Some thoughts... I've always thought that The World According to Garp was a superb film adaptation (possibly equal to, but not necessarily superior to the novel). Then there's Cider House Rules. John Irving finally succeeded in doing his own adaptation, after so many miscues. Direction by one of my favorites, Lasse Hallstrom, was top notch. Also, I am a devoted Pat Conroy fan and, although several excellent films were based on his books, none surpassed his language on the page, with one major exception: The Great Santini.