"The Circle" starring Emma Watson and Tom Hanks

 

"Having your book turned into a movie is like seeing your oxen turned into bouillon cubes."

-John le Carre, British writer, as quoted on www.brainquote.com
*******************************************************

The Circle, a novel by Dave Eggers, really makes me think. I read this book a couple of years ago as did most of the people in my family, and it makes me realize that perhaps we aren't that far away from living a transparent life, one in which everyone knows every inch of our lives, except for the three minutes that we are allowed to be in the restroom. This is exactly what happens to Mae, played by Emma Watson, after she volunteers to be the first employee at The Circle to become completely transparent. Her bosses, played by Tom Hanks and Patton Oswalt, make her into a sort of hero in the company, and at first this seems very exciting to her. 

Mae is a young woman who recently graduated from college. She is looking for a good job and soon realizes that it must really be a good-paying job because she wants to help her father pay for his M.S. treatments. When her friend, Annie, helps her get hired at The Circle, she is beyond excited and soon finds herself living within the walls of the company on most days. The company's campus has a restaurant, a gym, party events, and much more. It's a subculture for sure, and the employees all seem to be very young adults. The work attire is, of course, very casual, and this is attractive to the younger crowd. The Circle is a company that is sort of a Facebook gone mad, a place where communication is emphasized at all costs and Mae gets frequent "ratings" from customers all over the world who tell her what they think of her every move. Would you like to live in a world like this?? This is what is so frightening to me because I value my privacy and I don't say anything that comes to my mind on Facebook, or anywhere else for that matter. This book/movie is as frightening as any horror movie that I've ever seen. It's scary because I can see the world becoming like this in the not-so-distant future. Can't you imagine it too? 

I don't want to tell you how the movie ends, but it leaves me wondering where Mae is headed. In the rising action she begins to hate the transparency, but at the end of the movie it's unclear to me what she plans to do next. Will you see it? I think it's worth it, especially if you're familiar with the book. One writer, Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle, said this movie is a "tale of technology run amok" (Durham Herald-Sun, April 28, 2017). Technology can be a very good thing, but it also can be a terrible, scary, and evil thing. Watch the movie and let me know what you think. 

I usually like the book better than the movie, but I do like to see the movie version as well. The earliest movie that I can remember that was based on a book was "The Wizard of Oz."  I knew that the movie came from the book by L. Frank Baum, but I saw the movie first. Back in the early 1970's there really wasn't much on T.V., and certainly not very many movies for children. I remember that "The Wizard of Oz" came on T.V. once a year, always on a Sunday night, and my parents let me stay home from church to watch it. To this day I'm a fan of the story, as you can see from the large framed prints that I hang in my house. I also have a curio cabinet dedicated to my collection of Oz mugs, figurines, a lunchbox, first edition books by Baum, and more. 

I've written about some of the books that I've read that have been made into movies, but I don't think I have discussed the movies that I think could become good movies. I think The Boys in the Boat would make a good film. I'd go see War Brides as well. The House at Sugar Beach by Helene Cooper is a memoir about the war in Liberia, and I think it would also make a good movie. And how about Edgar Sawtelle, The Poisonwood Bible, and Cutting for Stone...would you read them and then go see them on the big screen? I know I would.

Finally, I'd like to share that we are going to Ireland and England this summer. In Ireland we will go on a 5-day guided Trafalgar tour that starts in Dublin and ends in Shannon. Then we will go to London for another five days or so. This will be our second trip to London, but there is SO MUCH to see! Many of you are travelers, so do you have any advice for us about these areas? Our young adult children will be with us on this adventure, so it will be extra special. Our son has been in London since September working on an M.A. in Creative Writing, so he has already gotten a taste of British culture. What do you consider to be "must sees" in Ireland and London? 

 I hope your week is off to a good start on this MAY DAY. I can't believe that the last day pf the school year for children here is June 9. I will soon complete my eleventh year of teaching English as a Second Language.  I have the cutest and most loving students that I could ask for, so I am blessed. Have a good one...

-Melissa Cruse Hill
Book Blogger
www.onegoodbookblog.blogspot.com 

 Some things I will need for our Europe trip:

I found this London Fog carry-on at a consignment shop on Friday. What a steal!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm reading everything I can to make the most of the trip.