Book Review: Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

Title: Dear John

Author: Nicholas Sparks

Series/Novel: Novel

Genre: Romance, Fiction, Chicklit

Pages: 276

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Year Published: 2006

First Line: “What does it mean to truly love another?”

“‘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 know 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 men and 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.”

My Rating: 4/5

Now before anyone gets upset about the fact that this is also a very popular movie, and that I probably watched the movie before I read the book, you should all know this. I haven’t watched the movie yet as I’m completely out of the loop. So this review is purely based on the book.

This book was far better than I thought it would be. I expected it to be so lovey dovey stuff, and there was some of that. But it wasn’t all stuff that makes us regular people want to puke. But it was a lot of character struggle, showing how a long distance relationship can feel.

To begin with I was interested in how much the military would play into this book, and while there are plenty of times that it is obvious that is what John does for a job, it doesn’t always consume the story line.

All in all, I really enjoyed this novel. It was better than expected and made me fall in love with my man all over again. It had the twists and turns that were to be expected, but some that I certainly did not see coming.

THANK YOU NICHOLAS SPARKS FOR SHOWING LOVE IN A DIFFERENT WAY!

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny

Spoiler: Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

This novel broke so many boundaries for me. So many people go through long distant relationships and find those difficult. But nothing can be as difficult as someone who has signed to live away for years at a time, risking their life for those around them.

Dear John shows a side of the military I had never witnessed, love at first sight and a love that is beyond words.

I often read this book while on my lunch break at work. I was often warned that I was going to cry and had people throw the Kleenex box at me. I did cry in the end after I flopped the book down and was going back to my office. Throughout the book, as a reader you realize that maybe things will not always work out, and by the end it just doesn’t fit together. It’s heart breaking, but that’s also how you can tell John feels a real love for Savannah.

♥Characters♥

John: He’s a little rough around the edges. The beginning of this story doesn’t do much to make us like John. He acts like a jerk towards his father, and rebels. But as he joins the army he becomes that all good guy type, that is with the tattoos included. I did fall in love with him a little more story by story. The trouble with that is, that as I read about his heart breaking, my heart broke over and over. Seeing the struggle he went through with Savannah was sad, but seeing him finally give his all to his one love without reciprocation is hard.

♥Savannah: I know there are probably some who blame her for not staying faithful to John. I don’t agree with that for the simple reason, that you can’t control what the heart wants. Sometimes we can fall in love with two people at the same time, especially when there is such a great distance between two people. I strongly believe that while long distance is a capability, not all people or relationships are built for it.

♥John’s Father: It was heart breaking to hear about how his life had diminished near the end, but I’m happy that John had a chance to get to know who he really was, and why he was the way he was. It’s hard to learn something like that about someone you love. But just because there may be an additional support need it doesn’t mean there is something the matter with a person.

♥Tim: It said at the beginning that Tim appeared to be in love with Savannah, but I never thought the book would end with him. I was surprised they ended up together, I just didn’t see it coming until she sent the letter. Then again, the fact that he got cancer was a tragedy in itself. John couldn’t very well steal up a cancer patient’s wife, now could he? All the same I’m happy that Tim made it through thanks to John’s contribution.

♥Moments to Remember♥

♥Pg. 47

“‘I have to start my day with coffee. It’s my only vice.’”

♥Pg. 133

“‘I’m going to marry you one day, you know?’

 ‘Is that a promise.’

 ‘If you want it to be.’

 ‘Well, then you have to promise that you’ll come back for me when you get out of the army. I can’t marry you if you’re not around.’”

♥Pg. 144

“From the very beginning, the calls and letters between us were regular. We e-mailed as well, but I soon learned that Savannah preferred to write, and she wanted me to do the same. ‘I know it’s not as immediate as e-mail, but that’s what I like about it,’ she wrote me. ‘I like the surprise of finding a letter in the mailbox and the anxious anticipation I feel when I’m getting ready to open it. I like the fact that I can take it with me to read at leisure, and that I can lean against a tree and feel the breeze on my face when I see your words on paper. I like to imagine the way you looked when you wrote it…”

♥Final Line: “And for the briefest instant, it almost feels like we’re together again.”

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo