 Schwartz's second novel "Reservation Road" (1998), about a family tragedy and its aftermath, was critically acclaimed, and in 2007 was made into a major motion picture.The film, starring Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Ruffalo, and Jennifer Connelly, was directed by Terry George, based on a screenplay that was co-written by Schwartz and George.Schwartz went on to publish "Claire Marvel" (2002), a love story set in the United States and France, and, in 2008, "The Commoner", a novel inspired by the life of Empress Michiko of Japan, the current empress and crown princess of Japan, and the first commoner to marry into the Japanese imperial family.