So to fans of Karen Cushman’s Newbery Honor-winning historical novel Catherine Called Birdy, it may seem strange that writer-director Lena Dunham changed the book’s ending for the screen in favor of something more modern. It might be even more surprising to say that this time, the changed ending actually improves the plot. Sometimes, books aren’t cinematic enough to play well on screen, and Dunham and her team understand that, so they updated Cushman’s story to make it more cohesive and compelling as a movie. With Game of Thrones’ Bella Ramsey leading the cast, Catherine Called Birdy is the rare book-to-film adaptation that makes some huge changes for the better. [Ed. note: This post contains ending spoilers for the book version of Catherine Called Birdy, and discusses general changes to the plot for the film version.] Photo: Alex Bailey/Prime Video Cushman’s 1994 novel is pretty grim. Catherine, Called Birdy is the medieval diary of 14-year-old Catherine, the only daughter of an English lord. The book begins as just an account of her days, until her father decides to marry her. She then spends her time avoiding suitors, before becoming engaged to a wealthy man who is much older than her — old enough to have grown children. She leaves home to seek refuge with her newlywed uncle, but eventually accepts her fate, deciding never to lose her sense of self, even after they marry her. Luckily for her, her would-be suitor dies in an accident and Catherine ends up getting engaged to his much more age-appropriate son. For the time period, it counts as a win! For young readers, Catherine, Called Birdy is similar to the books Dear America or American Girl — yes, there is a compelling narrative, but also, the book is full of details about a particular time period and might just start a fascination with history . Catherine’s diary entries showcase not only her eccentric, strong-willed, humorous voice, but also the daily life of a medieval noblewoman, from boring chores to the most exciting festivals. The mundane aspects of Catherine’s life in the book are fascinating, especially for the target audience of middle grade readers who may not have exposure to real history from this time period. When Catherine talks about spinning cloth, keeping birds and participating in village festivals, or thinking about how various saints were martyred, they are all part of her everyday life. But for modern readers, it’s a glimpse into a way of life long gone and curiously unknown. Photo: Alex Bailey/Prime Video The problem is, while the daily chores of a 14-year-old in the Middle Ages make for interesting reading, they don’t make for a particularly interesting movie. So much of the book’s charm comes from Catherine’s raspy voice, and while the movie’s voiceover captures some of that, the movie can’t tell a story through voice alone. A more specific line is needed. So Dunham’s script makes Catherine’s impending engagement a more central plot point sooner. The biggest change in the film is that Catherine’s family is much more sympathetic than their counterparts in the book, especially since the film as a medium naturally exits from a limited first-person perspective. It’s a tactic adopted by Netflix’s adaptation of Shadow and Bone, with an entire episode leaving protagonist Alina behind to focus on her best friend, stalker Mal (Archie Renaux, who incidentally plays Catherine’s single brother Edward in Catherine Called Birdy). One of the biggest criticisms of Mal in the books is that he comes across as jealous and controlling, but a lot of that comes from the book’s first-person perspective, filtered through Alina and her insecurities. But in the show, Mal’s side of the story is fleshed out, and some of his dialogue and actions read as less aggressive than Alina realized. He becomes a more compelling character and their relationship goes from something that feels like a one-sided crush to a beautiful mutual fight. In Catherine Called Birdy, many of the actions of Catherine’s family are still framed through her narrative and point of view. But this also provides a wonderful irony, because when Catherine says one thing, the audience can see what her parents, siblings, and other people in her life are actually doing. In particular, her father, Lord Rollo (the wonderful Andrew Scott), becomes less of a lazy glutton who squanders his family’s money and treats it like an object, and more of a complex figure who loves his family and wants the best for them, rather than for his mistakes in overspending and mismanaging their property. Photo: Alex Bailey/Prime Video Katherine can’t see the conversation she’s having with his marriage counselor as she can only eavesdrop through the door. But the audience can, and can see Rollo’s pained face as he realizes that the only solution to the family’s financial problems is to arrange a marriage for his only daughter. Dunham chose to make Catherine’s family more complicated for viewers, but that means the original ending of her being completely okay with her impending marriage would be unsatisfying and turn them back in an unsympathetic direction. So that changes too. While the film’s ending is certainly more modern than what one might expect in the Middle Ages, it’s also more narratively satisfying. Katherine’s fate is not left to chance, and her family’s involvement seems plausible given how Dunham incorporates her into her past actions. For book purists, it may be surprising to hear that a changed ending actually improves the story. But in some cases, changing a book’s themes or clarifying its ambiguities creates something different that still maintains the general feel of the book but can stand on its own. The TV series Series of Unfortunate Events, for example, answered a question in the series finale that writer Daniel Handler left open for years. While Handler went on to create the Snicketverse with spinoffs and guides, a TV series is more finite, and closure is more satisfying than deliberate ambiguity.
Dunham chose a similar path with Catherine Called Birdy. It’s not a faithful adaptation of the book, but it’s the adaptation that works best for an audience discovering this story on screen. The film Catherine Called Birdy tells a tighter story than the book’s pleasant diary entries tell, and it needed a conclusion with more finality than a diary that just runs out of pages. It’s an updated version of the story, but it wasn’t updated out of cowardice for a tragic ending or a misguided “How’s it going guys” attempt to appeal to young people by being “edgy” or “different.” Instead, the changes come from a desire to enhance the best parts of the book. Catherine’s sharp narration and depiction of her daily life in the Middle Ages, combined with a more coherent narrative conclusion, make the film stronger and leave Dunham to find her own path and audience. Catherine Called Birdy is in cinemas now and will be on Prime Video from 7 October.

    Subscribe to the Patch Notes newsletter

A weekly roundup of the best stuff from Polygon