Lessons on love from author Nicholas Sparks' film adaptations

Love. Some people have it. Everyone wants it. Internationally best-selling author Nicholas Sparks has brought this idea of love to life on the big screen with adaptations of eight of his most popular novels.

In the past 25 years, Sparks has published an impressive 17 novels including the modern day classic love story, The Notebook. The novels of Nicholas Sparks seem to combine perfectly with the silver screen as each one presents us with different lessons on love through characters and storylines that we can relate to in our own lives.

Safe Haven (trailer HERE), Sparks’ most recent novel to be recreated on screen, follows the story of Katie (Julianne Hough), a young woman trying to escape her past, as she travels to North Carolina and develops a relationship with single dad Alex (Josh Duhamel). In celebration of the upcoming release of Safe Haven, we present our favourite Nicholas Sparks movies, and the love lessons we’ve learned from each. 

 

A Walk To Remember (2002) - The First Teen Romance
Take a leap of faith for love, despite the risks

Based on his 1999 novel, A Walk To Remember marks the first time most of us saw Nicholas Sparks’ work on screen. It was also a breakout moment for actress Mandy Moore who starred as Jamie Sullivan, a shy and studious teen trying to survive high school in North Carolina, while secretly battling leukaemia. Jamie’s world is forever changed when she forms a relationship with Landon (Shane West), a popular yet troubled classmate who reaches out to Jamie after being forced to participate in the Drama Club.

 

The Notebook (2004) - The Quintessential Love Story
Your first love is often the best

Perhaps the most successful Nicholas Sparks’ adaption to date, The Notebook is regarded as one of the greatest love stories of all time. The Notebook follows the love story of Allie (Rachel McAdams) and Noah (Ryan Gosling) from its beginning when they were teenagers in 1940s South Carolina. As the summer comes to an end, so does their relationship, as Allie’s parents insist that Noah is not an appropriate match for their upper-class and sophisticated daughter. Several years pass, and Allie becomes engaged to Lon Hammond (James Marsden), a man who comes from Southern money and one her parents certainly approve of. Allie and Noah fortuitously meet again and rekindle their passion for one another, forcing Allie to choose between her first love and class order. ‘’Behind every great love is a great story.’’
 

Dear John (2010) - Love Through Letters
True love will survive in the end, despite the distance

The expression ‘’Dear John’’ is given a whole new meaning in the 2010 movie of the same name. The romance of love letters is reinvigorated for all as John Tyree (Channing Tatum), a young solider on leave meets Savannah (Amanda Seyfried), a college student at home for spring holiday. After a chance meeting, the two fall in love only to be separated as John is deployed overseas. Although they spend the next seven years apart, with only sporadic opportunities to see each other, they attempt to continue their relationship thru love letters, leaving their future up to fate.
 

 

The Lucky One (2012) -The Power of Fate
Love often spurs from a chance meeting

Zac Efron shines together with Taylor Schilling in The Lucky One, based on the bestselling novel of the same title. After serving three tours of duty in Iraq, U.S. Marine Sergeant Logan is determined to find a woman from a photograph, a photograph he believes is the reason he survived an attack on the front line. Logan travels to find this woman, Beth, and soon develops a relationship with her, giving him faith that Beth is the lucky one he was destined to find.
 

 

Safe Haven (2013) - A Second Chance At Love
Love can move you forward in life, along with trust

Upcoming film Safe Haven is the most recent Nicholas Sparks novel to be recreated on the silver screen. Safe Haven illustrates the story of Katie (Julianne Hough), a young woman trying to escape her past, as she travels to North Carolina and develops a relationship with single dad and widower Alex (Josh Duhamel).

Be sure to catch all the passion and drama of Safe Haven when it comes to cinemas 1 March.

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