235. Dear John by Nicholas Sparks...

About the book:

"Dear John," the letter read. And with those two words, a heart was broken and two lives changed forever.

When Savannah Lynn Curtis comes into his life, John Tyree knows he is ready to turn over a new leaf. An angry rebel, he had enlisted in the army after high school, not knowing what else to do. Then, during a furlough, he meets Savannah, the girl of his dreams. The attraction is mutual and quickly grows into the kind of love that leaves Savannah vowing to wait for John while he finishes his tour of duty. But neither can foresee that 9/11 is about to change the world. Like so many proud mena nd women, John must choose between love and country. Now, when he finally returns to North Carolina, John will discover how love can transform us in ways we never could have imagined.

drey's thoughts:
This being a Nicholas Sparks novel, be prepared with tissues. I don't know why, but every once in a while, I need a good sob story to blubber over. And Nicholas Sparks does churn out the blubbery ones with amazing regularity. But while Dear John does tug at the heart-strings, it didn't make me blubber. Which I guess is a good thing for the tissue box...

This book is like a four-part play. Act I has John and Savannah meeting and falling in love. Act II has John going abroad to finish his term in the military, and how difficult that parting is. Then 9/11 happens, and he is carried along in the tide of patriotism, and re-ups. Act III is the consequence of long-distance relationships, when the end that was in sight, no longer is. When John comes home because of his father's ill health, and subsequently his funeral, he meets up with Savannah. There are lingering feelings, but neither act on it--in keeping with his honor and her morals. And Act IV puts it all into a nice little box and ties a bow around the whole story.

It's a nice story, but not an emotional roller-coaster like I'd expect from a Sparks novel. However, fans will love it anyway.

Title: Dear John
Author: Nicholas Sparks
ISBN-10: 0446567329
ISBN-13: 9780446567329
Paperback: 276 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, 2009
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon

Challenges: 100+, Pub

Disclosure: My copy of Dear John was provided by Hachette Book Group for this review.