Once a Royal graduates, it is customary that she has read countless books throughout her four years of English. Personally, I love reading and have enjoyed the large variety books that we have gone through in our English classes. However, watching movies is also one of my favorite things to do! Even if it might not be your favorite thing to do, you have to admit, everybody loves movies. So it got me thinking, ‘What if I found movies that were similar to the books that we have read in English class?’ So, without further ado, if you have enjoyed any of the listed books that we have read throughout years at Rosary (or even if you have not yet, I see you freshmen), here are some movie suggestions just for you:

If you enjoyed “The Great Gatsby,” you may enjoy…

“A Midnight in Paris” or “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.”

“A Midnight in Paris” starts off in modern day, 2014 Paris and is centered around a man in hopes of becoming a novelist. As he is on vacation, he decides to go on a late-night excursion. He comes across a group of individuals, who take him on a journey back in time to the 1920s — a period with icons of art and literature of the Jazz Age. It is also the same era that “The Great Gatsby” takes place, with very similar aesthetics of exuberance, wealth, and glamour, with Scott F. Fitzgerald (the author of “The Great Gatsby”) actually being a character in the movie. Ally Lillistol ’23 mentioned, “I love that movie because it shows authors as real people, and you really get to dive into who they were as a person.”

Yes, yes, I am aware that “The Sevens Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” by Taylor Jenkins Reid is a book, but hear me out! The novel is centered around the life of Evelyn Hugo, a famous movie star in Hollywood. While her life is portrayed as perfect to the public eye, she experiences many tribulations with love and scandal, very similar to Gatsby. Plus, Netflix plans of releasing a film adaptation of this New York Times Best Sellers  which I am so incredibly excited for.

If you enjoyed “The Book Thief,” you may enjoy:

“Life is Beautiful” or “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas”

“Life is Beautiful” is a book that takes place during World War II in Italy, and focuses on the lives of father (Guido), mother (Dora), and their son (Giorgio). The first half focuses on the love story between Guido and Dora, but the second half focuses more on their experiences in a concentration camp. However, Guido uses humor to shelter his son from the scary nature of camp, and is all in all a beautiful film (one of my personal favorites).

“The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” is also a book that takes place during World War II, but follows the life of 8- year old Bruno, son to a Nazi commander. He lives near a concentration camp and befriends a Jewish boy his age one day while roaming around. While they are divided by a barbed-wire fence, their unlikely friendship becomes a quintessential aspect of the movie.

If you enjoyed “Shanghai Girls,” you may enjoy:

“Minari” or “The Joy Luck Club”

“Minari” is a movie that focuses on a Korean family’s intentions of finding the American dream, and follows their journey from  Korea to Arkansas. Yet, they are faced with the challenges of American culture and adapting to a new life. Just like “Shanghai Girls,” it focuses on how the family stays true to their authentic, Korean culture while learning new ways of American living.

“The Joy Luck Club” focuses on the lives of four Asian women who immigrated from China to the US. Now that they have grown up and have daughters, their daughters are faced with the challenge of navigating their own lives in a more American way. Essentially, “The Joy Luck Club” explores the  challenges that migrant mothers face while learning how to balance their bi-racial roots.

If you enjoyed “Catcher in the Rye,” you may enjoy:

“The Breakfast Club,” “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” or “The Dead Poets Society.”

“The Breakfast Club,” one of the most popular films of the 80s, takes place during a  nine hour Saturday detention with five very different high school characters. With all of them belonging to different cliques, they start the day knowing little of eachother but spend it sharing their stories and getting to know each other. While it is different from “Catcher in the Rye,” they both highlight mental health issues present within high school.

Just like “Catcher in the Rye” and “The Breakfast Club,” “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” and “The Dead Poets Society” focus on mental health within high school. “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” is a more modern take on the high school experience, with the awkward teen Charlie, a freshman, being taken under the wing of two seniors: Sam and Patrick, truly free-spirited characters. While battling the mental health struggles he has had from a young age, these new friends help him discover the true joys of friendship, love, music, and so much more.

“The Dead Poets Society” takes place at an all-boys preparatory school that has a new English teacher, Mr. John Keating. His very unusual, yet passionate teaching style resonates highly with the students, and is very applicable to the pressures given to them by their parents. He influences students to break away from expectations and to pursue their dreams.

While I was not able to list all of the many books that we have read in English (that would be a very, very long list), I hope you were able to find something that you are interested in!