My Sister's Keeper

Wow, was this book melodramatic. Every little scene had to end with some life lesson. Unfortunately, most of these lessons were scattered all over the board. I couldn't find any type of cohesion. And the ending... really? REALLY? What is she thinking? Why kill off the little girl with so much promise and love, and let the other one live? The one who is ready to die, the one who has made her peace with her fate, the one who smiles when she thinks of her pain finally ending? Not to mention the fact that the author made a point of letting us know that the transfer had very little chance of success.

I wanted to see the movie just to see if Hollywood would be just as stupid. Thankfully, no. Kate's death came quietly and peacefully, and for Anna and her family life went on. No over-the-top car accident to pull the rug out from under us. No voice-over at the end of each scene to tell us what we were supposed to learn from a 30-second exchange. No arsonist older brother who finally pulls it together.

The movie was painful and sad, but at least the emotions rang true. Kate's scrapbook of memories was a good approach to tie it all together. The scene at the beach, which never happened in the book, taught the mother that it was time to give Kate a little happiness before the inevitable end. I thought the actress that played Kate did a poor job, but the rest of the acting was excellent. There were several scenes and plot points that were not part of the book, but each remained true to the spirit of the book and actually provided better entertainment.

Over-dramatic book, good adaptataion.