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.

159. The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks...

About the book:

Seventeen-year-old Veronica "Ronnie" Miller's life was turned upside down when her parents divorced and her father moved from New York City to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. Three years later, she remains angry and alienated from her parents, particularly her father...until her mother decides it would be in everyone's best interest if she and her younger brother spent the summer with him in North Carolina.

Ronnie's father, a former concert pianist, is living a quiet life in the beach town, immersed in creating a work of art that will be the centerpiece of a local church. Resentful and rebellious, Ronnie rejects all of his attempts to reach out to her and threatens to return to New York before the summer's end. But soon Ronnie meets Will, the town's local heartthrob, and the last person she thought she'd ever be attracted to. As Ronnie slowly lets her guard down, she finds herself falling deeply in love, opening herself up to the greatest happiness--and pain--that she has ever known.

An unforgettable story of love in all its myriad forms--first love, love between parents and children--The Last Song demonstrates, as only a Nicholas Sparks novel can, the many ways that love can break our hearts...and heal them.

drey's thoughts:
I really don't know how the dude does it. Book after book, multiples of which have been made into movies. And here's the latest in a long line of heart-tugging tales spun for your leisurely reading.

The story moved along pretty predictably, especially in the beginning. There's only so many ways to "write" a rebellious teenager who's angry with her parents, after all. But eventually you come to feel for Ronnie, her brother Jonah, and especially her father, Steve. Will is the perfect first love, Marcus the perfect anti-Will, Blaze the perfect penitent. There's really not much else in terms of characters. If you're looking for something deep, skip this. If you're looking for a chick-lit book to remind you of your (misspent?) youth and first love, pick it up with a dash of Bailey's. Don't forget the box of Kleenex--you'll need it towards the end.

Title: The Last Song
Author: Nicholas Sparks
ISBN-10: 0446547565
ISBN-13: 978-0446547567
Hardcover: 390 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, 2009

Challenges: 100+, Pub