I loved the book but couldn't stand the movie because it departed so far from the book as to be totally unrecognizable. Had the plot of the book been flawed or impossible to adapt to film, I could have forgiven the butchering it was subjected to. But the plot of the book was compelling and should have been fairly straightforward to adapt, though certain subplots might have had to have been jettisoned. My mother, who had not read the book and was not prejudiced as I was, found it confusing and hard to follow. Bottom line: if you enjoyed the book and are expecting a faithful adaptation into film you will be very, very, very disappointed. I truly believe that I wouldn't have enjoyed it even had I not read the book, even though the acting and cinematography were excellent.