Dear John

Nicholas Sparks

Edition	Hardcover
List Price	$24.99
	$16.49 (Save 34%)

Published by	Warner Books
Release date	2006-10-30
ISBN	0446528056
Availability	Usually ships in 24 hours

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 knowing what else to do. Then, during a furlough, he meets the girl of his dreams. Savannah Lynn Curtis is attending college in North Carolina, working for Habitat for Humanity, and totally unprepared for the passionate attraction she feels for John Tyree. 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, and John realizing that he's ready to settle down with the young woman who has captured his heart. Neither can foresee that 9/11 is about to change the world and will force John to risk every hope and dream that he's ever had. Like so many proud men and women, John must choose between love and country. And like all those left behind, Savannah must decide to wait or move on. How do we choose wisely? How can we face loss-without giving up on love? Now, when he finally returns to North Carolina, John will discover that loving Savannah will force him to make the hardest decision of his life. An extraordinary, moving story, Dear John explores the complexities of love -- how it survives time and heartbreak, and how it transforms us forever.

Customer Reviews - courtesy of Amazon.com ( Marked4Sale.com is not responsible for review content )

Just OK

I've read all of Nicholas Sparks' previous novels and this is one of my least favorites...maybe it's cause I just couldn't relate the prim and proper female character or really feel a part of this "great connection" they supposedly had. The relationship between John and his Dad is very touching as is the end but not sure I'd recommend this to anyone.

A Different Relationship Stands Out...

I have read some better books by Nicholas Sparks. (the Wedding keeps coming to mind, simply because of its amazing and heartwarming twist at the end). Dear John is not a bad book, and the short amount of time it took to read was easily worthy of the story. As most Nicholas Sparks novels, this was an easy to read love story. My gripe is that I didn't feel the chemistry between John and Savannah. It rung true as first love, certainly. But I never felt the pull between this couple as I have between most of Sparks other couples. I truly feel that the stregnth of this book lies in the story of the relationship between John and his father. Savannah's biggest contribution is what she did for that relationship. In that father/son relationship lay all the beauty that I've come to expect from Sparks. The ending of the book satisfied me for the most part, but I can definitely see why others here don't share that viewpoint. Sparks does amazing things with character development and per usual, these character's feel like living and breathing entities. I gave this book four stars due to how much the father/son story affected me (bawling baby!) but if I was rating the stregnth of the love story, it would maybe be a three star. However, I was sad to see the book end, and I could see this book's potential for a sequel.

Bittersweet and Pretty Predictable

Well...what can I say? I'm a sucker for Nicholas Sparks, and picked this up in paperback the other day. I finished it in about a day, it was a pretty easy read.

The characters were likeable, but the storyline felt a little lacking. Knowing that Sparks books pretty much always have a sad spin, it wasn't hard to figure out the ending. I was not surprised, it ended exactly as I figured, but the ending did seem a bit too...perfectly bittersweet.

I won't give any spoilers, just suffice to say, if you like Sparks other melancholy romances, you will enjoy this one. No surprises, but Sparks knows how to write emotions, thats for sure!

I love this Author!

Having 4 kids, reading usually put me asleep until I read his books. I could not put this one down and did not want it to end. Thank you to Nicholas Sparks for getting me reading again!

A truly great love story

First I will say that I really loved this book. I read it in one day because I could not put it down. It was such a touching love story and I cried a lot while reading this book.

I was impressed with this one because I find that most of Nicholas Sparks' novels seem to almost follow a pattern and can sometimes be predictable. But this one surprised me by how good it was and how well it kept me captivated and wanting more.

I was worried as I was reading it because the author covered such a large span of time without much detail and that can sometimes ruin a book. But not this one. It was very well written and easy to follow a long with.

It was mentioned in other reviews how well the author pinpointed what love really is and I completely agree with that. Both love for family and love for a significant other. The love in this book was genuine and the relationships were relatable. And it showed that not all love stories are happy endings and that in itself was more realistic to me than the fluffy 'happily ever after' stuff that most love stories are.

And being about a soldier especially touched me, as I am an Army wife, and have known quite a few men who have gotten the 'dear John' letter. And it is sad. Sad, but real.

Very good read. I recommend this one to anyone looking for a great love story.