1. Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen hit it out of the ballpark in her legendary romantic novel, which is now one of the most well known films of our time, and my personal favorite. With the beautiful and captivating Keira Knightley portraying the unique character of Elizabeth Bennet, and the proud Mr. Darcy making Austen’s vivid words come to life – its no surprise that the movie was nominated for four Oscars.
2. Sense and Sensibility
Another favorite by the romantic genius, Jane Austen, was turned into a movie in 1995 and has been quite successful since. The book was beautifully and well written, and performed just as well onscreen, winning one Oscar and still watched by hundreds today.
3. Lord of the Rings
Lord of the Rings went from three epic novels to three epic films and is sure to have faithful fans for decades to come. From Frodo to the Dark Lord Sauron, each character captivated its viewers and the film was so well done that thousands stayed hooked to the television for 228 minutes at a time just to watch.
4. Harry Potter Series
The most mentioned and most read series in elementary school and middle school had no trouble transitioning to the screen, cultivating a faithful fan base and making billions in the process. Readers sped through the books because of J.K. Rowling’s magnificent writing, and viewers watched actors and actresses grow up in the eight captivating films.
5. The Godfather
My dad’s personal favorite is a movie so good you probably didn’t even know it was a book first! Well, I didn’t at least. But, the novel “The Godfather” is actually the father of the movie, born in 1969 by the pen of Italian American author Mario Puzo. It performed well as a book and even better as a film, making it part of our top ten!
6. Wolf of Wall Street
Before Leonardo DiCaprio let it all hang loose in the major motion picture released this past December, The Wolf of Wall Street was a memoir by Jordan Belfort. Although the film received plenty of controversial feedback, it made the list generating over 300 million dollars due to its risky approach.
7. The Great Gatsby
We all read it in high school, and many of us may have dreaded it then. But now, with Leonardo DiCaprio, a stellar actor with killer looks, and a very esthetically pleasing film – The Great Gatsby, released last summer, was the winner of two Oscars and received very high ratings. This book turned movie is surely one of the best examples of a book that can successfully make it on the big screen.
8. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
From bestselling young adult novel, to hits on the screen, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series written by Ann Brashares became the life every teenager at the time lived vicariously through. The pair of pants held up a lot of weight when it comes to living up to the standards of faithful readers of the series. The film portrayed the written story well and kept every teenage girl interested.
9. The Notebook
The most popular chick flick out there was to no surprise written by the master of romantic novels himself, Nicholas Sparks. A few of his other successful books that are now on-screen include A Walk to Remember, Message in a Bottle and Dear John. Yet, The Notebook is truly his most successful with infamous actor Ryan Gosling, and the beautiful Rachel McAdams.
10. The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games film series is only up to its second part and viewers are already hungry for more. The trilogy, written by Suzanne Collins has done very well onscreen with the beloved actress Jennifer Lawrence and a bit of competitive energy between Peeta and Gale, readers and viewers alike are hooked. Part, three- bring it on!