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The Virgin River Books and Spoilers thread

Meredith Quill

By Meredith Quill
in Virgin River

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Bali

Bali

I was surprised to see Muriel St. Claire from the beginning. The books made such a big deal about her coming to town. But it's okay. I am still hoping we see Walt Booth. They can leave Vanessa though, she annoyed me in the books. 

The series really seems like it is combining stories. The complete change of Joey's story really threw me. She's almost a non-character in the books. And here she is divorcing and flirty. Also- the change in Jack's backstory. Where did they come up with all of that? Are they planning on bringing in his horrible father? I'd like to see that resolved, because Book Jack has such a great father. 

Does anyone else who has read the books have things they hope to see? I say- bring on the Riordhan boys.

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eclectcmoi

eclectcmoi

On 12/19/2019 at 6:35 AM, Bali said:

I was surprised to see Muriel St. Claire from the beginning. The books made such a big deal about her coming to town. But it's okay. I am still hoping we see Walt Booth. They can leave Vanessa though, she annoyed me in the books. 

The series really seems like it is combining stories. The complete change of Joey's story really threw me. She's almost a non-character in the books. And here she is divorcing and flirty. Also- the change in Jack's backstory. Where did they come up with all of that? Are they planning on bringing in his horrible father? I'd like to see that resolved, because Book Jack has such a great father. 

Does anyone else who has read the books have things they hope to see? I say- bring on the Riordhan boys.

I really didn't care for how Muriel's character was cast or portrayed.  She seemed so desperate for male attention at that Mingle dance and the book Muriel was way more self assured and really didn't want a man.  I don't see TV show Muriel doing all of the construction and refurbishing work that book Muriel does either.  I saw a Rene Russo type as the book character also.  

I'd love to see the Riordan brothers too. 

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SnoGirl

SnoGirl

On 7/19/2020 at 10:59 AM, Avabelle said:

Anyone know if they had filmed season two pre covid? I’m trying to get an idea of how long we would be waiting for a season two.

Although, even if they didn’t tape the newest season prior to Covid19, Netflix changed their final screen after the last episode now says “New season of Virgin River coming soon.” So at least there’s that.

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Bali

Bali

On 1/2/2020 at 6:35 PM, eclectcmoi said:

I really didn't care for how Muriel's character was cast or portrayed.  She seemed so desperate for male attention at that Mingle dance and the book Muriel was way more self assured and really didn't want a man.  I don't see TV show Muriel doing all of the construction and refurbishing work that book Muriel does either.  I saw a Rene Russo type as the book character also.  

I'd love to see the Riordan brothers too. 

That's funny, because I've binged Cedar Cove and Chesapeake Shores and now I can see the actress as Muriel. I never saw a Rene Russo type. Just not man crazy. 

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DragonFlyzz

DragonFlyzz

I started watching Season 1 and was immediately turned off by all of the changes.  I know that television is a different medium so adaptations are always different than the books upon which they are based but there were so many changes it didn’t feel like the same story to me.  I stopped watching after a couple of episodes. 

I finally came back and finished both seasons.  If I hadn’t read the books I’d probably think it was an okay series but having read the books I was disappointed in the number of changes.  Some of the changes seem totally arbitrary and inexplicable.  Why does Joey now live in CA instead of CO?  Why is Joey, a very minor character, now having marital problems?  Why does Jack’s mom need to be alive and why does he have to have a poor relationship with his father? Why, why, why???

It felt like they took the name of the book series, the names of the characters and the location and then wrote a different story?  The characters seem different and they aren’t behaving like the inhabitants of Virgin River that I came to love.  There are totally different interpersonal relationships on the show.  Characters are missing and others have much larger roles on the show than they did in the books (yes Charmaine, I’m talking primarily about your obnoxious self).  I loved Jack in the books.  TV Jack is too short which I would probably have gotten past if they hadn’t also changed his personality.  So this guy doesn’t look like Jack and he doesn’t act like Jack so he didn’t feel like Jack.

I really wish I’d found the tv series first and then read the books after the show ended its run.  It would be much less disappointing.

 

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auntlada

auntlada

That's why I can't watch season 2. I didn't like some of the changes in season 1, but I could live with them, but I started episode 1 of season 2 and read what other people said about it and didn't think I could handle those changes. Everyone's character has been assassinated, even Charmaine. She was disappointed, but OK with Jack's decision in the book, and she wasn't pregnant. She didn't consider herself Jack's girlfriend, and wasn't clingy -- and she didn't even live in Virgin River. Paige didn't have her own business, and in fact probably shouldn't have even shown up until season 2. Hope and Doc were never married. Hope was a crank and a busybody, but not as bad as in the series. She did a lot of good for the town through the years, too.

And the Lizzie/Rick trouble made more sense in the books because she was around 15 years old.

I really wanted to like this series because I loved the actor who plays Jack when he was in Grey's Anatomy, but I just can't handle the changes. They're stupid. There was so much drama already in the books that I don't know why they had to make these changes.

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eclectcmoi

eclectcmoi

And... season 3 is following right along with being as disappointing as the first two seasons.  I keep trying to separate the TV show from the books, but it's so difficult when so many of the changes and plot lines just make no sense whatsoever.  The heart of Virgin River is missing in the TV show and it's just a silly soap opera.  I think I'm done.  

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methodwriter85

methodwriter85

On 12/8/2020 at 11:54 AM, auntlada said:

I really wanted to like this series because I loved the actor who plays Jack when he was in Grey's Anatomy, but I just can't handle the changes. They're stupid. There was so much drama already in the books that I don't know why they had to make these changes.

I haven't read the books, but apparently the Brie storyline was changed immensely from the books. In the books, she was separating from her husband after he left her for her best friend; in the show, Brie is the victim of date rape and has a miscarriage. I guess the showrunner thought the OG backstory was too similar to what Mel's sister was going through ?

Was Paige's husband immediately killed and then later replaced by a look-alike twin also bent on kidnapping the son/nephew? Because that whole plot baffles me.

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FnkyChkn34

FnkyChkn34

On 3/9/2022 at 3:12 AM, methodwriter85 said:

I haven't read the books, but apparently the Brie storyline was changed immensely from the books. In the books, she was separating from her husband after he left her for her best friend; in the show, Brie is the victim of date rape and has a miscarriage. I guess the showrunner thought the OG backstory was too similar to what Mel's sister was going through ?

Was Paige's husband immediately killed and then later replaced by a look-alike twin also bent on kidnapping the son/nephew? Because that whole plot baffles me.

EVERY storyline has been changed immensely from the books.  Basically the only things that are the same are names or people and places.

I'll use a spoiler tag even though this is a spoiler thread, in case you don't want to know what the books are like...

Spoiler

I managed to read about 4 books before I had to quit because they were awful.  Jack and Mel are only the main characters of the first book, then they are around but not the focus.  Doc is a curmudgeon who is barely in the books; Hope is mentioned less than a dozen times in all 4 that I read and never has a storyline.  Mel has friends in the medical community from a neighboring town as well.  Jack and Mel get married and have 2 kids, he builds them a big house up on a hill.  Jack is like the town protector and everyone loves him and he's the ridiculous hero in every situation.  Preacher is described to look like Mr. Clean and barely talks, until Paige comes to town and he finds love.  They marry and raise Christopher (who is 3, not 10) and she gets pregnant too.  Brie comes to town and falls for Mike; Brady doesn't exist in the books.  Ricky and Lizzie are much different too (in that Lizzie is 14 and Ricky knocks her up).  Then Jack and Preacher have a whole other group of Marine friends who slowly start coming to town because clearly Virgin River is just a magnet for hot, smart Marines.  There is also a former Army General who kind of has the showDoc role - he's dating Muriel.  Each book is about a new Marine, basically. 

I had to quit reading - they were all too repetitive and stupid.  Everyone is good looking, successful, smart, and falls in love and gets pregnant.  Every woman is just good for making babies, it seems, because none but Mel have a full-time job if I'm remembering correctly.  Ugh. 

I like that the show added drama and stories for characters not really in the books, but the show and books are very, very different.

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methodwriter85

methodwriter85

I'm good with knowing what the books are like.

Lizzie being 14 in the books makes how they're writing Lizzie on the show make so much more sense. It always felt like they were writing Lizzie like she was still a kid and not a college student.

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FnkyChkn34

FnkyChkn34

Sorry, but I don't really understand how this can be a spoiler thread.  The books are so vastly different from the show that only some character names are the same.  I don't see how much of anything that's happened in the books can or will happen on the show... 🙄🤣

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