close as possible to the book.

I liked it, did`t love it. The acting was wonderful. Naomi Watts was miscast. She looked like a sister, not a mother. The house in W VA was too big.The book is one of my top five of all time favorites. The movie, with the exception of Woody Harrelson and the child actors, didn`t have the same pull. Also, I missed Maureen`s story.

Well done story with a happy ending!

This movie was lacking the grittiness and misery that the book conveyed.