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Monday, March 1, 2010
title: Dear John
author: Nicholas Sparks
published: 2006
genre: romance
first line: What does it mean to truly love another?
pages: 278
rated: 4 out of 5
Okay people, i've finally discovered Nicholas Sparks and am very happy about that. I've only watched the film versions of his books, The Notebook being one of my favorite movies. I thought it was about high time that I read one of his books.
Dear John was the perfect romantic read, it's a bittersweet love story. I *sighed* while reading and found myself saying "awwwwww" several times. Yes, it was kind of sappy, but hey, sometimes you're in the mood for a good, sappy love story.
Set in modern day North Carolina, John and Savannah meet while he is on military leave for two weeks during the summer. John is a reformed bad boy, who was raised by his father and joined the army shortly after high school.
Savannah is a good girl/college student. The two are opposites, yet are drawn into each other from the start. They fall in love during the short time they have together, and when John has to go back to Germany for a year, they promise to wait for each other. John and Savannah write letters to each other while they are apart and after the year is over, the two reunite and they are both still in love. But as they are forced to be apart for longer than expected, their love is tested and they begin to grow apart.
The book is narrated by John, and you get to see how much he does love Savannah. I really like John's character. He was loyal, kind and caring. Savannah irritated me just a bit. I think it's because she seemed childish at times, and as the two would have arguments, I found her annoying. All in all, I truly enjoyed this book and will read more Nicholas Sparks. I enjoyed the writing and the storyline.
Here's a few of my favorite passages....you might *sigh* while reading these :)
There are memories for both of us, of course, but I've learned that memories can have a physical, almost living presence, and in this, Savannah and I are different as well. If hers are the stars in the nighttime sky, mine are the haunted empty spaces in between.
I fell in love with her when we were together, then fell deeper in love with her in the years we were apart. Our story has three parts: a beginning, a middle, and an end. And although this is the way all stores unfold, I still can't believe that ours didn't go on forever.
And when her lips met mine, I knew that I could live to be a hundred and visit every country in the world, but nothing would ever compare to that single moment when I first kissed the girl of my dreams and knew that my love would last forever.
It was, perhaps, her touch that emboldened me to really look at her, and though I saw the mysteriousness and maturity that had always made her attractive, I noticed a hint of sadness and reticence as well. To my aching heart, the combination made her even more beautiful.
Dear John has been made into a film, visit the website here.
*quick tidbit: in the book Savannah is a brunette, in the film, she's a blond.
