hey, so this is just my opinion on people who are against Jannaraā¦ Iāve seen a lot of people complaining about it in the show and how itās not accurate to the books. Like Iāve seen more than one rant about itā¦ and to be quite honest I donāt understand why everybody is reacting SO highly to it. I can understand when it doesnāt seem like the show is following the books correctly. Trust me I get it, because I grew up with the books and seeing those things they changed in the show was a little bit disappointing. However, Andrew Peterson did an amazing job of re-creating an already amazing story into a showā¦ the thing is Jannara in the show just shows a deeper dive into Sara and Jannerās relationship in the books. There is honestly nothing wrong with it. Itās more logical that Janner wouldāve already knew Sara, considering he risked his life for her. So itās more probable to think that he wouldāve already had a crush on her before that. And I understand that theyāre only 12 which is pretty young to fall in love, but itās also not impossible. People have fallen in love at 12 years old beforeā¦ especially considering almost everything that went through was not something a 12-year-old shouldāve been going through. So I donāt understand that once it comes to him falling in love, (which is like the most normal thing he expierences at such a young age) is suddenly a problem? Like itās taking so much credit away from Janner? Like heās not āa normal 12 yr oldā guys šAnd like the way you guys are ranting about how it ruined the show or whatever why are you even reading the books or watching the show if you donāt like the authorās choices?? I mean, I totally understand critiquing bits and sections of the books, but when itās an entire relationship between 2 amazing characters and youāre like ripping on it, its pretty annoying. I wouldnāt say that Sara and Janner were dating, because they werenāt.. but they were DEFINITELY more than friends considering that both of them claimed to be in love with each other. Even Janners mother and brother knew? If you paid attention in the books Sara cobbler was a huge part of the story and the whole reason that she was able to free everybody from the fork factory was because Janner created this inspiration and light in her.
So sorry I knew that was a long rant but itās just frustrating when people hate on it so muchā¦. I genuinely donāt understand why itās such a big issue š¤·āāļø
I'm not anti-Janara but I'm also not super fixated on it either, since it's a minor part of the story. While I do think the two have a bit of a crush on each other (which is kind of cute), they are also quite young so the way they view each other could hypothetically transform over time in either direction.
While Sara has more presence in season 1 than she does in book 1, I think the changes make a lot of sense in regards to adaptation. Sara is mentioned in book 1 to help us understand the gravity and grief of the black carriage and make that hit closer to home (Andrew Peterson said something along those lines once). This is effective in a book, but that effect can't necessarily be achieved the same way in film. I think that the show tried to help us experience Janner's sense of personal loss by letting us get to know Sara alongside him. I think, in film, that is significantly more powerful than just having her mentioned in a comment.
Showing the difference between Sara's demeanor and personality before and during the Fork! Factory! also effectively shows how terrible of a place it is and how severe the effect is on the children's spirits.
Note: We do know from the book that Sara and Janner did previously know each other to some extent. They knew each other's names and could recognize each other even after a long time separated.
(Sorry that was so long! I'm in two literature to film adaptation classes now, so it's on the brain š )