The Sisterhood on CD

Gaza Pull-Out: Few quick thoughts. (1) These few Jewish settlers are being paid something like 300K to be removed from their settlements. (2) A few thousand Jews got prime real estate, while hundred of thousands of Palestinians were squeezed into the rest. (3) This land is probably smaller than one of the medium sized neighborhoods in my city. All the disputed land (including Israel) is but a tiny sliver of real estate. It's amazing really. (4) Why was only one side of the issue focused upon by much of the coverage?

I saw Sisterhood The Traveling Pants with someone a few months ago, someone a bit more in the book's targeted demographic (though not exactly). Overall, I enjoyed it, partly because the young leads (teens or those in their early twenties) were very good, partly because of pretty good writing. For those not in the know, it concerns four lifelong friends, teens who are apart one summer for the first time in their lives. They are connected by a pair of secondhand jeans, jeans that make them feel powerful and remarkably fit each of their quite different bodies perfectly. A nicely fitted pair of jeans will be beloved by teenage girls everywhere.

I saw the original in the bookstore awhile back, and it looked good. So, I reserved the CD version from the library to hear it read. Books on tape are quite popular these days, including for joggers and drivers. Stuff on tape etc. as well as online audio is nice in my view as a means to relax, rest my eyes, and still be informed and/or entertained. For instance, I listened to the Shawshank Redemption (somewhat different from the book, such as Red being white). The key is a good narrator, someone who might be able to change tones and so forth with the different characters. The person there did a good job.

As did the one here. Angela Goethals, a twentysomething (though her photo on the box makes her look 15 -- intentionally?) actress that some of the novels (the original followed by sequels) might recognize though I do not, was quite good. The audio was recorded years before the movie, but strangely her inflections sound like at least two of the characters in the movie. The book turns out to be pretty much like the movie, though a few things were changed.

The changes come in three categories: neutral/geared to movies (e.g., doing away with a non-important character), an improvement (e.g., a bit more dialogue for Bailey, the sick one), and not that good of an idea (another matter involving Bailey). The overall effect was a wash: both the book and the movie was pretty good with a few questionable parts. In fact, besides one change involving perhaps the weakest of the four subplots, the major changes come toward the end. Anyway, Goethals is the draw here, and she was very good.