I didn't read the book so all I got out of this picture was that Halle Berry's character was never satisfied with her lot in life, had a nice house and a prosperous business in the town where she lived and gave it all up to go off with some stranger only to end up in a hurricane floating on a board with her rabid husband. And, they find time to kiss amidst a raging storm.For all the trials and tribulations she supposedly went through, she seemed almost retarded with the constant laughing and giggling and running down to the water to jump in and float around "watching God". Halle Berry looked almost out of place in that town with her perfect teeth, refined features and skinny body. And that hair! That deserved a place in the credits all it's own. Just smearing a little dirt on her didn't make her look as if she plowed fields, slaughtered pigs and helped build a town. I found the whole movie annoying. I don't recommend it. Guess I should read the book.