A Walk to Remember Book Review

Author : Nicholas Sparks

Released year : 1999

Genre : Teenage romance, drama, spiritual

Synopsis:

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 winds smells of both the sea and lilacs, Landon Carter remembers 1958, his last year in 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. 

My reviews:

The story begins with a prologue from Landon Carter at the age of 57. The remainder of the story then takes place in the past, when Landon was a 17 year old high school senior. Landon was a popular boy at school. He was not exactly the typical popular guy that we all used to read about but he had his perks. 

Never in a million years did Landon ever thought that he would eventually fall head over heels in love with Jamie Sullivan, a very religious girl who always carried a bible around with her wherever she went and often wore an ugly sweater. Fast forward, they will eventually be paired up in a play called 'The Christmas Angel' to which Jamie was the "angel". Seeing how radiant and angelic she looked, Landon told Jamie that she was beautiful, truly meaning it. Soon, Landon realized that he enjoyed having Jamie as company and will eventually fall in love with her. But it wasn't long before Landon got to know that Jamie was about to die due to leukemia. 

One day, Landon approached Jamie for her hand in marriage, realizing that he loved Jamie so much and at the same time, he also wanted to fulfill her wish of getting married in a church full of people. Although Jamie was weak and wheelchair bound, she insisted on walking down the aisle so that her father could give her way which was part of her dream. Landon remembered thinking that it was the most difficult walk anyone ever had to make. In every way, it was a walk to remember.

This was my first Nicholas Sparks' novel and since then I have become his ardent fan. This was a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful book. Kudos to Sparks for this brilliant masterpiece. Sparks really knows how to tug at reader's heartstrings. A Walk to Remember was a tragic tale of love and heartbreak to which Sparks had beautifully written. It makes us believe that true love do exists...

I read online that this story was based on real life experiences of Sparks's sister, Danielle Sparks Lewis who died of cancer. After her death, Sparks said in the eulogy, "... I suppose I wrote this novel not only so that you could get to know my sister, but so that you would know what a wonderful thing it was that her husband once did for her."

|| "Love is always patient and kind. It is never jealous. Love is never boastful or conceited. It is never rude or selfish. It does not take offense and is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in others people's sins, but delights in the truth. It is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever comes." - A Walk to Remember.

Rating : 10/10 stars!

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