From Page to Screen: Spring Releases

Spring has sprung, which means it’s time for another round of upcoming book to film adaptations. Literary adaptations are hitting the streaming services and theaters again!

The season is starting off with the NYT bestseller Daisy Jones & The Six, but thrills and romantic moments abound as the months go on. Whether you’re a member of “The Book Was Better” club or enjoy the film version, there is something for everyone. If you want to compare and contrast or just love a good spoiler, pick up the book to read before you start watching!

March

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Everyone knows DAISY JONES & THE SIX, but nobody knows the reason behind their split at the absolute height of their popularity . . . until now. Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go Go. The sex and drugs are thrilling, but it’s the rock ‘n’ roll she loves most. By the time she’s twenty, her voice is getting noticed. Also getting noticed is The Six, a band led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their first tour, his girlfriend Camila finds out she’s pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road.

Coming to Prime Video on March 3.

The Power by Naomi Alderman

The world is a recognizable place: there’s a rich Nigerian boy who lounges around the family pool; a foster kid whose religious parents hide their true nature; an ambitious American politician; a tough London girl from a tricky family. But then a vital new force takes root and flourishes, causing their lives to converge with devastating effect. Teenage girls now have immense physical power: they can cause agonizing pain and even death. And, with this small twist of nature, the world drastically resets.

Coming to Prime Video on March 31.

April

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

Before Owen Michaels disappears, he smuggles a note to his beloved wife of one year: Protect her. Despite her confusion and fear, Hannah Hall knows exactly to whom the note refers–Owen’s sixteen-year-old daughter, Bailey. Bailey, who lost her mother tragically as a child. Bailey, who wants absolutely nothing to do with her new stepmother. As Hannah’s increasingly desperate calls to Owen go unanswered, as the FBI arrests Owen’s boss, as a US marshal and federal agents arrive at her Sausalito home unannounced, Hannah quickly realizes her husband isn’t who he said he was. And that Bailey just may hold the key to figuring out Owen’s true identity–and why he really disappeared.

Coming to Apple TV+ on April 14.

The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling by Henry Fielding

Both a picaresque and Bildungsroman, The History of Tom Jones follows the life of its hero from his discovery as a foundling on the property of Squire Allworthy in England’s West Country to his banishment from the estate and subsequent journey to London to escape an arranged marriage. Tom’s many dalliances and misadventures throughout add to the charm of this bawdy romantic comedy. The famous characters -Squire Western, the chaplain Thwackum, the scheming Blifil, seductive Molly Seagrim, and Sophia, Tom’s true love–have come to represent Augustan society in all its loquacious, turbulent, comic variety.

Coming to PBS on April 30.

May

Text for You by Sofie Cramer

After a heated argument, Clara’s fiance stormed out of their apartment, but before they have a chance to reconcile, he died in a tragic accident. It has been two years, but she’s still paralyzed with grief, and her friends are worried about her. So, to try to say what was left unsaid, she starts texting his old phone. What she doesn’t realize is that the number has been reassigned. Across town, Sven’s phone begins receiving mysterious but heartfelt text messages. He doesn’t respond, but he is captivated by the sender. His own relationship has been on the rocks, and when it ends he sets out to find the person who has been texting him. Neither Sven nor Clara knew what they were setting out to find, but it would change both of their lives forever.

Coming to theaters on May 12 titled as Love Again.

City on Fire by Garth Risk Hallberg

New York City, 1976. Meet Regan and William Hamilton-Sweeney, estranged heirs to one of the city’s great fortunes; Keith and Mercer, the men who, for better or worse, love them; Charlie and Samantha, two suburban teenagers seduced by downtown’s punk scene; an obsessive magazine reporter and his idealistic neighbor–and the detective trying to figure out what any of them have to do with a shooting in Central Park on New Year’s Eve.

Coming to Apple TV+ on May 12.

-Melinda