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Post by Mighty Jack on Feb 5, 2011 1:31:17 GMT -5
Has anyone read it? I just put it on hold at the library and am going to pick it up tomorrow.
What I've enjoyed about the movies -both Swedish and American- is that it challenges you to ask questions and decide for yourself what's what.
One thing that is often debated concerning Eli - is whether there's real affection there, or if she's only grooming him (Oskar) to be the next father? In the American version they have a scene (not in the book or original film) where we see the father in a picture as a kid, and he looks like the nerdy kind who would be picked on. It makes me wonder if she targets such personalities.
Anyway, looking forward to the read. I understand there's more story with the father. If anyone here has read it, seen the movies - please share your thoughts on it.
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Post by Shep on Feb 5, 2011 7:17:23 GMT -5
I've only seen the original Swedish film and thought it was pretty terrific. Yeah, I always thought Eli was being groomed for the next father/caregiver.
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Post by Captain Hygiene on Feb 5, 2011 10:52:32 GMT -5
While I enjoyed the overall idea of the book's story, I thought it went into way too much creepy detail about the father character. Enough that I felt grossed out by some of the book. Note that I watched the original film well before I read the book, which cuts out a ton of that material, and which I'd have to say I enjoyed more.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Feb 9, 2011 5:51:43 GMT -5
I've started the book and yeah, they are delving into the character of the father a lot more. I think you can get away with that in a novel, but with a film you need to focus on your primary story - which is the relationship between Oskar and Eli. Oskar sure seems more like a 'serial killer in the making' in the book. And I wonder why they made him thin in the movies? Interesting that in the book there's a point early on when you think she might take a bite out of Oskar (when they talk about birthdays, she asks if he wanted to give her a present, moves in close and shows off her sharp teeth). I watched the Swedish film before hand to have it in mind. Eli is more androgynous in that movie. Chloe Mortez in the US version is definitely a girl... though it looks like they tried to tone that down... she looks a little like a Hanson brother (remember, when everyone thought they looked like girls. lol) I've never been into vampire tales very much, but this story grabs me. The teeners get their Twilight and I got this, more adult tale (which I think is a much, much better story to be drawn too)
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Post by denofearth on Feb 16, 2013 0:33:52 GMT -5
Very nice novel despite it got a bit creepy on the supposed father thing, the Swedish version of the movie was a nice adaptation and the American version was quite good too.
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Post by crowschmo on Feb 26, 2013 18:21:02 GMT -5
I only saw the American movie version, didn't see the Swedish version or read the book. I should read it, it seems like something I would like (except all the gross parts).
Maybe she's just drawn to outsiders because she feels like one herself, and it's not necessarily that she's taking advantage of their vulnerability, but she knows what it's like and wants to help them a bit.
Question: I don't know what happened in the Swedish version or the book, but the American version, the scene with the pool: If she can attack all those boys and take them out all by herself, why did she need the older guy to kill for her?
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Post by Frameous on Feb 26, 2013 22:06:44 GMT -5
It's quite a good book. Question: I don't know what happened in the Swedish version or the book, but the American version, the scene with the pool: If she can attack all those boys and take them out all by herself, why did she need the older guy to kill for her? I think the idea is that he's like her caretaker, in the great tradition of vampire lore. He can sneak into the night and kill for her, try to cover his tracks, allowing her to remain out of danger and also not creating any new vampires. In the original film, some of these things become a problem when he fails to get blood for her. Also, he has pedophilic tendencies towards her, so he has motivations for keeping her safe from discovery and satiated.
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