A review by girlonthecsaw
Imitation of Life by Fannie Hurst

3.0

Watching the 1959 adaptation of this novel has long been a rite of passage in my family. Who can watch the film without crying at one or several points? When I was a young adult I discovered there had been an earlier adaptation of the film in 1934. Neither film stays completely true to the original plot of the novel. In fact, having seen both films made me enjoy the book far less than I would have if the order had been reversed. For people who've seen either of the film versions this will be a disappointing read. However, I admire Ms. Hurst's courage in writing and publishing such a novel during the early thirties when many of the themes of her book were taboo.