A Walk To Remember by Nicholas Sparks

~I read this last summer and have not the slightest idea why I never posted it.

So here it is, dear readers!~

Published: September 1^st, 2004

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Pages: 207

Rating: 5/5

I was kind of wary about this book when I first began it, because I had just finished The Notebook, which was good but had some majorly unnecessary content in it. But I had heard that this one was, um, cleaner, so I gave it a go.

            Landon Carter is with the ‘in’ crowd. Jamie Sullivan is not. Landon is not afraid to do daring, rebellious things. Jamie is not afraid, either, but she’s a good girl, and good girls don’t do daring, rebellious things. Landon’s father is a politician, and barely knows his son. Jamie’s dad is the pastor, and is very close with his daughter. Landon never really thinks about helping others, but Jamie collects money for the local orphanage. When Jamie the outcast and Landon the jock fall in love, what do you get? I’ll let you read and find out. J

This book was definitely far cleaner and more appropriate than The Notebook. I felt less guilty when I finished it, too. J It’s written more for the younger crowd (high schoolers/ older teens). I loved the way it was written (from Landon’s view point). I totally didn’t expect that Jamie would get sick. Neither did I expect her to recover like she did. I know it’s typical, but I was kind of doubted Landon’s sincerity when he married Jamie. I mean, anyone would be, when a guy goes from ridiculing a girl to completely falling in love with her, then quickly wedding her when they’re barely out of high school, anyone would be suspicious. But his love was true, and that made the whole book memorable.

One note: I haven’t seen the movie, but I watched the trailer, and I don’t care how good people say it is, it looks like they slaughtered it. It looks nothing like the book. Jamie seems less of a saint than they portray her to be in the book, and Landon seems more of a rebel than he was in the book. What I’m trying to say is, it seemed like they exaggerated the book. But that’s a biased opinion since I haven’t seen the movie. But if you have read the book like me and not seen the movie, I suggest you research it a little more before you watch it. Just so your opinion of the book is not defiled because of the movie. J

All in all, I loved A Walk to Remember. I encourage you to read it even if you have been scared off from Nicholas Sparks because of the content in The Notebook. A Walk to Remember is much cleaner, and in my opinion, a much happier love story.

Quick Content Review:

Profanity- Minor (Two b-words and one s-word.)

Violence-None

Sexual- Minor (Jamie and Landon kiss innocently a few times.)

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

~I read this last summer and have not the slightest idea why I never posted it.

So here it is, dear readers! Please note I may have exaggerated on the severity of the sexual content. *sheepish grin* I tend to do that sometimes...~

Published: July 5^th, 2004

Publisher: Bantam

Pages: 214

Rating: 4/5

The reason I read this book was for two reasons. First, my mom is crazy in love with the movie. Second, I was in the mood for a romance. I wasn’t sure how it was going to be. I had read The Last Song last summer and couldn’t really get into it. I was sickened by the emotional tension between the characters and disgusted at the many cuss words. But The Notebook was different. In a way.

            Noah is just a country guy who buys and fixes up an old house his hometown of New Bern, North Carolina (I love books that take place in my home state!). Allie is just a city girl who is engaged to a successful lawyer. One summer many years ago, they fell in love. But it wasn’t just any old summer romance. It was rare and life-long. That love was rekindled when Allie goes in search of Noah three weeks before her wedding. They relive all the memories of that summer long ago as the world fades away and the only thing left is each other. But seems it can’t last forever. Allie must decide what she wants- do her duty to her parents and marry a man she doesn’t truly love, or throw it all away for her Noah?

            First off, I was so surprised at the kind of love stories that Nicholas Sparks writes. I mean, he’s male! I just never knew that GUYS could write like that.  I loved loved loved this book. I usually don’t go for the unimpassioned, stiff, adult romance kind of novels, but this one was nothing like those at all. Unimpassioned? Far from it. Stiff? Hardly.  This book was so romantic. *sigh* I loved the part when Noah took Allie to the little lagoon filled with fowl of every shape and kind. To be honest, I loved the first part of the book, when Noah and Allie are still young, but I hated the last part, when they are old and Allie has Alzheimer’s. The very last page is good, though.

            Of course, there were several things that Nicholas added that were inappropriate. Some cuss words here and there. But the “love scenes” blew me away. The way I felt after reading them can be described in one word: guilty. I’ve never read anything like them before. God forgive me, I should have skipped them. I’ve never seen the movie, but apparently, those scenes weren’t left out. There are most definitely ways to communicate to your readers what is going on without all the steamy descriptive stuff. But I digress. The Notebook is an amazing read about true and faithful love, and whether you let it or not, it will sweep you off your feet and make you long for the rare kind of love Allie and Noah had.

Quick Content Review:

Profanity: Mild

Violence: None

Sexual: Heavy