I could watch "A Walk To Remember," "The Notebook," or "The Longest Ride" on a video loop for all of eternity. Those movies never get old for me. I could re-read the books, too, over and over and never grow tired of them. They are classic Nicholas Sparks. They are why we read his books. But, I am afraid that these classic stories may truly be a thing of the past.
When I read Safe Haven a few years back, I remember thinking that I missed the soft, romantic Nicholas Sparks' characters. After reading See Me, a book filled with violence from the first chapter, I am ready to be more choosy when I pre-order Sparks' books from now on. I held out hope, too, that Colin and Maria's story would take a turn but it didn't--it stayed violent and dark until the very end.
Now...am I a realist? Yes. I completely understand that life is messy and unpredictable and often, these days, violent. But truthfully, that's why I read--to escape this crazy world. I don't need it, nor do I want it, in the books I read. Sparks' previous titles were filled with heartache and disappointment and life at it's worst, but his characters were never dark. These characters are dark. Even Maria with her stereotypical lawyer-like profile has some darkness in her. Colin...oh, goodness is he dark. And yet I had the most hope for him. He was coming around. Maria had such an impact on him that he was truly coming around. Furthermore, Colin did make some big changes with his actions by the end of the novel which made me so proud of him and excited for Maria and the life they could now have together. Maybe, then, there was a semi-happy ending in this book, but not one big enough to change how I felt about the novel as a whole.
I read recently that Nicholas Sparks and his wife have separated with the intent to divorce after 25 years of marriage. I hope that See Me is not sign of things to come from this great writer now that he is single. Otherwise, I really am going to have to start re-reading his old books from years ago. Back in the good old days of Nicholas Sparks.
Let me sum up my feelings this way. I am taking my copy, my brand-new (well...read once by me) hard cover copy, of See Me to work tomorrow to pass along to a friend who hasn't read it yet. And I don't care if I ever get it back. Now...what does that tell you about this book?
Happy reading, everyone.
:) Dodie
Monday, October 26, 2015
Monday, October 19, 2015
#48 and #49: Me Before You and After You by Jojo Moyes
Me Before You is a book that has touched my heart not only once but twice. I read it several years ago and was elated to learn that Moyes, after prompting from many, many readers, decided to create a sequel to the story, After You, so readers could know what happened to Lou after Will. Because I am old and forgetful, I decided to re-read Me Before You as a little refresher before tackling After You. In some ways I am glad that I did and in some ways I wish I hadn't. Let me explain.
I am glad I re-read the first story, Me Before You, because it is the most heartfelt love story I have ever read and now I have read it twice. The love between Lou and Will is so touching and so overwhelmingly beautiful I started to feel guilty about the level of love I have for my own husband. I love my husband more than I love myself and yet the unconditional love Lou has for Will overwhelmed me. I cried and cried and cried at the end of the book and felt such heartache for Lou that at times I could not breathe. I was sad for the rest of the day. I couldn't even pick up After Me because I was such an emotional wreck. These are not real people, I kept reminding myself, as I cried on and on.
Once I realized maybe Moyes had created a happy ending for Lou, I picked up After You and read on. While I am a big fan of sequels because I am the girl who always wants to know what happens next, I was disappointed with this particular one. But let me explain--I was not disappointed with the writing of the book or the story. Moyes is a fantastic writer and the book was as well-done as Me Before You. What disappointed me was Lou and how she handled her life after Will. She had every opportunity in the world to make something of herself, to make Will proud, and she just couldn't move forward. Yes--she had some stumbling blocks (Lily) and she's such a good person that she could never turn her back on another person, let alone a troubled teenager, but at times I just wanted to shake her (yes--I know she's not real). Even the ending, while seemingly positive as she finally is going to do something with her life, made me sad because she turned her back on love. UGH. What is the matter with this girl??? So, while it's hard to separate the book from the author, I do think that characters sometimes take on a life of their own and I bet that Lou just took over and Moyes had to write her how she wanted to be written. That's what disappointed me. I had such high hopes for her and while I would hazard a guess that if a third book were written to detail her life in NYC and her potential long distance relationship with Richard, who clearly adores her, she might still disappoint me in her careless ways. Lou is just that sort of person.
Despite all of this disappointment, Lou's stories are worth reading. They are like nothing I have ever read before. Especially Me Before You. It will always be one of my very favorite books.
Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie
I am glad I re-read the first story, Me Before You, because it is the most heartfelt love story I have ever read and now I have read it twice. The love between Lou and Will is so touching and so overwhelmingly beautiful I started to feel guilty about the level of love I have for my own husband. I love my husband more than I love myself and yet the unconditional love Lou has for Will overwhelmed me. I cried and cried and cried at the end of the book and felt such heartache for Lou that at times I could not breathe. I was sad for the rest of the day. I couldn't even pick up After Me because I was such an emotional wreck. These are not real people, I kept reminding myself, as I cried on and on.
Once I realized maybe Moyes had created a happy ending for Lou, I picked up After You and read on. While I am a big fan of sequels because I am the girl who always wants to know what happens next, I was disappointed with this particular one. But let me explain--I was not disappointed with the writing of the book or the story. Moyes is a fantastic writer and the book was as well-done as Me Before You. What disappointed me was Lou and how she handled her life after Will. She had every opportunity in the world to make something of herself, to make Will proud, and she just couldn't move forward. Yes--she had some stumbling blocks (Lily) and she's such a good person that she could never turn her back on another person, let alone a troubled teenager, but at times I just wanted to shake her (yes--I know she's not real). Even the ending, while seemingly positive as she finally is going to do something with her life, made me sad because she turned her back on love. UGH. What is the matter with this girl??? So, while it's hard to separate the book from the author, I do think that characters sometimes take on a life of their own and I bet that Lou just took over and Moyes had to write her how she wanted to be written. That's what disappointed me. I had such high hopes for her and while I would hazard a guess that if a third book were written to detail her life in NYC and her potential long distance relationship with Richard, who clearly adores her, she might still disappoint me in her careless ways. Lou is just that sort of person.
Despite all of this disappointment, Lou's stories are worth reading. They are like nothing I have ever read before. Especially Me Before You. It will always be one of my very favorite books.
Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie
Friday, October 2, 2015
#47: The Baker's Daughter by Sarah McCoy
I promised myself that I was done reading books about WW2 for a while. I typically love these stories, but I find that I just get so saddened by them that I need to pace myself and spread them out a bit. And lately it seems as though WW2 has become such a hot topic, so many new books are touching on this subject matter that it's hard to find a book that isn't about WW2. The Baker's Daughter was recommended to me by a friend and she even loaned me her copy, which was so nice. So, I read it sooner than I usually would in order to get it back to her in a timely fashion. But I am so glad that I did because it was an amazing story--one that I have already recommended to two other friends!
By now we all know the story of WW2. But what, in my opinion, sets The Baker's Daughter apart from other WW2 tales, is that the main characters are German women. How often do you hear their side of this story? Even more fresh and unique is that McCoy parallels the story of Elsie, the Baker's Daughter, with that of Reba, a reporter trying to get a story on German Christmastime traditions. On top of it, McCoy mixes in letters that Elsie and her sister Hazel write to each other during the war. All of this makes for a novel that is unique and special. Being truthful, parts of the story were horrific--it is a story about WW2 after all, but the story as a whole was inspiring and beautiful. And a reminder, once again, that we will never know the stories of every person touched and impacted by WW2. Even though we should.
Read this one. It's fantastic!
Happy reading!
:) Dodie
By now we all know the story of WW2. But what, in my opinion, sets The Baker's Daughter apart from other WW2 tales, is that the main characters are German women. How often do you hear their side of this story? Even more fresh and unique is that McCoy parallels the story of Elsie, the Baker's Daughter, with that of Reba, a reporter trying to get a story on German Christmastime traditions. On top of it, McCoy mixes in letters that Elsie and her sister Hazel write to each other during the war. All of this makes for a novel that is unique and special. Being truthful, parts of the story were horrific--it is a story about WW2 after all, but the story as a whole was inspiring and beautiful. And a reminder, once again, that we will never know the stories of every person touched and impacted by WW2. Even though we should.
Read this one. It's fantastic!
Happy reading!
:) Dodie
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