had to read them. I'm curious to know if that's w..."

Admittedly, it was required reading, but in school, I loved a lot of the books that we had to read... There were a few that I hated and this was one of them. A few others that we had to read that I hated was Lord of the Flies, 12 Angry Men, Animal Farm.

I dislike the children in this book. I found them really annoying. And since they are the main characters, I just hated the whole book.

:( that makes me sad haha

I think the movie is as fabulous as the book, personally.

I think that the only thing worse then the book is the movie... but I know there are boooks I love that others hate

12 Angry Men is one of my favorite plays! I'm sorry to hear you say that you didn't like that one Kathryn.

12 angry men is one of my favourite films! i think its amazing how an entire film set in one room can be so gripping

Jon wrote: "12 angry men is one of my favourite films! i think its amazing how an entire film set in one room can be so gripping"

Sorry- Off topic for a bit:
Jon, if you think that, you should watch "Tape". That movie is CRAZY. There are only 3 actors - Ethan Hawke, Robert Sean Leonard, and Uma Thurman, and the entire movie takes place in one hotel room.

:)

Becky wrote: "Jon wrote: "12 angry men is one of my favourite films! i think its amazing how an entire film set in one room can be so gripping"

Sorry- Off topic for a bit:
Jon, if you think that, you should wat..."

was it good?

To Kill A mocking bird is one of the few books I reread. I can read it over and over again. Its a comfort read for me

Jon wrote: "was it good?"

Of course!

I remember this book being one of the books I really enjoyed reading for school. I know it's odd, but I actually enjoyed pretty much every book I read in school. Maybe I'm a brown-noser? Who knows.

Atticus would have been really awesome to have as a father, and who doesn't like making fun of Boo Radley, or at least directing the name at other people!!

If anyone has seen Mr. Deeds there a lot of references to this book in there haha. I thought it was funny... one of the few redeeming qualities of the whole movie.

It has been eight years since I read this book... maybe I should try re-reading it and see if I still feel as much animosity towards it.

This book sits right at the top of my favorite lists. Right on the top. Atticus Finch remains one of the best characters I've ever known.

Tahleen wrote: "If anyone has seen Mr. Deeds there a lot of references to this book in there haha. I thought it was funny... one of the few redeeming qualities of the whole movie."

I loved Mr.Deeds ! It was such a sweet movie!

I first read this book in 2002 for Freshman English. I didn't get into it then probably because of my busy sports schedule then. But I'm incredibly glad that I re-read it. I totally enjoyed it this time around and I plan on reading it again in the future.

I think I read this when I was in high school the first time and then read it a few years back again. It never gets old.

Love the book...and the movie as well. It was one of the first 'Southern' books I read as a kid. I recall being rather shocked at how different rural Southern life was from living in the city.

I just watched the movie for the first time. I was so nervous! But it was really good. Cary Grant did an awesome job as Atticus, and really the whole cast was perfect. I still think the book's better, but they kept the movie very true to the book.

JG, I agree that the movie is amazing. It is one of the very, very few movie adaptations that I can stand to watch, let along enjoy. I love Atticus too!! Just thought I would point out that Gregory Peck plays Atticus in the movie, not Cary Grant... But, I love him! They did an amazing job!

I always do that! I don't know why I've got those two so mixed up in my head. I think there's one more that I always get confused with them too... And I literally turned the movie off about 2 hours ago. Thanks for correcting me! :-)

Lol. No problem. I haven't seen Gregory Peck in anything else, but I loved him as Atticus. And, who doesn't love Cary Grant?! If you had to confuse them, at least it's complimentary! ;)

They're both very handsome men, but Peck seems to be so charming and Grant seems to be the bad boy.

Gregory Peck--I'm 99% sure that's the one I mean :-)--is great in Roman Holiday. It was Audrey Hepburn's first movie.

Edit: I knew there was another one I had mixed up with them! Gregory Peck and Cary Grant seem so charming and Clark Gable seems like a bad boy.

There! I think I've got them straight for the moment. No more posting about old movies from me!

He was indeed! I love that movie too.

Lol JG, love it, and I agree with you about Clark Gable... And the others. Good stuff!

You can read the bit about sexual equality (as I think I do) as being a concept so far out of things in that society that even the most liberal members of it don't even consider it as an option.

A very thought-provoking novel, this is one I really need to revisit. Last time I read it was in high school, and now that I'm older, I think I would appreciate it more and be able to really soak up the messages Lee sends.

It's one of my all time favorite books! I reread it every few years.

Has anyone read her "new" book, Go Set a Watchman? I am not sure if I want to, if it will ruin some of the magic of this book for me.