All Creatures Great and Small. Poster of the 2020 TV series and cover of the 1970 book, If Only They Could Talk
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If Only They Could Talk
James Herriot (Alf Wight), 1970
TV series vs book
Brian Percival, 2020-

The show revolves around a trio of veterinary surgeons working in the Yorkshire Dales. Siegfried Farnon hires James Herriot into his veterinary practice at Skeldale House. Besides Siegfried and James, there is Siegfried’s younger brother, Tristan, and Mrs Hall, the housekeeper at Skeldale House.


Patrick Melrose. Poster of the 2018 TV series and cover of the 1992 book, Never Mind
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Never Mind
Edward St. Aubyn, 1992
TV series vs book
Edward Berger, 2018

Over five decades from the 1960s to the early 2000s, wealthy Englishman Patrick Melrose attempts to overcome his addictions and demons rooted in abuse by his cruel father and negligent mother. A critical and often humorous look at the upper class, tracking the protagonist’s harrowing odyssey from a deeply traumatic childhood through adult substance abuse and, ultimately, toward recovery.


The Old Curiosity Shop. Poster of the 2007 movie and cover of the 1840 book
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The Old Curiosity Shop
Charles Dickens, 1840
movie vs book
Brian Percival, 2007

Nell Trent lives with her grandfather, the proprietor of the Old Curiosity Shop. Grandfather has a disquieting secret, a gambling addiction fed by high-interest loans from the bully Daniel Quilp. The villainous Quilp wants to get possession of the shop, and Nell. In league with his lawyer Samson Brass and Samson’s sister Sally, Quilp seizes Grandfather’s assets.


Affinity. Poster of the 2008 movie and cover of the 1999 book
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Affinity
Sarah Waters, 1999
movie vs book
Tim Fywell, 2008

Following the death of her father, Margaret Prior, a wealthy socialite, struggles to find meaning in her life. Seeking experiences beyond her sheltered existence of privilege, Prior becomes a “lady visitor” to a women’s prison nearby, hoping to find purpose through volunteering. However, Prior becomes strangely intrigued by one inmate, Selina Dawes, a disgraced medium.


The Child in Time. Poster of the 2017 movie and cover of the 1987 book
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The Child in Time
Ian McEwan, 1987
movie vs book
Julian Farino, 2017

A successful writer of children’s books is confronted with the unthinkable —he loses his only child, four-year-old Kate, in a supermarket. In one horrifying moment that replays itself over the years that follow, he realises his daughter is gone. Kate’s absence sets Stephen and his wife on diverging paths as both struggle with an all-consuming grief.