Why wouldn't they make a movie?

      FOX picked up Lauren Oliver 's Delirium for a pilot. But the pilot was rejected.

C A S T

Emma Roberts as Magdalena Haloway

Daren Kagasoff as Alex Sheathes

Jeanine Mason as Hana Tate

     I don’t agree with the cast. It’s wrong. They do not fit the characters. Especially Hana and Alex! In my opinion, Emma Roberts as Lena is OK, her appearance looks like Lena’s. But Alex and Hana don’t look like they are supposed to. So I decided to find completely different an actor who would be perfect for Alex and an actress for Hana. As for me, I wouldn’t make the Delirium trilogy as TV series. It had better make a movie (three parts: Delirium, Pandemonium and Requiem). I haven’t watch the pilot series because comments were negative. According to them, it has nothing common with the book. The first episode included the whole Delirium and the part of Pandemonium; all interesting, important and notional scenes were not shown. It’s strange.

It is the trailer for the TV series which Fox decided not to pick up. Here the official trailer 

 

…but I think this trailer is more detailed

   Who could play Lena Haloway?

     As for me, Emma Roberts is suitable for this part.

     Lena described herself as not ugly, but not pretty either. In-between, she said. Her eyes are not green or brown, but a muddle. She's not thin, she isn't fat either. She is short. Described with long and soft brown hair, and a splatter of freckles on her nose.

Who could play Hana Tate?

Amber Heard

Sasha Pieterse

  Hana Tate is tall, blonde, beautiful, and rich. Lena said “She’s absolutely gorgeous – even when she just twists her blond hair into a messy knot on the top of her head, she looks as though she’s just had it styled”. Sometimes breaking rules was an exciting entertainment for Hana. “...as she is: running, laughing, tan and happy and beautiful…” I imagined Hana like Amber Heard or Sasha Pieterse, I would choose one of them.

 Who could play Alex?

Alex Pettyfer

Brenton Thwaites

        
     The actor for Alex looks nothing like him! He is described as having auburn hair (like a crown of burning leaves), gold eyes, and tan skin. Autumn leaves are not black

     I think Alex Pettyfer or Brenton Thwaites could play Alex. If I have to choose one of them I’d choose Brenton Thwaites. He would be perfect Alex because he looks really like him.


    To sum up, this whole trailer and the first episode were not anything like the book. I’d like to see a scene when Alex taking Lena over the fence to show her his trailor (his home without the roof where they watched the stars all night) and poetry. Show the abandoned mansion they used to lay in and have picnics in. The last few chapters were the most important, which have to be shown: her being tied to her bed so that she couldn’t escape from the cure the next day; jumping out the window to Alex; their running and the tragic final.

What’s the ending?

     I’ve done it. I finished to read the book. Before knowing the ending, I predicted it.

What I knew before my prediction!

     Lena passed her evaluation exam successfully. Now she is paired with Brian Scharff and supposed to marry him after procedure. The problem is that Lena fell in love with Alex. The biggest problem is that he is one of the Invalids (found out, they are real not just make-believe stuff). Despite everything, they are secretly dating. One day, they made prohibited journey to the Wilds, Alex showed Lena his home, his native-town. After that Lena realizes that all which was surrounded her and in what she had believed was lie. Now she sees all cruelty of the society’s rules: raids, regulators (“They’ve (government) lied about everything – about fence (between Portland and Wilds), and the existence of the Invalids, about a million other things besides.”). Lena can't forget that her life has been chosen for her. To escape her fate, Lena and Alex decide to run away from Portland and live in the Wilds together.

Real ending

Their plan was delayed by two things:

1. Alex realizes that Lena's mother might still be alive in the Crypts, Portland's mental institution (looked like a prison for sympathizers). To check it, Alex took Lena to visit her mother, but finds out she's escaped (run away). Lena is shocked she thought her mother was dead for twelve years. She realizes that all her relatives knew the truth except her.
2. The night Alex and Lena are supposed to meet, the police and the regulators discover them, and Lena is beaten by the guards but Alex manages to escape. Lena is taken home (Lena's family straps her to a bed because she has the deliria), and the date of her cure is moved up.

     Lena waits patiently for Alex to save her otherwise she will kill herself so that not to be cured. Thankfully for Lena, Alex does save her, and they head for the border on his motorcycle. Pursued by helicopters and men with guns, Lena scales the fence (which separated Portland and the Wilds) to escape. But Alex doesn't make it. He's shot and captured by the Regulators. He orders Lena to run... run into the Wilds, she does (straight for the sequel).

     The very last words in the book are: "I love you. Remember. They cannot take it". These were also Lena's mother's last words to her. In my opinion, Lena was speaking to Alex, letting him know that she'll always love him no matter what.

My own ending

     They tried to run away but won’t make success. They were caught and separated. Lena would be sent to her procedure so that to be cured from love. Alex would be sent to the Crypts. It would be the ending. Then, in the sequel (Pandemonium) she will be trying to find her mother and save Alex, pretending that she is indifferent for everything, persuading everyone that the procedure helped her (like her mother did)…but in fact it didn’t help.

P.S. On the one hand, very curious to see where this series goes and what ending will be; on the other hand, I have no desire to read a sequel. What am I going to do? I haven’t decide yet.

Change is a process, not an event

Dear Lena,

     If I flick through the first chapters again I’ll say that you are not that girl who was in the beginning. When I first met you, you were soft-spoken and quiet; obedient and unquestioning. “The girl who was afraid of everyone and everything. The girl who was afraid of herself.” Believe me I tried not to forget about the society where you lived and all rules which you were to follow. But you were not self-confident at all. To be cured was your main dream. “I just want to be normal, like everybody else”, remember? You took refuge in protocols and in absolutes, not letting yourself to doubt. You looked to authority to tell you how to think and believe, and you turned away from conflict, discomfort, and anger. All I first could say that you were a good and perfect citizen; you were weak. BUT it was your past and NOW you've become absolutely different. You’ve changed in a better way.

     You are not afraid to break rules, believe in yourself, your beauty and love. You’ve turned into a rebel, strong and brave girl and – “into a world-class liar”. You began to realize the truth, and I really like seeing how love changes everything for you. You have learned to embrace challenge and to trust yourself above all others. You are always true to your own feelings, even when they are conflicted, even when they bring pain.

     Courage comes not from following the shortest route to happiness, but living honestly, in accordance with our values and beliefs, even if that honesty brings complexity and difficulty. Your support was Hana (a faithful friend) and Alex (a boyfriend). “Three of you against countless thousands”. You, Lena, have learned to live with contradiction. You have stopped trying to escape complexity by adhering to rules. That means you started to grow up. In spite of somewhere inside of you there is still a person who sometimes flees feelings by denying or minimizing them, who tries to forget about all cruel things which she got to know.

     In conclusion, all I can say is that all emotions you felt were real. Sometimes I caught myself on thought that I’d have the same idea, the same decision. I always admired your discourses, unforgettable comparisons. The way you looked at everything was interesting as well. 

     

Take care of yourself, Lena. And I will hold my fists for you

Sincerely yours,

Kate

Praise for Delirium

“A dystopian Romeo and Juliet story that deserves to be as massive as Twilight.” (Stylist)

“This has to be one of the most original fiction concepts for a long time… It will stir up the emotions that remind you why you bother with love at all.” (News of the World)

 “Clever, imaginative novel… the movie must surely be just around the corner.” (Daily Mail)

Hello, my dear readers!

     Some magazines say that Delirium is an addictive book. So I can contend with it. As for me, I didn’t notice myself to root to my chair and be impossible to stop reading. Delirium is a kind of “light” books which is written for teenagers. During your reading, you can easily guess what the characters are expected next. In result, you are not surprised at their actions because they are clear beforehand. But I haven’t read till the end yet so I hope the ending will surprise me.

     The book is again about love like most teenagers’ books (although nearly every book is about love). I wouldn’t say that love stories in "Delirium" and "Romeo and Juliet" are absolutely the same. As for me, both of them can be met just in books and movies (perhaps, they are a little bit naïve). A forbidden love unites these two works. In general, the plot is different. Ideas and reasons, time, circumstances, customs are absolutely not connected. Two main characters, Lena and Alex, can’t date because they are from different “worlds”. For her love is a disease, for him is a natural thing.

     I agree with “News of the World”, the idea is really original and new. A place without love? Who else has thought of that, who else has thought to use love as a disease? Mmm… No book I've ever read has spoken of love like that. It is so new, so unusual, so horrible, so real. The writing is full of emotions and a language is so clear. Mix of humour, daily emotions, serious and disturbing thoughts, live-conclusions. A book that has you laughing one moment, seriously thinking the next. All characters’ emotions seem real, like they are yours. As if you were the main character, you’d think the same way, say the same words.

     To sum up, the book is original, new, easy-reading but not a book for a "Have To Read" list. In English I like her, like reading and finding interesting sentences which I can use in my speech. Would I continue to read this book in Russian? I don’t think so. But to see a movie-adaptation would be interesting.

P.S. I haven’t found negative reviews. If someone does, write me so that I can comment: agree or disagree. Tastes differ! It was my point of you but decide you – to read or not to read.

With love,

Kate

Vocabulary

Hello,

     Today I want to present you words which I've know from the book.

1. writhe – to twist something (often – body) in a violent way, often because you are in pain (Sometimes I swear I can feel it writhing in my veins like something spoiled, like sour milk);

2. sour milk - milk that is no longer fresh, spoiled;

3. gnaw – to bite something with a lot of small bites (She has a whole orange in one hand. She is trying to gnaw on it, like an apple, with her little-kid teeth);

·         Gnaw at sb – to make someone feel more and more anxious or annoyed.

4. nudge – to gently push someone or something (I nudge her. “Go ahead. Eat now”);

5. fragile – easily broken, damaged, or destroyed; physically or emotionally weak (Hearts are fragile things. That’s why you have to be so careful);

6. lump sth/sb together – to put different groups together and think about them in the same way (…which, like all the government offices, are lumped together along the wharves…);

7. squint (against sth) – to look at something with your eyes partly closed (I squint against the sun, trying to locate people I know);

8. nonchalant – calm and not worried (She is so relaxed about the whole thing, so nonchalant and normal);

9. blistering – extremely hot (blistering cupcake);

10. scoop (smth/smb) up – to lift something or someone with your hands (It makes you want to reach out a hand to help her or scoop up her books);

11. grind – to keep rubbing something until it becomes a powder (feeling as through someone is grinding sand into both of my eyes);

12. blemish – a mark which spoils the appearance of someone or something (It is the single blemish on the administration, and the system in general);

13. oblivious – not aware of something (She’s oblivious to the fact that I hate it when other people see me change);

14. cramp – to feel a sudden, strong pain in a muscle that makes it difficult to move (My left thigh is starting to cramp);

15. glare at smb – to look at someone in an angry way (I can feel Hana glaring at me, but I ignore her);

16. forge – to make an illegal copy of something in order to deceive people (He can’t really think I’ve forged an identity card);

17. delusion – when someone believes something that is not true (The very next day it felt like a dream, or a delusion);

18. Goose bumps prick up over my arms – when you feel scared or excitement;

19. flicker – to appear for a short time or make a sudden emotion/expression (Something flickers over her face, an expression that passes too quickly for me to identify it);

20. avert your eyes/face/gaze – to turn your head away so that you do not see something (Hana sighs, keeping her eyes averted);

21. inflammatory – intended or likely to cause anger or hate (He codes the online access restrictions, so people can’t just write up false information or “inflammatory opinions”);

22. to weigh down on smb – to put pressure (the air was weighing down on me);

23. to sneak out – to go somewhere quietly because you do not want anyone to hear you (It will take my aunt sit bolt upright in her bed, ready to catch me and accuse me of trying to sneak out);

24. bargain – to try to make someone agree to something better for you (Every single floorboard quivers and shudders under my feet, and I start mentally bargaining with the house);

25. linger – to stay somewhere for a long time (Some cureds must be lingering at the Eastern Prom);

26. faint – to suddenly become unconscious for a short time, usually falling down onto the floor (All of a sudden, I think I might faint);

27. stammer – to pause a lot and repeat sounds because of a speech problem or because you are nervous (I stammer out as he catches up to me);

28. plod (along/on/through etc) – to walk with slow, heavy steps (I feel self-conscious as I plod down the rickety, salt-warped stairs); rickety – likely to break soon;

29. to stretch into/over smth - to continue for a long period of time (Every beat of silence seems to stretch into an infinity);

30. to go blank - if your mind goes blank, you suddenly cannot remember or think of something (but as usual my mind goes totally blank now that I actually need to function).

Best wishes,

Kate

Character's sketch

Hello!

      Today I’d like to introduce you Lena Haloway – the main character of the novel. You’ve already read about her in my posts but now I want you to know her better and could imagine who she is.

    Lena was named after Mary Magdalena, who, according to Lena's Bible, "was nearly killed from love…but was the very first cured". Some people say that our name can influence our destiny. Interesting, will it right for Lena’s destiny?

     Lena is not proud of her physical appearance. She describes herself neither ugly nor pretty. Her eyes are not green or brown, but a muddle. She is not thin, but she is not fat, either. As she says everything is in-between. “The only thing you could definitely say about me is this: I’m short.” We can conclude that Lena sees herself as an average and unremarkable person. “No guy in his right mind would ever choose me when there are people like Hana in the world: It would be like settling for a stale cookie when what you really want is a big bowl of ice cream, whipped cream and cherries and chocolate sprinkles included”. All say about Lena’s uncertainty.

     She doesn’t look like other girls who are interested in makeup, clothes. She doesn’t care about it. Instead of that, she takes to running and even was a co-captain of the cross-country team for two years. Still, Lena with her best-friend Hana try to run together as much as they can. She spends her free time not only running but taking photos (“I’m interested in photography because I like the way it captures and preserves a single moment of time”). Like most young people she enjoys hanging out with her friends, but like most elder sisters she often babysits the younger members of her family.

     

     Unfortunately, Lena doesn’t have happy home backgrounds. Lena’s father died when she was just less than a year old and her mother committed suicide when she was six. In the childhood she had a very close relationship with her mother and her sister, but that was before her mother died and her sister was cured. From time to time, she remembers some pleasant moments from her childhood. For example, dance parties. “My mother called them “sock jams,” because we would roll up the carpets in the living room and put on our thickest socks, and slip and slide along the wooden hallways… We laughed so hard I always went to bed with a stomachache”. Her mother was different from others because she was sensitive, she was not afraid of showing her feelings to her daughters although in their society it was forbidden.

          

     Now Lena is 17 (but she will be 18 in a few months’ time) and she just has graduated school. She lives with her aunt Carol, uncle William and her cousins Grace and Jenny. She changed her surname Haloway into Tiddle after mother’s death (“At least the Tiddles are a real family. The Haloways are nothing but a memory”). No doubt, Lena is grateful to Carol. “I’ve never spoken back to her, have always tried to be as patient and obedient and good as possible—have always tried to be as invisible as possible, a nice girl who helps with the dishes and the little kids and does her homework and listens and keeps her head down. I know that I owe Carol for taking Rachel and me in after my mother died.” She understands that Carol saved her and her sister Rachel. If Carol hadn’t taken them, they would have been wasting away in one of the orphanages, uneducated, unnoticed. “No foster parent will adopt a child whose past has been tainted by the disease.”

     As a result of growing up in this restrictive world, Lena is afraid of anything that deviates from the norm. She's obsessed with safety, believing that "The definition of happiness is security". Because this is what her government has taught her to believe. Freedom? Choice?Her deep-seated fears make Lena value none of these things. All she thinks she wants is security, at any expense to her freedoms. It is not submissiveness but obedience. She is obedient citizen of her country. We can’t blame her for it. I sympathize Lena. Why? I like the way of her thinking (she often finds such successful and in the same time funny or serious comparisons that she makes me laugh or be sad), her constant hesitation and good-nature. She is a girl with secrets and I keep on getting to know her…

With love,

Kate

Serious and daily things are around us

Hello!

     It’s not a secret the older you are the clever, wiser and more experienced you are. In my opinion, the reading is one of the hobbies which you can appreciate when you get older. Why? Because you can see hiding ideas, you can change your mind about some things. The main thing is you are capable of reflecting. What about you? Why do you like reading (Sure, if you like…)? As for me, I like to find interesting ideas and author’s suppositions, reflections which make me think and compare with my own thoughts, with my real life and my real actions. That’s why I want to present you some sentences from the book which seem readable.

 “I’ve learned to get really good at this—say one thing when I’m thinking about something else, act like I’m listening when I’m not, pretend to be calm and happy when really I’m freaking out. It’s one of the skills you perfect as you get older.”

   

  Can you agree with this? I can. The characters of the book live in an authoritarian society. They hide their real feelings because they are controlled in everything by the government. They are afraid of pronouncing words like love, sympathizer because they will be punished for that. (“You have to learn that people are always listening”). I think this statement is partly true. Sometimes we say something but actually we don’t think so. Maybe we don’t want to offend a person, maybe we are afraid of being misunderstood etc. Sometimes we are listening but not hear. We try to be patient and calm for anybody else (maybe because we want to support this person) but actually we are "freaking out”. Anyway, we try that our behavior, our actions agree with our moral values. It’s our target.

“It’s so strange how life works: You want something and you wait and wait and feel like it’s taking forever to come. Then it happens and it’s over and all you want to do is curl back up in that moment before things changed”.

     Indeed, sometimes we ask yourself why it happens the way but not another. When you have a burning desire (it might be weekends, first love, date, New Year, holidays, an important meeting etc) you can’t wait when this day will come. It happens and then finishes. When we recall these events, all we think about that it went so fast. Everyone had a dream to get a chance or an opportunity to repeat something or correct. It would be priceless gift. Would we appreciate all these moments if we could repeat them?

With best wishes,

Kate