Ruby in the Smoke (Sally Lockhart, #1)

by Philip Pullman

[thepunktheory]

Book vs. Movie:
I had heard nothing but positives things about the Sally Lockhart books so I simply needed to check them out. So far, I'm delighted. Pullman managed to creat a thrilling novel that keeps you guessing until the very end. The heroine, Sally, is an amiable character you can easily connect with. His story is not only exciting but you can also tell that he put a lot of effort in research. The way he describe England in 1872 is very credible and at times almost appears as if he had really been there. Although the end, the solving of the huge mystery, actually let me down a bit, I enjoyed reading "The Ruby in the Smoke".
Let's move on the movie. I already knew that Billie Piper would play the leading role (a perfect choice!) but I was completely surprised to find out that Matt Smith (one of my most beloved Doctors from Doctor Who) also has a part in this film.
Apart from the excellent choice of casting, I was happy to see that they kept very close to the novel. There were hardly any differences and I especially loved the fact that they kept the narrator, so they could also keep the intro from the book (which I liked a lot).
They transitioned many scenes just perfectly - exactly the way I imagined it.

I am delighted to say that The Ruby in the Smoke is one of the best adaptation I watched recently. Both the book and the movie are pretty awesome. Go ahead and check them both out!