Nicholas Sparks' Movies Based on His Books

One of my favorite writers is Nicholas Charles Sparks, an American novelist and screenwriter, who has published 22 novels and two non-fiction books. Fifteen of the novels have been New York Times bestsellers. All of his books are available nationwide in more than 50 languages. Over 115 million copies have been sold, and 11 of his novels have been adapted into successful movies.

Sparks read a lot as a child, but he never considered writing. At the age of 19, he wrote his first novel, The Passing, in 1985. He was on summer break between his freshman and sophomore years at the University of Notre Dame when his mother saw that he was bored. She suggested that he should write a book. By the time Sparks graduated from college, he had written his second book, The Royal Murders in 1989.

Sparks' first two books were never published, and his first published book, The Notebook almost wasn't published, but it made the best seller's list the first week of publication. After that, the 55-year-old author began to write about one book per year.

As we watch movies based on Sparks' books, we can't help seeing something in them that takes us back to our own romance, whether we have loved and lost or loved and are still living happily ever after.

Sparks' movies are based on his books with the same characters and themes. His usual themes include relationships, family, love, and faith.

1. A man and a woman fall in love.
2. There is a beach scene, an ocean or a body of water.
3. The leading man has a seaside hobby.
4. A family crisis has to be addressed
5. Writing is involved.
6. There is a separation by distance.
7. Nature, music, or art shows up in some form.
8. Sadly, there is always a death.
9. Love develops, but at first one or both of the leading characters reject the possibility.

Sparks insists he is not a romance novelist. He claims he is a fiction writer who writes love stories.

Sparks' books and movies are about characters falling in love. There are teenagers in love as well as middle age and older adults who experience love in some form in all of his writings.

There are surprises in Sparks' books and movies. When you think you have figured out what is going to happen next, there is a bombshell letting you know that you hadn't figured it out at all.

Look at the photos provides and see the couples as they appear in the movies.

Message in a Bottle was Sparks' second romance novel published in April 1998. The 1999 movie stars Kevin Costner and Robin Wright Penn.

It is about a divorced and lonely woman who finds a love letter in a bottle. She is intrigued by the mystery and becomes determined to track down the writer.

A Walk to Remember is a coming-of-age romantic drama film starring Shane West and Mandy Moore. The story is about a popular guy who is forced to tutor a plain girl from a poor school. Love develops and tragedy occurs.

The movie is based on Sparks' 1999 novel of the same name.

The Notebook was published in 1996, but it was not made into a movie until 2004. The novel was written over a period of six months in 1994.

The plot is set in a modern-day nursing home where an elderly man named Duke (James Garner) begins to read a love story from his notebook to a female fellow patient (Gena Rowlands).

The female patient is very much interested in the love story that is read to her, but it is not until the end of the movie do we find out why the notebook was so important.

Nights in Rodanthe movie is an adaptation of Sparks' 2002 novel of the same name starring Richard Gere and Diane Lane. It is about a woman who takes care of her friend's inn to get away from her problems.

Only one guest arrives, and he too is trying to escape his own problems. The one guest and the innkeeper develop a friendship that leads into a relationship that ends in Nicholas Sparks' usual style.

Dear John is a love story about an army sergeant who falls in love shortly before 9-11. He enlists again, and the separation causes the girl to fall in love with someone else and marries him.

The movie is a romantic drama-war film starring Amanda Seyfried and Channing Tatum that is based on Sparks' 2006 novel.

The Last Song is a story about a seventeen-year-old girl (Miley Cyrus) who goes to live with her father for the summer. She meets a boy (Liam Hemsworth) and falls in love with him. In this movie not only do we see the first love of a boy and girl, but we also see the love and forgiveness between parents and children. The movie is based on Sparks' 2009 novel.

Miley and Liam began a real-life relationship after starring together in the film. They married, but the couple later divorced.

The Lucky One is a 2012 romantic drama based on Sparks' 2008 novel. While serving in Iraq, US Marine Zac Efron finds a photo of a young woman (Taylor Schilling) and carries it around for good luck. He later tracks down the woman and they begin a relationship but not without challenges.

Safe Haven is a story about a 2013 romantic drama thriller film based on Sparks' 2010 novel.

The movie starring Julianne Hough and Josh Duhamel is about an abused wife who leaves home, changes her identity, and tries to start a new life.

Her abusive alcoholic policeman husband tracks her down and there is trouble for his wife and the man she has started a relationship with.

The Best of Me is a 2014 romantic drama film based on Nicholas Sparks' 2011 novel of the same name. The film stars James Marsden and Michelle Monaghan.

The two stars are forced to come together after a mutual friend dies. They were very much in love when they were in high school, but they haven't seen each other in over 20 years. While the man is still single, the woman is married with a young son.

Even though death occurs in all of Sparks' movies, this one is a tear jerker. So, have your tissues ready when you watch this film.

The Longest Ride a 2015 Western romantic drama based on Sparks' 2013 novel of the same name. The film stars Scott Eastwood and Britt Robertson. It is about a bull rider and the love of his life.

The two of them work things out as she wants him to give up bull riding and he wants to continue doing so.

The Choice is a 2016 romantic drama film based on Nicholas Sparks' 2007 novel of the same name about two neighbors who fall in love at their first meeting.

The movie stars Benjamin Walker and Teresa Palmer. There are a lot of twists in this movie, but it ends in a Nicholas Sparks' style.