Review: A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks

A Walk to Remember

by Nicholas Sparks 

Paperback, 224 pages,September 1st 2004

characters

Landon Carter, Jamie Sullivan

Cover: 

Plot: 

Characters: 

Writing: 

Ending: 

Detail from Goodreads: 
In the prologue to his latest novel, Nicholas Sparks makes the rather presumptuous pledge "first you will smile, and then you will cry," but sure enough, he delivers the goods. With his calculated ability to throw your heart around like a yo-yo (try out his earlier Message in the Bottle or The Notebook if you really want to stick it to yourself), Sparks pulls us back to the perfect innocence of a first love.

In 1958 Landon Carter is a shallow but well-meaning teenager who spends most of his time hanging out with his friends and trying hard to ignore the impending responsibilities of adulthood. Then Landon gets roped into acting the lead in the Christmas play opposite the most renowned goody two-shoes in town: Jamie Sullivan. Against his best intentions and the taunts of his buddies, Landon finds himself falling for Jamie and learning some central lessons in life.

REVIEW: 

I’ve written about “A walk to remember”, the movie, before. Since I liked the movie a lot, I decided I want to read the book as well, despite the fact that Sparks’ books are not primary on my reading list.

“A walk to remember” is a story of a teenage love, with an unlikely beginning and an unexpected and tragic ending. It’s about friendship, love, and what “really matters”.

Reading the book after having seen the movie has been an interesting experience. A lot of things are different, and the feeling is quite not the same when you already know how it ends.

After having finished the book, I had the feeling that I liked it less than the movie, so I saw the movie again just to be sure. Nope, I didn’t like it less. They are very different, both having its good and bad sides:

The book: the characters are much better developed (not a surprise in a book vs. movie), the character of Jamie is more “divine”. The background has more sad conotatons, which makes the story stronger. The setting of the 1950s fits better (no idea why the movie director decided to shift it into the 90s).

The movie: the main characters act very well, especially Mandy Moore as Jamie. A picture is worth a thousand words, especially a good picture, and Mandy Moore was *very* convincing. I liked the ending more, it’s too tragic in the book.

All in all it’s quite interesting to both read the book and see the movie and then compare. “A walk to remember” is definitely one of the better love stories I’ve ever read/seen.

See Movie on Sunday (1)

See Movie on Sunday is a meme about book-based-movies that

I just watched or upcoming book-based-movie that I'm dieing to watch.

This week's movie is:

A Walk to Remember

by Nicholas Sparks

characters

Shane West as Landon Carter

Mandy Moore as Jamie Sullivan

setting

Beaufort, North Carolina

Director:

Adam Shankman

Writers (WGA):

Nicholas Sparks (novel)

Karen Janszen (screenplay)

Release Date:

25 January 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

Love and loss throughout two very young lives. Landon Carter

and Jamie

Sullivan - two people who find themselves unexpectedly thrown together after a practical joke between Landon and his friends which leaves a boy in hospital, as punishment Landon is forced to partake in some after school activities including the spring play. The truth of the matter is Landon can't act, so he acquires the help of the beautiful but some what invisible Jamie you see Jamie doesn't need to be noticed, she is quiet and keeps her self to her self most of the time, Landon and his friends always make fun of Jamie as if it is a day to day task, but one day Landon brings up the courage to ask for her help with his lines, through trials and tribulations leading up to this play Land some how falls in love with the beautiful ministers daughter abandoning his friends to be with her Landon shares a true love with the girl, but a heart breaking secret lies between the couple, can they save their relationship and make all their dreams come true?

Review: The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

The Last Song

by Nicholas Sparks

publisher Grand Central Publishing

published September 8th 2009

details

Paperback, 400 pages

Audiobook, 12 hours, 33 minutes

Narrated by, Scott Sowers and Pepper Binkley

characters

Will Blakelee, Veronica "Ronnie" Miller

literary awards

Goodreads Choice Award for Chick Lit (2009)

url

http://www.nicholassparks.com/

description from goodread:

Seventeen-year-old Veronica "Ronnie" Miller's life was turned upside down when her parents divorced 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 myriads 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.

(editions I've got)

REVIEW:

One word... A-mazing!!!

This is totally gonna go to my reread shelf and Nicholas Sparks is surely my new favorite author.

I know, I know he's a great author. I hear a lot of his works are soul gripping and worth 5 stars giving. But I never expected it to be like this, all the scenes are important and i love every pages of it.

This is the first book I read by Sparks and I'm surely planning to read other of his works like "The Notebook" (ohh! super love the movie of this) and "A Walk to Remember".

I finished this just a couples of hours and after that I watch the movie in CD. And it was bad. I mean the movie is good but if you compere it to books. Nah! not a chance. And Miley doesn't suit to Ronnie's character, I cant even imagine Ronnie's face as Mileys. And so many good scenes that is cut out.

Books really are better than movies.(Reminder if you will read this book, try not to watch the movie after or you'll regret it, it will just give you a bad memory to the book.)

Anyway, enough of the movie.

The copy I have of this, is audiobook, so I start listening to this before I drifted off to sleep and when I hear the narrators voice, I was like "Holly crap, she's sounded like Miley Cyrus" and take note: In full alert, like my whole nervous system was in awaken by that.

Her tone when she's says sarcastic or snappy lines or even when she's just using her regular voice. She really sounded like her. Anyways, I just like her voice -both of them (Scott Sowers and Pepper Binkley). They give more live to the book.

I mean the book it self plus the narrators is perfect combination.

And of course the sound effect is also perfect -Every important scenes in the book have music on it that makes the the scene more realistic.

So in short I love the audiobook.

And in the book, the writing is simple but full of words and emotion. You'll find yourself caught up between the pages. And also crying in half way to the end of it.

Super love the story. :)