Nicholas Sparks: Limited Edition Collection isn’t so limited or special

The release for the Nicholas Sparks Limited Edition Collection calls Sparks “one of the world’s most renowned storytellers.” He certainly has found his niche as an author, inhabiting his chosen genre so completely. I like Sparks’ work more than most people decidedly not in his demo, but I’m biased. He hails from New Bern, North Carolina, and his choice to set all of his stories in that part of the world – A Walk to Remember was set in my dad’s hometown – has made him one of the area’s favorite sons.

This collection is a celebration of the seven film adaptations from his work. I have to admit I’ve not seen each of them, including arguably his most popular The Notebook. I’ve only read the aforementioned A Walk to Remember and one of his latest, Safe Haven, but consider both excellent reads (I still wonder what the former would look like if actually set in the 50’s like the novel was). Safe Haven is easily my favorite, however. I thought the Jo character added a different dynamic to the basic storytelling structure that permeates much of his work.

The collection, released this week, includes the DVDs of each of seven films: The Notebook, Message in a Bottle, A Walk to Remember, Nights in Rodanthe, Dear John, The Lucky One and Safe Haven. The discs included in the set are from the original releases of each DVD, even down to the artwork – or lack thereof, in the case of Nights of Rodanthe – printed on the individual discs.

If you’re looking for new special features or insights into these films, you will find yourself disappointed. I don’t know about you, but when I hear limited edition, I expect something to be special. If you’re the type of fan who will drop $69.97 on this set, chances are you already have most – if not all – of these discs sitting on your shelf.

The set does include a letter from Sparks as well as a series of postcards featuring famous scenes and quotes from each of the included film. These are nice – and well-produced – but not enough to swing the tide if you already own a couple of these DVDs.

The Nicholas Sparks Limited Edition Collection was provided to CliqueClack by Warner Home Video for the purposes of review.