Review on "A Walk to Remember".

For the first time ever I've come across a novel and a movie adaptation of it, which are equally good. It has become really difficult for me to select one over the other. Now I guess it's enough of me praising these works of fiction and let me state you the reasons why I love both the works.

          A Walk to Remember is a novel by American writer Nicholas Sparks, released in October 1999. The novel, set in 1958–1959 in Beaufort, North Carolina, is a story of two teenagers who fall in love with each other despite the disparity of their personalities. A Walk to Remember is adapted in the film of the same name, becoming Sparks' second novel adapted to the big screen after Message in a Bottle in 1999. Sparks sold the film rights to Warner Bros. in December 1998, months before the publication of the novel. The movie was directed by Adam Shankman and produced by Denise DiNovi and Hunt Lowry for Warner Bros.; the film premiered on January 25, 2002. The film, starring singer and actress Mandy Moore (Jamie) and Shane West (Landon), is set in the late 1990s. Sparks and the producer thought that because the film was suitable for teenagers "because of the message it provided", they had to make the adaptation more contemporary.

          Nicholas Charles Sparks (born December 31, 1965) is an American romance novelist and screenwriter. He has published twenty novels and two non-fiction books. Several of his novels have become international bestsellers, and eleven of his romantic-drama novels have been adapted to film all with multimillion-dollar box office grosses. His novels feature stories of tragic love with happy endings. Sparks wrote the manuscripts for A Walk to Remember, his third novel, in the summer of 1999. He wrote it in North Carolina, which is the setting of the novel. The title A Walk to Remember was taken from one of the tail end pages of the novel: "In every way, a walk to remember." The novel is written in first-person, and its narrator is a seventeen-year-old boy, living in the 1950s. The novel was inspired by Sparks' sister, Danielle Sparks Lewis, who later died of cancer in June 2000. Although the story is largely fictional, certain parts were based on real experiences. For example, his sister, just like Jamie, was never popular at school and always wore an ugly sweater. And just like Jamie, she always carried the Bible around with her everywhere she went. And just like Landon and Jamie, never in a thousand years did anyone think someone would ever deeply fall head-over-heels for her. His sister's husband proposed marriage to her despite her sickness. After her death, Sparks said in the eulogy: "...I suppose I wrote this novel not only so that you could get to know my sister, but so that you would know what a wonderful thing it was that her husband once did for her."

        The novel was published in the fall of October 1999 in hardcover print, and later in paperback edition. It spent nearly six months in the best-seller list on hardcover, and an additional four months on paperback.

         Although many people may classify A Walk to Remember as a love story, it is, in fact, a classic coming-of-age novel, a genre in which the protagonist undergoes tremendous growth after experiencing either a great adventure or some inner turmoil. There is great inner turmoil in Landon's life because Jamie Sullivan acts as a mirror in which Landon sees his own behaviors, values, and patterns for the first time and is deeply dismayed by the images he sees. Once he discovers these qualities, he aspires to them. Little by little, he grows into a new person, shedding his immature, selfish ways and growing into a kind, gentle, selfless young man.

         Now let's see what makes the movie different from the book. The books open with Landon Carter giving us an introduction to himself and by telling us how his life changed forever, whereas in the movie Landon and his friends initiate a guy when he gets really hurt and Landon gets trouble with the cops. Secondly in the book Jamie asks Landon if he will be the main character in the Christmas pageant that was written by her father. But in the movie we see Landon is forced into the school’s musical because of the trouble he got into with cops. Thirdly in the book we see Landon as student body president, hence he had to go to homecoming, but everyone already has a date except Jamie so Landon asks her as a last option. Later Landon helps Jamie at the orphanage where she volunteers, so they can make a special Christmas for children there. But in the movie we see how during drama practices both the characters meet and then quickly start dating. Jamie can't date so Landon asks her father for permission.

           The other small differences are in book Jamie is blonde, and Landon is constantly at her home, secondly Jamie wants only two things to do before she dies, that is to take her wedding vows where she is in the same church where her parents once took and to witness a miracle. In the movie we see Landon’s parents are divorced and Landon’s father is staying with his new wife, also we see Mr. Carter as a doctor. Secondly Jamie has a bigger bucket list which includes having a star named after her, getting admission in Medical college, being at two places at once, getting a tattoo, to take her wedding vows where she is in the same church where her parents once took and lastly to witness a miracle.

          To conclude I would say, if they remake this movie with a current time and settings I'm sure still it will be loved by the audience. As the story is very real, and conveys very raw and genuine and practical ways of showing love to each other. Also now we see many movies have come up with similar plots, like Five Feet Apart, Looking for Alaska, October, Fault in our Stars, The Vow, Sanam Teri Kasam, Me Before You and many more.