Fiction Books: The book was better you must have heard this saying. It is a common saying among readers who watch a movie based on a book. And this saying displays their disappointment.
And it is true. Many movies haven’t done justification with the great stories of books.
One of the reasons is movie makers cannot show all the good things in a 130-140 minutes movie. And the books offer more details. So when readers compare both, they get disappointed.
In my experience, not all books get poor movies. In this post, I have listed some of the bestselling fiction books that have also done well on screens. And the movies did great business in the market. The success inspired book writers to write good stories.
So keep reading to see the top-rated fiction reads with the best movie adaptions.
10 Top-Rated Fiction Books With the Best Movie Adaptions
Fiction Books: This list contains top-rated books that have sold copies of millions and have movie adaptions that have done better at the box office.
So if you are looking for some bestselling books with great movie adaptions, this list is for you.
The Godfather
Publishing & Release Year
Book: 1969
Movie: (1st)1972 (2nd) 1974
Fiction Books: Now don’t say you haven’t heard of the Godfather movie. It is one of the classic movies that most movie lovers have watched.
The Godfather is a crime thriller movie that has three parts. And the movie is an adaption of the fiction book the Godfather, written by Mario Puzo in 1969.
The first two movies, the Godfather 1 (1972) and the Godfather(1974), are based on the novel. And the movie makers did a brilliant job by giving the novel more screen time. Had the movie had only one part, it wouldn’t have pleased the audience. But the two parts offer the audience to experience the whole thrilling story.
And that is why people still love this classic movie and give references to Vito Corleone’s classic dialogue, ” “I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse”.
So this novel is one of the luckiest books with a classic movie adaptation that wouldn’t disappoint readers.
Harry Potter
Publishing & Release Year
Book: 1st(1997) 2nd (1998) 3rd (1999) 4th(2000) 5th(2003) 6th(2005) 7th(2007)
Movie: 1st(2001) 2nd (2002) 3rd (2004) 4th(2005) 5th(2007) 6th(2009) 7th(2010) 8th (2011)
Fiction Books: J.K. Rowling sure is one of the luckiest people in this world. First, her novel series, Harry Potter, sold more than 500 million copies and became the bestselling novel series. And then, the movie series became the fourth-highest-grossing film series with more than 7 billion business at the box office.
There would be hardly any movie lovers who haven’t watched this classic movie series. Harry Potter film series has eight movies based on seven novels written by J. K. Rowling. And whoever has read the books and watched the movies couldn’t control himself from praising the film series.
So this is another classic novel series that did even better on the big screen. Thus, this should be on your reading list.
What is the right order of reading Harry Potter books?
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
- To Kill a Mockingbird
Publishing & Release Year
Book: 1960
Movie: 1962
Fiction Books: To Kill a Mockingbird is another classic novel that did an excellent job on the big screen. And the movie won three Academy Awards for outstanding work.
The movie is an adaptation of Harper Lee’s bestselling novel. And the work of Harper Lee was so inspiring that her book became part of the syllabus in high schools in the US. It also sold more than 30 million copies.
It is a must-read book that can help you learn valuable lessons. And you can also watch its movie with the same excitement.
Pride and Prejudice
Publishing & Release Year
Book: 1818
Movie: 2005
Fiction Books: Pride and Prejudice is another classic all-time best movie. The movie won various awards for its epic storyline and brilliant display of acting by the actors.
Many people didn’t have an idea that the movie was an adaptation of a novel.
Pride and Prejudice is a romantic drama novel written by Jane Austen in 1818. And it remained one of the most popular novels in the English language.
The novel is about a beautiful and strong-willed yet sensible young woman, Elizabeth Bennett, who falls in love with Fitzwilliam Darcy, a handsome, wealthy but arrogant man.
The audience loved both the novel and the movie. So if you have read the book and haven’t watched the movie, don’t wait, you wouldn’t be disappointed.
The Lord of the Rings
Publishing & Release Year
Books: 1st(1955) 2nd (1955) 3rd (1955)
Movies: 1st (2001) 2nd (2002) 3rd (2003)
Who hasn’t watched The Lord of the Rings movie series? Fantasy adventure films are on the list of all-time great movies. And the series has collected more than 2 billion $, making the series one of the highest-grossing film series of all time.
The series has three movies, adapted from the three novels. The Lord of the Rings has three books in the series. And all the books are top-rated and the series sold more than 150 million copies. Thus, both novels and movies are worth your time.
What is the right order of reading The Lord of the Rings books?
- The Fellowship of the Ring
- The Two Towers
- The Return of the King
- Life of Pi
Publishing & Release Year
Book: 2001
Movie: 2012
Our list wouldn’t be completed without mentioning the Life of Pi. It was the best movie of 2012. The movie won four awards and was nominated for eleven Academy Awards. And in addition to other awards, it won the award of Best Adapted Screenplay.
The movie is an adaption of Yann Martel’s classic adventure fiction novel. The book also won multiple awards and was nominated for Audie Award for Fiction and Booker Prize.
The book is about a Tamil boy from Pondicherry who survives 227 days with a Tiger on a boat.
It is a classic work, so you should read the novel and then see the visuals.
Steven Barron is an expert in many fields like tech, education, travel, finance, games, cars, and sports. He started his career in the tech industry, where he learned a lot and got good at spotting tech trends. Steven then moved into writing. He loves technology and is great at telling stories. His articles cover topics like new gadgets, education, and finance. They are full of detail but easy to read. Steven loves to travel and is a big sports fan. This shows in his travel and sports writing, where he draws in readers with clear descriptions and smart insights.
