Are there any books that are simply impossible to film? Although film makes would like to think not, it is a good bet that certain books will never be adapted into successful films. Books written in unique literary styles such as Ulysses by James Joyce and The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner have resisted film adaptation to rival the greatness of the books. Film makes will no doubt keep trying, of course. Readers and viewers will have to be the final jusges of whether it is better to read the book or see the movie