party, called me julie, spilled red wine down my top. reporter: we revisit their lives on the samamday each year over two decades. their story has struck a chord with readers around the world. the writer of the book, now the screenplay, explains why. i think people make a very strong connection between the book and their own lives. i think most of the messages are received, say things like, i am emma. or i know a dexter. they make a connection between themselves and the characters in the novel. and i think that s quite rare. reporter: the book has enjoyed enormous success. it was first published two years ago. and since then it sold more than 1 million copies in the uk alone. it s also been translated into 40 languages including arabic, greek, and chinese. the question now is whether that success can be matched at the multiplexes. fans of the novel won t necessarily love the film. especially with an american actress adopting a yorkshire accent to play emma. it was a big learnin