Category Archives: Novel

204 Rosewood Lane, Cedar Cove

Tonight another episode of Cedar Cove airs, and it feels like great timing for me since I just finished reading 204 Rosewood Lane.  This book centered on the story of Grace (Teryl Rothery) and Dan (Roark Critchlow) and their plot line was in many ways different from what the show has chosen to do.

It made for a fascinating read.  The show has captured all of the characters so well, that it is easy to hear the actors voices in your head as you read scenes with Olivia (Andie MacDowell) and Jack (Dylan Neal), for instance, who appear throughout the book, and have extensive story lines of their own.

Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove novel’s may feature one set of characters with a predominant story that will have a complete arc in the book, but her entire town appears with interesting plots of their own to flesh out the experiences, fill the pages, and draw you in.  Like any real place you might visit, you don’t simply get to know the two people you sit down to talk to, but you get snippets from the waitress, the Bed and Breakfast keepers, and so on.

Maryellen (Elyse Levesque) and John Bowman’s (Charlie Carrick) relationship, which I have particularly enjoyed watching evolve on the tv show, was in this novel as well.  Given Maryellen is Grace’s daughter, that came as no surprise, but the fact that Olivia’s mother Charlotte (Paula Shaw) had quite a story line of her own showed me that in every book I can hope to see all of the characters in town treated with an even hand.

I look forward to tuning in tonight for the episode Point of No Return.  Eric and Shelley and their pregnancy was in 204 Rosewood Lane as well, though again the details, and aspects of how the relationship evolved were different, leaving me to wonder how the show will proceed with Eric.

I’m finding in many cases I’m equally happy with what the books and the tv show have done with this characters.  It intrigues me that the personalities have been maintained between the two, that the charm of the people, and their town has been kept in tact, and the details of profession and drama have been changed.  As I said in my previous article, it almost feels as if the tv show explores what might have happened to these characters if they had made a different decision here or there.

Whether you read the book first, or watch the tv show first, the other becomes a “or maybe, when two roads diverged, had they chosen to take the path less traveled…” and I just keep watching/reading, exploring and getting caught up in the possibilities because the characters are both enchanting and complete.

If you have not already seen it, Debbie Macomber has on her website a map of Cedar Cove.  I had no doubts after reading 16 Lighthouse Road, and 204 Rosewood Lane that she had one in mind, but seeing one on her website is great fun.

Outlander – Rent

Dougal (Graham McTavish) in Outlander

Dougal (Graham McTavish) in Outlander

Rent, the fifth episode in the first season of Outlander on STARZ shoots the story ahead.  The reviewers who saw multiple episodes of the show before it even aired and reported there was no action or intense drama have me wondering what show they watched.

On her facebook page the day this episode aired Diana Gabaldon posted a picture of Graham McTavish, the actor who portrays Dougal with a note “All Dougal, All the time…”, and after watching the episode I can easily understand why — the plot gave him a thousand and one moments to shine, and he made the most of each and every one of them.

For those reading as we watch, last week we ended at approximately page 200, or the beginning of Part III / Chapter 11, well, I hope you have a boring week ahead of you in the real world, because STARZ, Ron Moore et al, packed this episode full of great stuff, much of which was out of the book, and suddenly we are gearing up for some of the events at the beginning of chapter 21 next week!

Set aside some time in a comfy chair and pull out your book, Chapter 21 starts on page 371 and that is the best approximation of where episode 5 left off and 6 will pick up.

Always keep in mind scenes are shifting around slightly, situations are changing, and part of the fun of reading the book as well as watching the show is seeing what so captivated everyone that it simply could be no other way, and what this amazing collaborative team came together on as a force of nature and suddenly one woman’s vision has been enhanced, and changed and now on the screen in vivid color we have these walking talking characters.  I try to find the chapter in the book that come closest to matching where the episode left off, knowing the book often contains subplots that could not make it to the screen, characters we seem to recall reading but not seeing, and so on.

As has been happening with each episode, there are changes being made, and so many of them work so nicely, there were a few here that strengthened a lot of relationships, and the actors, one and all, worked beautifully with the material they were given.  I love the looks they exchange, the nuances they have in their performances, the subtleties they are filling their roles with.  Rupert and Angus, and the clansmen Claire and Jamie travel with as Dougal collects the rents feel like genuine people and characters, as opposed to extras who happen to be on the screen at the same time, and for that I give everyone a great deal of credit, as that is much easier to do in a book than in a television show.

Scenes that in the book built up Jamie the one man Claire knew and trusted, were used in the show to flesh out the world, to build her understanding, to build the audience’s understanding of the people and the world, and to create a genuine quandary at the end of the episode so it ended on a question that could have been a simple yes or no but was, instead, a question that makes you want to tune in next week because Claire could answer it either way.  As the screen faded to black she is clearly debating her answer, and with seemingly good reason, a different situation entirely than the end of chapter 20, and yet they both clearly set her up for the beginning of chapter 21.

This episode is a prime example of why the actors, and the writers, deserve kudos and high marks for the fantastic job they are doing taking Outlander from the page to the screen.

And, as an added bonus in this post, a link for those who did not get a “Pocket Jamie” at Fan Expo or one of the other fun events promoting Outlander, you can download one from STARZ and the Outlander Community.  (Yes, I wish Pocket Jamie had gone to Casa Loma.)

If you are loving the music in Outlander, and want a lot of great information about it, and don’t mind reading an article with plot points and details laid out, surf over to Bear McCreary’s blog and read his article about The Way Out, the Gathering and Rent.  He mentions a detail I had suspected when I heard one of the songs:

“The Woman of Balnain,” the song that concludes this episode {The Way Out}, was actually the first music I ever composed for Outlander. The lyrics are by Diana Gabaldon herself, from her books, and getting to set them for this collaboration was the perfect way to start my experience on this series! I was thrown immediately into the deep end of the pool, and was asked to write a single piece of music that could accomplish the source and score needs for the scene, and be practical for Gillebrìde to perform on camera. – See more at: http://www.bearmccreary.com/#blog/blog/outlander-the-way-out-the-gathering-and-rent/

Highlight the space/text above with your cursor and it will magically appear… if you don’t mind a few details that should not qualify as storyline spoilers, but one never knows where others draw the lines, so I decided to err on the side of caution here, and conceal those details from the naked eye.

Cedar Cove – 16 Lighthouse Road

16 Lighthouse Road (Cedar Cove, Washington) -- by Debbie Macomber

16 Lighthouse Road (Cedar Cove, Washington) — by Debbie Macomber

Last night another episode of Season 2 of Cedar Cove aired on Hallmark Channel. I still remember the feeling I had when I first saw a commercial for the show last year. It was a show pitching the basic concept, without any real detail of character or plot, so much as it pitched, the town of Cedar Cove, and what an idyllic summer getaway Hallmark Channel would be offering. I remember watching Andie MacDowell riding her bike around this small coastal town, and being reminded of the Cabot Cove episodes of Murder She Wrote.  As Andie MacDowell waved at friends and greeted neighbors I was reminded of some of my favorite Angela Lansbury scenes, and I immediately wanted to tune in and find out what this show was about.

As more commercials aired, and I saw familiar faces Dylan Neal and Teryl Rothery filling in the cast, I grew more interested.  Then I tuned in to the episodes and was charmed by this small wholesome town with some genuine people and characters.  Episodes where a judge discouraged a quick divorce in favor of counseling and making certain a young couple was not taking an easy out when a marriage could possible be worked on and a love saved.  A divorce where instead of the children spending a week here and a week there, the children stayed in the house and it was the parents who alternated weeks in the house!  What a fascinating concept.

Barbara Niven and Bruce Boxleitner may be one of the most delightful couples currently on tv, rivaling White Collar’s Tim DeKay and Tiffani Thiessen as the Burkes.  Seeing a portrayal of a couple who not only cares about one another, but as clearly hit rough patches over the years, faced problems together and come out stronger is both an inspiration and a role model for those of us who know how easy it can be to give up, seeing proof that the work is worth it is reassuring, even if we know the couple is a fictional reminder of so many strong couples in our own lives that somehow get overlooked because they are outnumbered, or seemingly so, by the high divorce rate.

This weekend I sat down with a copy of 16 Lighthouse Road, curious if the source material would live up to the show that had captivated me, and called me back week after week, and admittedly curious just how much came from it.  (I should note I actually got the ebundle of the first four books in the series, since I saw the second book featured Grace, Teryl Rothery’s character who delights me every time she comes on screen.)

16 Lighthouse Road was a joy to read.  I could almost hear the actors reading the lines the characters had so smoothly translated from the book to the screen, though many details of backstory had changed.  In quite a few cases people seem to be younger on the screen, Justine‘s occupation/career path feels entirely different little things of that nature.  And in the book I missed Moon and his coffee shop, perhaps he appears in later books, if he is a creation of a show, then I give them kudos for a wonderful addition, and one that so perfectly fits with the town of Cedar Cove.

Last year I had run across a very good interview with Dylan Neal done by About.com, in it this exchange took place:

So I talked to Debbie Macomber and one of the things she said is that when she writes her books, she doesn’t really write descriptions of the characters, but in her head she has a lot of backstory so have you talked to her about your character’s backstory?

I purposely don’t read the books. This is my second book adaptation TV series and my approach is my boss is the showrunner, not the author. The showrunner’s job is to interpret the books to what we’re going to do. It may be exactly the same; it may be completely different. My job is to do what the showrunner wants. I don’t want to cloud my vision with what the author did.

Read more of the interview here: http://soaps.about.com/od/bbinterviews/a/Where-Are-They-Now-Former-Bandb-Star-Dylan-Neal-Is-In-Cedar-Cove.htm

I was reminded of that exchange as I read the book and noticed subtle changes to the drama, little things that in the proverbial sense perked up my ears and made me stop and think.  I wondered “why change this?”  “Was that something that worked better on the page than the screen?”  “Would this have played as well on screen, or taken too long?”  It intrigued me to think back to his comments and realize how confusing it might have been as an actor to go into a project thinking you had a full understanding of your character, only to have the writers, unintentionally, pull the carpet out from under you as they start changing details.

Think back to my comment above about Justine, in the book she is a highly organized number cruncher.  On the show I adore the character Justine, but feel she is more of a mid-twenties woman still trying to feel out where her true occupational passion lies.  On the screen I do not consider her a career woman who has worked a path and achieved a goal, yet in the book I did feel that way about her.  In both cases I liked her, respected her, and enjoyed her journey… but there were times when I felt like I was witnessing two sides of the same coin.  There was a point in that character’s evolution where she could have gone left or right, for the screen she went one direction, for the page the other.  Each was fascinating, and enjoyable, but he results were different in that aspect of her life.

Cliff Harding & Grace Sherman (Sebastian Spence and Teryl Rothery) (C) 2014 Crown Media United States, LLC/Photographer: Katie Yu

Cliff Harding & Grace Sherman (Sebastian Spence and Teryl Rothery) (C) 2014 Crown Media United States, LLC/Photographer: Katie Yu

As I reached the last page of 16 Lighthouse Road I was disappointed.  I did not want my visit to Cedar Cove to end!  Thankfully, I had bought that 4 book bundle, and as I clicked to what would have usually been an about the author page I instead turned to the first page of 204 Rosewood Lane, and before I knew it I had read 4 chapters into Grace’s book.

Teryl Rothery (as Grace Sherman) and Sebastian Spence (as Cliff Harding) have been amusing me endlessly since they first appeared on screen.  I simply can not wait to sit down and read more of their story, and in this case I was thrilled Cliff had not been created for the television show — it means I have pages and pages ahead of me in which to enjoy their fun exchanges.

And I adore the banter between Jack Griffin (aka Jack Griffith, played by Dylan Neal) and Judge Olivia Lockhart (Andie MacDowell).  Those two are a delight to watch on the screen, and their characters are an equal joy in the book.

If an hour a week in Cedar Cove is not enough.  If you have already watched every episode (Season 1 is out on DVD for those who did not see it when it aired on Hallmark Channel last summer).  Remember Debbie Macomber started this all with novels that contain the charm and essence which fills these episodes.

Here is a link to a Hallmark Channel Cedar Cove video you may enjoy if you’ve never watched the show:  Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove – Video | Hallmark Channel #cedarcovetv

To keep up with Hallmark Channel, Cedar Cove, and the cast of Cedar Cove, here are some useful Twitter handles:  @HallmarkChannel, @CedarCoveTV, #CedarCoveTV,
@AndieMacDowell3, @DylanNealStudio, @TerylRothery, @SpenceSebastian, @BoxleitnerBruce, @BarbaraNiven,
@SarahSmyth24, @Brennan_Elliott, @Corey_Sevier,
@hayleysales, @_TomStevens, @AtleastLevesque, @Jesse_Hutch,

Members on this cast have an incredible resume, please take the time to check each of them out on IMDB, it was impossible to pick one credit to put beside any one of them.  With actors from Four Weddings and a Funeral, Dawson’s Creek, Arrow, Stargate SG-1, First Wave, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Babylon 5, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Strong Medicine… and that just scratches the surface of what a few of these talented folks have been a part of, so if you feel like some of those names and/or faces rang a bell, there is probably a reason.  Take a moment to click over to the Internet Movie DataBase and jog your memory.

Outlander – The Gathering

Outlander's Dougal

Outlander’s Dougal

The Third episode of STARZ Outlander is aptly titled The Gathering, and what a gathering it is! Not only do Colum’s clansmen gather to give him their oath, but they participate in a boar hunt as well.

This episode takes those reading the book through the end of the tenth chapter, and Part II of the book (page 200), though the book blatantly states what the show only implies, that not only will Claire (Caitriona Balfe) be going on the road with Dougal (Graham McTavish), but so will Jamie (Sam Heughan).

While this was a brief forty pages in the book, and the first two episodes covered 80 pages, this episode felt like it stayed close to the book in a great many respects.   Again scenes were added, fleshing out parts of the story that were there all along, but they flowed seamlessly with the book and I suspect many of those who have not read the book in over a decade thought them original material.

Author Diana Gabaldon in Outlander the TV Show on STARZ, based on her novel Outlander

Author Diana Gabaldon in Outlander the TV Show on STARZ, based on her novel Outlander

The Gathering was a fantastic episode for several of the relationships, with action and drama, and moments that quickly remind the audience that the 1700s contained very different realities and perils than the 1940s.

As an added bonus, and insider gift for keen-eyed fans of the book, the author Diana Gabaldon was in the Castle this week interacting ever so briefly with the characters she gave life to.

The first season of Outlander will be 16 episodes, and with the announcement that Outlander has been picked up for a second season based on the second book in the series, Dragonfly in Amber, (and is expected to be 13 episodes?) we feel confident all 850 pages, and all 41 chapters of Outlander will be deftly handled during this first season which is, thus far, unfolding quite nicely.