“There was a time when the world was sweeter….when the women in Beaufort, North Carolina, wore dresses, and the men donned hats…. Every April, when the wind smells of both the sea and lilacs, Landon Carter remembers 1958, his last year at Beaufort High. Landon had dated a girl or two, and even once sworn that he’d been in love. Certainly the last person he thought he’d fall for was Jamie, the shy, almost ethereal daughter of the town’s Baptist minister….Jamie, who was destined to show him the depths of the human heart-and the joy and pain of living. The inspiration for this novel came from Nicholas Sparks’s sister: her life and her courage. From the internationally bestselling author Nicholas Sparks, comes his most moving story yet….”
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I may have ruined my unbiased opinion by first watching the movie and then reading the book, but, nonetheless, this is one of Mr. Sparks most timeless and classic novels!
The story is pretty cliche: a bad boy with a reputation meets an obedient, church-loving girl. Through their relationship, they both change… for the better. Nicholas Sparks has a very simple writing style which I absolutely adore. He includes enough description for the reader to easily visualize the characters and their lives, but not enough to lead to boredom!
These two characters – Landon and Jamie – appear to have nothing in common. But when Landon spends time around Jamie, he becomes a better person. She pushes him to be a better man and he falls in love with her. I won’t reveal any spoilers, but I do admire the way Sparks’ wrapped his novel up. Sure, it caused me to shed a few tears (or maybe TONS AND TONS), but it seemed realistic and, through the ending, I could tell that Landon Carter was a different (better) man because of his relationship with Jamie.
There’s a reason why Nicholas Sparks is known so well for his romance novels. This is a must-read. I did like the more modern adaptation that the movie presented (since the book is set in 1958). But… maybe that is only because I watched the movie first? Still, if you’re a romance genre lover or if you want to read more of Sparks’ works, pick this one up and give it a try! 🙂
"I Think I'm Obsessed" 