Charms for the Easy Life: the Movie

After a day and a half spent with 5 10 year old girls, camping in the New Hampshire woods, I was pleased that my return to civilization yielded not only a needed shower, but also a new Netflix movie. I believe that books and movies each have their own merits and thus have no problem watching a movie based on a book. Since I'd just read Charms for the Easy Life, the story was fresh in my mind-- perfect for the compare and contrast. The movie was faithful to the book in most regards. The various vignettes, overdubbed by the voice of the daughter/granddaughter Margaret, were nice visual recreations of the book. The actual "charm" (a rabbit's foot) was featured much more prominently in the movie, which was a thoughtful, cohesive, touch. However, the movie was a made for cable film, and so it was what it was. The acting, costumes and scenery were all fine, but not amazing. It was a pleasant movie perfect to relax to after being hyper-alert for the previous 48 hours. Actual Netflix stars? 3.

Charms For The Easy Life

Charms For The Easy Life came from my coworker. We were walking to the T after drinks one evening and she said she always carries books, but hadn't finished one in over a year. She stated this with the same kind of acceptance one has towards a gym membership: you pay for it, but never, or rarely go. And that's fine because it's there when you need it. So she pulled out of her bag Charms for The Easy Life and told me I'd like it. It's a small paperback and looked like an airport buy, so when it was cold and rainy the whole weekend, I settled into the couch and started reading. On Saturday I told G not to bother me and that I would do my chores on Sunday. As the cold rain poured outside, I enjoyed several of my favorite things: magical realism, women's friendships and the South. It was purely enjoyable and produced a fair cry at the end (possibly co-induced by my butt falling asleep on the couch) so on a Netflix scale of stars, I'd give it three out of five.