By Naomi

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

Amor Towles’ novel A Gentleman in Moscow has been made into a tv series that started airing in March. The book follows Count Rostov, who was sentenced to house arrest by a Bolshevik tribunal in 1922. He lives in a grand hotel in Moscow, the Metropol, which is where the book is set. Count Rostov is described as “a true gentleman” who appreciates and savors the simple things in life.

The novel spans a period of decades as the count lives out his life within the confines of the hotel’s walls. There he makes friends, becomes a father figure and reflects on his life. While the book is by necessity entirely focused on the count, the tv series expands on some of the secondary characters to broaden the scope of the story. Towles’ writing is beautifully expressive, which will hopefully be translated into beautiful cinematography and a visually impressive watching experience.

Trust by Hernan Diaz

Trust by Hernan Diaz is an award-winning metafictional novel, most notably the Pulitzer Prize winner for Fiction in 2023. That same year it was announced that the novel would be adapted as a limited series, produced by and starring Kate Winslet. While a date has not been confirmed, the show is expected to air late this year.

Trust, a novel about money and its pull on people, consists of four parts: it is a novel-within-a-novel, an autobiography, a memoir and a journal, presenting the reader with a literary puzzle they must put together to determine what is fact and what is fiction.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein has been adapted many, many times, but that did not stop critically-acclaimed director Guillermo del Toro from wanting to put his own stamp on the well-known story. His movie adaptation will feature an ensemble cast with many celebrated actors. Victor Frankenstein, the scientist, will be played by Oscar Isaac and the role of his monster has been taken up by Jacob Elordi.

The Expatriates by Janice YC Lee

The novel The Expatriates by Janice YC Lee was made into a tv series called Expats early this year. Lee’s book is a character study of three expats living in Hong Kong who are connected through tragedy. Set against the backdrop of the 2014 Umbrella Movement protests, the story illustrates how the life of an expat can appear to be very cosmopolitan. Appearances can be deceiving, however. The life can also be filled with cultural, economic and personal challenges.

The tv series, which features Nicole Kidman, has been well-received and is a profound and emotional story about grief, loss and trying to move on.

Apples Never Fall by Lianne Moriarty

Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty follows the wealthy, dysfunctional and tennis-obsessed Delaney family as their matriarch goes missing. Joy Delaney’s four adult children are left to figure out what happened to their mother, all while uncovering things they never knew about both their parents.

Apples Never Fall is the third of Moriarty’s books to be adapted for television, after the critically acclaimed Big Little Lies in 2017 and Nine Perfect Strangers in 2021. Moriarty is a keen observer of human nature and excels at writing complex, three-dimensional characters, which is why her books are so suited to screen adaptations.