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What It's About
Louisa (Lou) Clark lives at home with her parents, sister, and nephew and works at the café nearby. It's a simple life, in a small English tourist town, and it's all Lou has ever known. But when the café closes, Lou is left suddenly without a job, and without a way to help support the family. Desperate to find some way to make money, she tries everything from a chicken processing factory, to a fast food chain, and even a home energy adviser, until an opportunity finally comes along to be a care assistant to quadriplegic Will Traynor - something she has absolutely no qualifications for. Armed with only her good nature and quirky sense of style, Lou is about to embark on the challenge of her life. But she has no idea yet that Will, anger and bitter about his condition, will be the one person to change her life in every way imaginable.
Worth a Watch? Worth a Read?
Whether you want to read it or would prefer to watch it (or both!), is completely up to you. I definitely think both of them are worth experiencing, and have their own merits. The upside is that Moyes did actually write the screenplay as well as the novel. Now, although that doesn't always result in a good movie, in this case the feeling of the book translates well on the screen.
If you want a quick read (my copy is 369 pages, but it's not difficult to get through) with life struggles, romance, and plenty of ups and downs, then this book might be just what you are looking for. It's more than just your standard romance - there are lots of complicated issues here, and nothing is cut and dry and simple. No, I won't pretend that it's 100% accurate as to what people with quadriplegia go through, and it doesn't describe every case, but it is a great foray into these kinds of novels (and it isn't supposed to be a medical dictionary anyway). If you're looking for full medical detail, etc. then this won't work for you, but if you want a romance with more substance then it's worth a read for sure.
Where the movie is concerned, it's sweet, and both Emilia Clarke and Sam Clafin do a good job portraying the characters as written. Occasionally it's a little overacted, but I find that the general feel of this is endearing and lovely, and makes you feel something. For me sometimes, that's all I need in a movie. A few hours of a lovely distraction. So if you don't want to necessarily read it, it's a quick way to experience the general story. A few things are cut out and/or edited, but it's a good adaptation.
Speaking of differences...on to discussing where the book and movie differ from each other. That being said, there are tons of spoilers from this point on, so if you haven't at least read or watched Me Before You, maybe wait until you've experienced at least one before coming back to read below.
--------------------- SPOILERS BELOW---------------------------------
Where the Movie Differs
Whether you want to read it or would prefer to watch it (or both!), is completely up to you. I definitely think both of them are worth experiencing, and have their own merits. The upside is that Moyes did actually write the screenplay as well as the novel. Now, although that doesn't always result in a good movie, in this case the feeling of the book translates well on the screen.
If you want a quick read (my copy is 369 pages, but it's not difficult to get through) with life struggles, romance, and plenty of ups and downs, then this book might be just what you are looking for. It's more than just your standard romance - there are lots of complicated issues here, and nothing is cut and dry and simple. No, I won't pretend that it's 100% accurate as to what people with quadriplegia go through, and it doesn't describe every case, but it is a great foray into these kinds of novels (and it isn't supposed to be a medical dictionary anyway). If you're looking for full medical detail, etc. then this won't work for you, but if you want a romance with more substance then it's worth a read for sure.
Where the movie is concerned, it's sweet, and both Emilia Clarke and Sam Clafin do a good job portraying the characters as written. Occasionally it's a little overacted, but I find that the general feel of this is endearing and lovely, and makes you feel something. For me sometimes, that's all I need in a movie. A few hours of a lovely distraction. So if you don't want to necessarily read it, it's a quick way to experience the general story. A few things are cut out and/or edited, but it's a good adaptation.
Speaking of differences...on to discussing where the book and movie differ from each other. That being said, there are tons of spoilers from this point on, so if you haven't at least read or watched Me Before You, maybe wait until you've experienced at least one before coming back to read below.
Where the Movie Differs
- Both Treena and Patrick have slightly different personalities in the movie. Treena is less selfish in the movie, and Lou is less seen as being in her sister's shadow. Because of this, they are able to be closer throughout the entirety of the film rather than the random pockets of support in the book. Patrick is a bit goofier and less jealous in the movie, and seems to mean well but is clueless. In the book, he is much more of the "don't worry about the holiday. I'll pay" and then just when we think "aww" he follows it with telling Lou she can just pay him back when she gets a new job. He gets fiercely jealous about Will and Lou's relationship, and overall doesn't seem to understand Louisa or what she likes (ex. her birthday present). Not only that, but he tells the newspaper that Will is going to end his life, which creates a media frenzy surrounding Lou and the Traynors - simply out of spite. Although in the film I didn't really like Patrick, in the book I wanted her to leave him about five seconds in.
- Lou's birthday present from Patrick. Minor change, but still important in my opinion. Book: a delicate star necklace. Movie: a heart necklace with Patrick's name in it. Once again, this paints Patrick in a more farcical light than the book does, but wasn't really a necessary change.
- What happened to Lou's childhood bumblebee tights and glittery Wellingtons. This one bothers me, because essentially there was no reason to change this other than the reason in the book isn't "cute". So, in the novel Lou wears her tights and Wellies non-stop, which causes her to develop athlete's foot. Her mother consequently throws them out (the boots at least - Lou doesn't really know why the tights were discarded). But since this is I supposed too gross for cinema, Lou states in the film simply that she outgrew them.
- Portrayal of Will's parent's dynamic. In the movie Steven and Camilla Traynor both seem to be on the same side - dealing with their son's condition as a united front (even if they don't always agree). In the books, this is completely opposite. The two barely seem to associate, and when they do, they usually disagree. Camilla wants to hold on to her son, and will do anything she can to keep him alive and safe, but at the same time she stifles him. Steven is tired of fighting for all of this, and is actually having an affair with another woman. Quite a different picture.
- Maze scene/Louisa's confession. Louisa and Will go into the castle maze at one point, and Lou has a panic attack when she gets lost. Will helped her out, and she confesses to him that when she was twenty she was sexually assaulted while drunk and stoned by a group of boys in that maze. This moment is a real bonding moment between the two of them, however it is not shown in the film.
- Lou's chat room support. In the novel, Lou visits online chat rooms and does a lot of research about quadriplegia, the right to die, and sports/activities adapted for disabled persons. Although understandably this isn't present in the movie, it is an important facet as it helps Lou to see things from different perspectives, the discussions allows her to come to terms in some ways with Will's decision and gives her a place to find support afterwards.
- How Lou finds out about Will's decision. In the book, Will's sister (another detail missing from the movie) comes for a visit and talks about this with their parents. Lou overhears this conversation. In the movie Lou overhears only his parents talking.
- Lou moves in with Patrick (and Will!) in the book, not the movie.
- Tattoos! Lou and Will both get tattoos in the book. She says that she had always sort of wanted one, and he doesn't let her get away with not getting inked after that. So, Lou gets a bumblebee tattoo, and Will gets a "best before date". Unfortunately this gem is not in the movie.
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