The Questionable Accuracy of Book Adaptations
Photo by Mackenzie O'Rourke '24
From several hit film portrayals of popular novels, book-to-screen adaptations are some of the most sensational forms of media today. On Mar. 3, the highly anticipated adaptation of the New York Times best-seller “Daisy Jones & The Six” is coming to Amazon Prime Video as a television miniseries. Releasing in increments of two to three episodes per week, the ten-episode show is bringing the magical Taylor Jenkins Reid novel to life. Starring Riley Keough, Sam Claflin, Suki Waterhouse and more star-studded names, the show is bringing book adaptations to new heights.
“Daisy Jones & The Six” chronicles the rise and fall of the most infamous fictional band of the 1970s. Written in interview format, the narrator attempts to reveal the juicy details of the band’s career, specifically tales surrounding the intoxicating love triangle between the scandalous starlet Daisy Jones (Riley Keough), The Six’s jaded frontman Billy Dunne (Sam Claflin) and his committed wife Camila Dunne (Camila Morrone). The story highlights the making of the band’s chart-topping album, “Aurora,” an album that author Taylor Jenkins Reid uniquely made real by writing each individual track herself, including lyric sheets at the end of the book for readers.
As part of the show’s creation, the cast recorded the entirety of the fictional album, even learning how to play the respective instruments of their characters for the task. Claflin told PEOPLE that he had never picked up a guitar before his preparation to play Billy Dunne. “I had to learn how to hold the guitar, how to strum a guitar. I had the biggest journey to go with the singing as well,” he reflected.
The Prime Video series was picked up by the talented Reese Witherspoon’s production company, and the audience has been beyond intrigued by the 70s rock & roll nostalgia that she brings to the show. However, after the release of two “Aurora” songs for the show’s promotion and various teaser trailers, many avid book fans have expressed discontent with big details. While fans have only caught a glimpse into the lives of the characters thus far, some immediately pointed out a distinct change in the portrayal of the beloved Camila Dunne. Book lovers admire Camila’s character for her independence, confidence and power. In many teaser trailers, fans thought her perception was spiteful and weak – the complete opposite of the woman in the novel.
Popular songwriters like Phoebe Bridgers, Madison Cunningham and Marcus Mumford were among those who adapted the “Aurora” songs, as Jenkins Reid herself is not a musician. The first song released off the album, “Regret Me,” is a fan favorite, specifically for its petty lyricism. “Side eyeing the daisy jones show because how does ‘when you think of me i hope it ruins rock and roll’ become ‘go ahead and regret me but i’m beating you to it dude,’” critiqued Twitter user @oldloversongs about the omission of one of the song’s iconic lines.
Similarly, fans were unhappy with the release of Billy’s show-stopping love song for Camila, “Honeycomb.” Not only were the lyrics altered, but the song’s name was changed. “I’m so [mad] the daisy jones and the six songs were changed significantly for the show, the original ‘[H]oneycomb’ was so sad and heartfelt…this one is just not good,” said user @fallingforivy. Other readers were not as picky. TikTok user @gracehandreads said in a viral video that they are “Just now learning that not everyone just skips song lyrics in books 100% of the time.”
The approach taken to create this special show has been one of extreme effort and care. Yet, it also calls into question the importance of preserving book accuracy for fans of the story’s original medium. While other novels have room for ambiguity as they hit the screen, “Daisy Jones & The Six” has too many adored details, like essential song lyrics, to simply overlook.
As a big fan of the novel personally, I was especially looking forward to seeing the renowned “Aurora” album cover after it had an entire chapter dedicated to the cover’s shoot in the book. However, the cover the show has provided is one of complete difference, despite how easy the original cover would be to create. A majority of the reason why novels receive screen adaptations is to treat fans of the text, yet many adaptations today tend to cater more towards the general population.
It is important to stay true to most if not all of the literary details when preparing a story for the screen. This ensures that book consumers will still be willing to support the art beyond its original form.