Can a Screen Adaptation Be Better Than The Book? A Look Into Daisy Jones and The Six

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The early 2000s were a goldmine for book to movie adaptations. We saw the emergence of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Harry Potter series, two of the most successful film series of all time. However recently there has been a decline in the quality of screen adaptations, with production companies reducing an incredible piece of literature to a merely decent script. As a book lover myself, it's painful to see a book you cherish failed to be brought to life and it begs the question, can a screen adaptation ever be as good as, or even better than the book?

A few years ago, I would have laughed at that assumption, but after reading Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid, it couldn’t have been clearer that the book had the perfect formula for the ultimate screen adaptation. The book follows the story of Daisy Jones, a musician who joins forces with the band ‘the six’ to ultimately form, you guessed it, Daisy Jones and the Six, who go on to be the biggest (fictional) rock band of the 1970s.  The book is written in the style of a documentary as each member of the band recounts the events that led up to the breaking up of the band.

The interview style of writing used by Reid lends itself perfectly to the screen adaptation, which will be a documentary style show, as it will be able to feature those interviews between the members of the band, and the other characters within the show. One reason that book-to-screen adaptations generally fail is their inability to translate a character's thoughts into good dialogue, however as the entire novel is written in this interview style, it leaves no room for error, and therefore should be easily visualised onto screen.

Another plus is being able to witness the vivacity of the 70s brought to life on the screen. Wild Hollywood parties, the LA music scene, and the rock and roll aesthetic are all iconic aspects of the novel which will be emphasised in the series through 70s music and fashion being featured throughout, really encompassing the whole atmosphere of the 1970s.

We shouldn’t forget about the central focus of the book: the music. Daisy Jones and The Six are a band after all. Reid’s dedication to the creation of the fictional band is unmatched; she writes the lyrics to each song on their debut album at the end of the book, with a few songs and their lyrics being described in more detail throughout the novel. Her lyricism and description of these songs are so detailed that you can almost hear them, however having the songs brought to life will be another experience altogether. Along with being featured in the TV series, the album Aurora will be released on all streaming platforms, with musicians such as Phoebe Bridgers and Marcus Mumford working on the songs for the album. The sound of the 70s is an especially distinct sound and so seeing the band perform these songs, and getting to really hear them in their entirety will be what ultimately sets the screen adaptation apart from the book. 

The TV adaptation of the novel is set to be released on Amazon Prime on March 3 but in the meantime prepare yourself for the limited series by listening to the first two singles from the band's debut album Aurora: Regret Me and Look At Us Now (Honeycomb) which perfectly capture the spirit of the 70s.