As an adaptation of the novel?

There appears to be a lot of discussion on this board, but not a terrible amount of what the film is like as an adaptation of the Carson McCullers novel.

I just watched this for the first time last night and was very impressed-- it is a very good, moving film. However, as an adaptation of the novel, it is greatly lacking in a number of ways. Mainly:

1.) The time period change does, indeed, change things. The novel is set in the 1930's, in a great depression-ravaged small southern town-- and there are worlds of commentary on the societal, political, religious and other circumstances of the times that don't make it into the film or aren't as successful when the setting is during the 1960's.

2.) Making Mick older is different, too. In the novel Mick is a few years younger and she is coming of age in a world she is so hostile toward and so does not understand-- having Mick go through what she does in the novel changes when you have her go through some of the same things a few years older.

3.) Singer's loneliness. In the movie, he goes out of his way to make friends and take care of people-- in the book, Singer's is lonely, entirely because Antonopoulous is gone. He doesn't care to make friends with Mick, Jake, Dr. Copeland or Biff, and he doesn't go out of his way to do so. They all come to him and while he doesn't send them away he just listens to them, writing to Antonopoulous that he doesn't understand these sad people. I think this lack of focus takes away from the power of Singer's relationship with Antonopoulous- in the novel, it's clear that he is so obsessed with and in love with Antonopoulous (whether romantically, platonically or nothing so simple)-- and no other friendship will substitute.

4.) Dr. Copeland's character is too simplified. In the movie, Dr. Copeland at least starts as a racist with feelings of hate or indifference to white people-- in the novel, he is much more nuanced, and is obsessed with using his life and family to better his people's place in the world. In the book, Dr. Copeland cares more about holding up the black race than simply hating white people/the oppressors. And I think this does a disservice to his character.

Any thoughts?