Close to tome: 20 excellent book-to-screen adaptations

Before it was the classic romance film, The Notebook was a Nicholas Sparks novel and a popular one at that. Romance fans loved this story from the get-go, and they only fell further in love with it after its screen adaptation starring Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling. 

The novel Room has many, many fans, but so does the film. Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay did a fantastic job of bringing the main characters to life, and they perfectly portrayed the emotional toll that type of trauma puts on two people and the bond they can form through experiencing it together. 

The Princess Diaries is such an iconic film of the early 2000s that there are loads of people who don’t even know it was a book first. Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews truly made this story about a girl who didn’t know she was a princess come to life. 

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was a magical book and a magical film. Seeing Narnia on screen was a fantastic experience for everyone who read the first installment of the novel series by C.S. Lewis. 

How the Grinch Stole Christmas is one of Dr. Seuss’s most famous books, and it’s been adapted to film thrice now, with the first and universally beloved version coming out in 1966. If you’ve seen this film, you’re a fan. It perfectly encapsulates Seuss’s work. 

The Polar Express has always been a Christmas classic. Whether it be the book or the film adaptation, there are always millions of people consuming this beautiful story around the holidays. 

Considered by many to be an American literature classic, there were plenty of skeptics ahead of the film adaptation of The Color Purple. But its all-star cast, including Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover, Margaret Avery, and Oprah Winfrey, delivered. 

Classic book adaptations are difficult to master, especially when the director wants to modernize the story without sacrificing its integrity. Luckily, Little Women was adapted by an expert writer and director, Greta Gerwig, and it resulted in an adaptation that was a beautiful homage to Louisa May Alcott. 

Pride and Prejudice’s story has been reworked dozens of times in film, and many of us have seen an adaptation of it without even realizing it. But the 2005 film starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen hit home for lots of Jane Austen fans. 

The Fault in Our Stars was an emotional read for, well, everyone who read it, and there were plenty of readers who had an attachment to the story. Luckily, they were satisfied by the film adaptation, which brought viewers just as many tears as readers. 

The Perks of Being a Wallflower has a cult following for both the book and the film, and members of that cult know how warranted the following is. Both the book and the film will bring people to tears. 

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has been adapted to film twice now, and someday, it might get the movie treatment again. While most are partial to the first film adaptation of the story, we think both of them lived up to the whimsy and wonderment of Roald Dahl’s classic book. 

Alice in Wonderland is another story so heavily associated with its film that some might not even know it was adapted from a book. But those who have read the book might think the animated film is even better. Admittedly, a lot of the content does translate better via film. 

The Devil Wears Prada was a good book but an excellent movie. The cast, the costumes, the settings — it was bound to be an instant classic. Plenty of people still watch this movie regularly, and the online discourse about who the real villain is will likely never end. 

The screen adaptation of Big Little Lies was so well done that it garnered a second season. Of course, that meant the script had to be based on material that wasn’t already written as a novel, but the achievement speaks to the power of the television adaptation. 

Yes, Gossip Girl was adapted from a book. From a whole series, actually. Some fans are partial to the book series, but television fans would argue that the television series was just as good as, if not better than, the novels. 

One of the most famous films of all time came from a book. At this point, most people have probably seen the movie and not read the book, which shows just how well the filmmakers did at adapting it. Almost too good, some might argue. 

It’s rare for a book and a movie to be equally revered, but Schindler’s List drew praise from readers and viewers alike. The Thomas Keneally book and Steven Spielberg film are both devastating to consume, yet incredibly important and well-done. 

The Princess Bride will likely be remembered as a movie more than a book, but anyone who consumed both knows that the film totally lives up to the hype. Funny, engaging, and silly, this adventurous story is fantastic whether you read it or watch it. 

Who doesn’t love a tale about the uber-wealthy and how different their lives are compared to the general population? The Nanny Diaries is completely engrossing as a book and as a movie, and consuming either form will satisfy your craving for a satirization of an out-of-touch Manhattan family and their nanny.