I have read the opinions of you all, so I think I should tell you mine.
Dim@kis, I disagree with you in that I don' t think that the stuff which is added to the plot is more interesting. Instead, it is undue and spoils the general image of the story.
I generally believe that books are better. Of course, I do not mean that a film cannot be better than the book, but mostly the case is the other way around. I believe that the book helps your imagination take of, while the film traps it.