Book to Screen Adaptations: Audiobook Edition 

One of the most controversial topics known to humankind: which was better – the book or the movie? Well, today we don’t have to answer that question, but we can talk about the audiobooks that have their very own big-screen adaptations. 

Conversations With Friends by Sally Rooney 

With Sally Rooney making her second screen adaptation TV series, we present to you, Conversations with Friends. The main character Frances is a stark and darkly observant young woman, who is semi-pursuing a career in writing while studying in Dublin. Her best friend and co-slam poetry reader is the beautiful and endlessly self-possessed Bobbi. At a local poetry performance one night, Frances and Bobbi catch the eye of Melissa, a well-known photographer, and as the girls are then gradually drawn into Melissa’s world, Frances is reluctantly impressed by the older woman’s sophisticated home and tall, handsome husband, Nick. Conversations with Friends dives into the dynamic and complicated relationships between the four, written with gem-like precision and marked by a sly sense of humor. This listen is wonderfully alive to the pleasures and dangers of youth, the messy edges of female friendship, and creates a sense of breath-holding wonder from start to finish. 

Room by Emma Donoghue

To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up, it’s where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits. Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack, although she knows it is not enough. Ma relies on her son to execute this plan, making this listen (and movie) told entirely in the language of the energetic, pragmatic five-year-old Jack. Room is a celebration of resilience and the limitless bond between parent and child. Author Emma Donoghue has crafted a brilliantly executed story about what it means to adventure from one world to another with whatever it takes.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Talk about a classic! Little Women, which has been adapted to the screen twice now, tells the story of the four March sisters–Meg, Amy, Beth, and feisty Jo. This listen shares the joys and sorrows of growing up while their father is away at war. The family is poor in worldly goods but rich in love and character. While this story was originally written over 150 years ago, the trials and life lessons of the March sisters can still hold truth and value today. 

It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini 

Ah, the ambitious New York City teenager! How could you not make a screen adaptation out of that? In It’s Kind of a Funny Story, Craig Gilner is determined to succeed in life—which means getting into the right high school to get into the right college to get the right job. But once Craig aces his way into Manhattan’s Executive Pre-Professional High School, the pressure becomes unbearable. He stops eating and sleeping until, one night, he nearly kills himself. Craig’s suicidal episode gets him checked into a mental hospital, where he meets some of the most colorful folks out there. As one thing leads to another, Craig is finally able to confront the sources of his anxiety. This remarkably moving tale about the sometimes unexpected road to happiness makes for a head-turning and heart-racing listen. 

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas 

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two realities: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr is witness to the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil, at the hands of a police officer, where Khalil was unarmed. Shortly after, his death became a national headline, and protesters took to the streets in Khalil’s name. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that question is Starr herself. This listen (and movie adaptation) will break your heart and open your eyes to the reality of many. 

Thanks for reading! All these audiobooks and more are available now on AudiobookSTORE.com. Make sure to check out our FlexPass Membership for the ultimate roster of podcasts, savings on audiobooks, and more!