*Review of the best according to the editors. About the selection criteria. This material is subjective, not an advertisement and does not serve as a guide to purchase. It is necessary to consult with a specialist before buying.
Nicholas Charles Sparks is a master of sensual lyrical prose. His works are published in multi-million copies in 45 countries. Movies based on novels are box-office hits. Many of the books become bestsellers in the first weeks or even days after release.
The thread that runs through all his works is love, which turns heads, breaks down all of life’s barriers, seduces with passion, and breaks hearts with drama. Sparks writes about perfect love in its highest sense, and every reader plunges inside the shimmering feelings and becomes a hero of the novel, coming into contact with this beautiful and powerful feeling, and at times even experiencing it.
Many critics accuse Sparks of being overly sentimental, of typical plots, of drawn-out dialogues, and of almost perfect characters who in places seem a little picture-like and their relationships unrealistically sublime. But everyone secretly dreams of such high, divine, eternal love.
Rating of the best books by Nicholas Sparks
| Nomination | place | product name | rating |
| Rating of the best books by Nicholas Sparks | 1 | Memory Diary | 4.9 |
| 2 | The Last Song | 4.8 | |
| 3 | Dear John | 4.8 | |
| 4 | Hasten to love | 4.8 | |
| 5 | Lucky | 4.7 | |
| 6 | Silent Harbor | 4.7 | |
| 7 | The best in me | 4.7 | |
| 8 | Guardian Angel | 4.6 | |
| 9 | Message in a bottle | 4.5 | |
| 10 | Choice | 4.5 | |
| 11 | Two times two | 4.5 | |
| 12 | Turning Point | 4.5 | |
| 13 | Salvation | 4.4 |
Memory Diary
Rating: 4.9
You could say that Nicholas Sparks became famous practically overnight. The first novel that brought the author fame and a $1 million contract – was “The Memory Diary,” which tops our rating.
The story is based on the true story of the relationship between the grandparents of the writer’s wife, Cathy, who lived together for 60 years. In his work, Nicholas depicts a lifelong love.
The protagonist, Noah, re-tells the story of their love, Ellie, his lover, who forgets all about everything all over again. This story is about happy family life and obstacles; flighty fate and separation; warm memories and heartbreak.
“The Memory Diary” is one of Nicholas Sparks’ first books, written back in 1994., and hit number one on the New York Times bestseller list in its very first week.
May 20, 2004. a movie of the same name was released on TV, with the slogan “Behind Every Great Love is a Great Story,” which rekindled interest in the book and brought it back to bestseller status. In 2005. the film won an MTV award for best kiss scene.
The novel “The Memory Diary” is admired. He is hated and criticized. But the sensual love story of Noah and Ellie still holds the top position among the most touching lyrical works of our time.
The Last Song
Rating: 4.8
We gave second place in the ranking to Nicholas Sparks’ “The Last Song.”. In the novel, the author presents the concept of love extensively, revealing all its multifaceted. A boy’s love for his girl, his love for his parents, animals, people, and life in general. The story makes you think about higher values, your own relationship with your parents, and the importance of spending time with your loved ones.
The leitmotif of the work is the all-forgiving theme of father-daughter love. The events that happened to the main character, Ronnie, changed her life forever. A flighty 17-year-old girl falls in love for the first time in just one summer, gains her father’s love and forgiveness, and immediately loses it.
“The Last Song” was the writer’s first novel, the literary text for which Sparks completed after the screenplay. The first version of the picture, written specifically for young actress Miley Cyrus, was completed a year before the book was finished.
The novel was subsequently published in more than 30 countries and almost instantly made the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists.
Dear John
Rating: 4.8
The novel “Dear John,” #3 on our list, is the 12th bestselling novel to the world in 2006, the same year it became a bestseller according to the Pub
At the forefront of the novel “Dear John” is a love story told on behalf of the main character, 23-year-old soldier John Trailey. He is torn between his desire to be with his beloved and his sense of duty, urging him to rejoin the army after the horrors of 9/11.
Sparks is a masterful account of real feelings. The reader even gets the impression that the storyline is a real story, not a fictional one. And the characters are described so subtly that they literally begin to “live” in your head.
Page after page, the reader gets answers to his questions and comes to the conclusion that love is a great feeling that does not fit into the boundaries of. Its presence or absence is determined only by actions. And that’s exactly what this novel is about.
Hasten to Love
Rating: 4.8
One of the most famous works by Nicholas Sparks, which brought him worldwide fame by becoming the #1 New York Times bestseller, is the novel Hasten To Love, ranked #4 in our list. The book is about true, almost unearthly love, which does not pass and does not end even under the pressure of difficult circumstances and losses of life.
The novel is largely autobiographical, as the prototype of the main character, Jamie Sullivan, was the author’s sister, Danielle Sparks Lewis, who was ill with cancer and died in 2000, when she was only 33 years old. It is to her memory that Nicholas has dedicated this novel.
“Hasten to Love” – a romantic and touching story about a beautiful adolescent love that lasts a lifetime. The main character, Jamie, who gets her name after the writer’s editor, is hopelessly ill with leukemia, but her beloved Landon (that’s the name of the writer’s son) decides to be with her to the end, even if they are only destined to be together for one summer.
Lucky
Rating: 4.7
“Lucky” makes it to #5 on our list. This time, Nicholas writes about the story of a Marine survivor of war thanks to a picture of a pretty girl found by chance. At least, that’s what Logan thinks himself, and decides by all means to find a beautiful stranger.
In creating the image of Logan Thibault, the author strove for maximum believability. He conducted numerous interviews with people, flipped through archival newspaper articles, and watched documentaries.
A wonderful book for a wonderful evening, “Lucky” is in the category of those novels that are good for shortening evenings. The novel is not out of context with the author’s other works. Same idea, characters, experiences, and tragedy. However, Sparks has such a great way to convey a sense of warmth, caring and trust that the reader is involuntarily imbued with the fate of the characters.
An unforgiving fate puts the heroes before a choice, demanding that they fight for their feelings. And it’s up to them to determine their future, which takes an unexpected turn.
Not without Sparks’ traditional screen adaptation of the novel. The movie premiered on May 19, 2012 and was expected to be a box office hit.
Quiet Harbor
Rating: 4.7
Sixth place in the ranking we gave the novel “Quiet Harbor”, which came out of the pen of the writer in 2010. This time, Sparks decided to write something more stirring than a vanilla romance and raise a socially significant issue that is acute in society. Nicholas dedicated another novel to domestic violence.
Through the example of Kathy’s action, the author urges all women not to tolerate domestic violence, but to fight for their right to a happy life and not be afraid to start a new life. “One can do the right thing at any time,” Nicholas believes.
Another highlight of “Quiet Harbor” was the interweaving of detective, thriller, and romance into the novel’s canvass. This technique formed the basis of the script for the film of the same name, which successfully premiered in 2013.
The best part about me
Rating: 4.7
It’s no accident that we put Nicholas Sparks’ love novel, The Best in Me, on step 7 in our rating. It is the seventeenth on the list of internationally acclaimed bestsellers and the most anticipated for readers.
The storyline, already traditional for Sparks, involves two directions at once – the past and the future. Amanda and Dawson have been in love with each other since high school. She’s the daughter of rich parents, he’s just an ordinary guy from a troubled family. The class inequality and behind-the-scenes intrigue become an obstacle on the way to their happiness, forcing them to part ways.
After 25 years, forgotten feelings flare up with renewed vigor when the now grown-up and established heroes meet again in their hometown. Their feelings are rekindled with renewed vigor, but will Amanda abandon her family for a ghostly happiness?
In addition to the lyrics, the novel contains crime, conflict, murder and the death of one of the characters. But despite the dramatic denouement, the aftertaste after the book remains lyrical-romantic.
The film rights to “The Best in Me” were bought six months before the novel was completed. The film premiered on October 7, 2013.
Guardian Angel
Rating: 4.6
Guardian Angel – another work of Nicholas Sparks, which will not leave indifferent fans of lyrical prose, occupies the eighth step of the rating.
The novel is traditionally set in North Carolina, in the small seaside town of Swansboro, which is known for its lovely provincial atmosphere, cozy docks, stores and boutiques, and nightclubs.
The author’s style can be felt from the first pages – Sparks again extols pure naive love on a pedestal of human relationships. Pleasant, light narration from the first pages immerses in a special romantic atmosphere – a young widow trying to find love and happiness. The girl manages to meet a real maniac and the man of her dreams, experiencing many twists and turns of fate. But the guardian angel protects Julia and helps her through all the difficulties. According to Sparks, this is the only novel based on an entirely fictional story.
Incidentally, “Guardian Angel” still hasn’t been adapted and is still overlooked by Hollywood producers.
A Message in a Bottle
Rating: 4.5
“Message in a Bottle,” the 2nd novel by Nicholas Sparks, published back in 1998, hits #9 on our rating.
The author was prompted to write this drama by his parents’ love story. Sparks’ mother tragically dies while riding horses. His father could never come to terms with his loss, enduring his pain for many years. And the moment a new love came into his life – he died. As Nicholas himself says, he did not write this story to tell about his grief. Rather, it was an attempt to share a life lesson.
One fine morning, Teresa Osborne – a famous journalist and divorced single mother, jogging along the coast – finds a bottle with a letter in which the widower Garrett Blake sincerely and sensually confesses his love. It touches a woman so much that she decides to seek out the author of the romantic message. Life gives Garrett a new love the hope of happiness. However, this story is not destined to have a happy ending.
The novel was successfully adapted in 1999. Starring Robin Wright Penn and Kevin Costner.
Choice
Rating: 4.5
Totally atypical for Nicholas Sparks novel “The Choice” we ranked #10. The book was published in 2007, though many readers note a certain bifurcation, as if the story were written by two different people.
The writer’s official website gives a clue to this mystery: the final part of the novel was written in 1996, and the introduction 11 years later. The idea of writing a new novel occurred to Sparks immediately after the resounding success of “The Memory Diary.”. But many critics are convinced that had the novelist released it immediately, his career could have been cut tragically short.
The prototypes of the main characters, Gaby and Travis, were real people. The image of Travis was taken from the author’s brother, and his former assistant – turned into a charming protagonist.
The theme of choice runs through the entire novel. Nicholas emphasizes that one always has the right to choose, but that making the right choice is sometimes not as easy as it seems.
The story of the novel is as old as the world – a selfless but tragic love. In order for the novel to end with a happy ending, the characters have to overcome many obstacles. And it is so traditional for Sparks.
The novel was adapted in 2016. Film critics have noted that this is the only movie based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks in which none of the characters die at the end of the film.
Twice Upon a Time
Rating: 4.5
“Two Times Two,” a new novel by Nicholas Sparks, released in 2017, placed at No. 11 in the rankings. The book caused a mixed reaction from readers. Many have commented on the atypicality of the work, the excessive length and boredom of the narrative. Others rave about the sentimental prose, pitying and scolding the beloved characters.
The main action of the novel is traditionally set in North Carolina, in Charlotte. It’s no surprise that Sparks put his characters here-it’s the perfect place for walks and warm family evenings together.
The main role in the novel is assigned to the relationship between a father and his daughter. The author is based on a true story and shows important life lessons. The breakdown of a marriage, the raising of a daughter by a single father, and even same-sex love are all raised in the pages of the novel and are viewed from the perspective of strengthening family relationships.
A Steep Turn
Rating: 4.5
“A Steep Turn,” Nicholas Sparks’ fifth work, published in 2001, ranks twelfth. It’s not as well known as the author’s other works, due to the lack of a screen incarnation. But fans are raving about the novel. Let “A Steep Turn” not be as strong as the previous works, but it makes you think.
At the time of writing the novel, two events occurred in the author’s life at once – the birth of his third son and the death of his sister. Nicholas admitted that it was a difficult period and he even had to throw out the first 200 pages, which “went nowhere. The image of the main character, policeman Miles Ryan, was copied by the author from his son-in-law, who was left with young children after the death of his wife.
The novel intertwines three storylines at once–the tragic, the detective, and the love story. Overcoming obstacles to their happiness, the characters will need to find the culprit, see ghosts from the past, trust each other, and learn to live in a new way.
Salvation
Rating: 4.4
The novel Salvation was the fourth novel published in 2000 from the pen of Nicholas. It is not well known to the general public for the reason that this book has never been screened. In our ranking, “Salvation” takes the last, thirteenth step.
Nicholas admits that “Rescue” is his most personal novel and sometimes it was painful and difficult for him to write it because of the memories. His son Ryan was then diagnosed with a developmental disorder and speech delay. By the way, the boy is doing fine now.
Also in the year the novel was written (1996), the author’s father died, his sister fell ill with cancer, and the novel “The Memory Diary” was being prepared for release. All this left a kind of imprint on the plot of the book.
Taylor McAden is a lifeguard. One day he rescues single mother Daisy and little Kyle, who suffers from speech delays. This event becomes fateful in the lives of both characters. From that moment on, they learn to love, despite all the responsibility. This novel is one of Sparks’ few that has a happy ending.
