Dear John - Nicholas Sparks

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Dear John - Nicholas Sparks

Description~
An angry rebel, John dropped out of school and enlisted in the Army, not knowing what else to do with his life--until he meets the girl of his dreams, Savannah. Their mutual attraction quickly grows into the kind of love that leaves Savannah waiting for John to finish his tour of duty, and John wanting to settle down with the woman who captured his heart. But 9/11 changes everything. John feels it is his duty to re-enlist. And sadly, the long separation finds Savannah falling in love with someone else. "Dear John," the letter read...and with those two words, a heart was broken and two lives were changed forever. Returning home, John must come to grips with the fact that Savannah, now married, is still his true love--and face the hardest decision of his life.

*SPOILERS*

I started reading this book in preparation of a girls night out...Mexican, Margaritas & Movies!!! BUT needless to say this book has turned out to be an experience that I cant wait to get over with! :o/ Yes yes...I know its Nicholas Sparks and he likes to rip your beating heart out of your chest but I figured at least we'd get a HEA...NOT! Lets start off with a quote from the book that explains a bit.

"Our story has three parts: a beginning, a middle, and an end. And although this is the way all stories unfold, I still can't believe that ours didn't go on forever."

So you know right off the bat they don’t end up together…I was sorta ticked but had hoped that both would get their HEA. Ok so we open the story up meeting John. He was a troubled kid with no mother. His father was very closed off and collected coins so much that it effected how they ate and lived! :o( John ends up going in the military and while on leave meets Savannah at the beach! Instantly they fall pretty hard for eachother and spend non-stop time together.

"Even now, I'm still not sure how it happened. One instant we were talking, and in the next she leaned toward me. For a second, I wondered whether kissing her would break the spell we both were under, but it was too late to stop. And when her lips met mine, I knew that I could live to be a hundred and visit every country in the world, but nothing would ever compare to that single moment when I first kissed the girl of my dreams and knew that my love would last forever. "

We also get to meet Savannahs childhood friend Tim that you knew just adored her! RIGHT THERE was when I didn’t want to finish the book. I KNEW Tim and Savannah would end up together! UGH! Either way they you really liked Tim and that’s what made everything so wishy washy for me :o/ Ok so John ends up having to go back and they decide they will stay together b/c he’s getting out in 1 year! So the letters start…

"I love you, not just for now, but for always, and I dream of the day that you’ll take me in your arms again."

He visits a few times but its hard and they start to fight which was really sad but you could tell it somewhat made them stronger. BUT it also showed they were beginning to really be strained by him being away. Both were counting down the days till he got to come home. Then 9/11 happens! :*( Everyone started to re-up their stays in the military and the decision that John made changed his path and Savannahs. He decided to re-up as well. Savannah tried to be understanding but it was hard. She ended up writing him a ‘Dear John’ letter letting him know she had fallen in love with someone else!

John was more of heartbroken than anything. Savannah was all he had ever known. His focus switched however very quickly to the war and his now dying father. His father’s situation was SO heartbreaking. Turns out his father had a disability (I think they said he had Asperger's syndrome) so John found a way for they to bond which was great but when his father started having multiple heart attacks he seen that it was staring to come to an end. John had pretty much hit rock bottom in his life and didn’t know where to turn after his father passed.

So John turns to find Savannah. Little did he know hed find her MARRIED TO TIM!!! Then an even bigger shocker was that Tim was in the hospital with Melanoma! He was dying!!! OMG! LIKE SERIOUSLY?!?!? John talks with Tim and Tim decides that if he leaves that John should take care of Savannah b/c he knows that she still loves him. (Savannah had settled for Tim) Tim needed special treatment that cost $$$ so what does John do…sales his father coin collection and discreetly pays for Tims treatment…slipping out of Savannahs life forever. And he ends up alone! WTH?!?!

"It's possible to go on, no matter how impossible it seems, and that in time, the grief . . . lessens. It may not go away completely, but after a while it's not so overwhelming."

And we end the book with him secretly spying on Savannah during their full moon they always watched. It broke my heart! She still loved him yet he knew it was wrong and that their time had passed. Couldn’t NS given us SOME hope that John would eventually have a happy ending?

"And then I feel as if I'm witnessing a miracle, as ever so slowly she raises her face towards the moon. I watch her drink in the sight, sensing the flood of memories she's unleashed and wanting nothing more than to let her know I'm here. But instead I stay where I am and stare up at the moon as well. And for the briefest instant, it almost feels like we're together again."

*sigh…I wanted to rip the book in half!

My BIGGEST issue with this book was the fact that while Tim was in the hospital John came over for like 2 straight nights and ate dinner etc. Well in that time they almost kissed! AND She had to change at one point and he seen her naked back from another room…she knew he did and she turns around to show him…almost an invitation. I understand NS was trying to show us she was scared and confused but omg that was just WRONG!

I WAS however happy that in the end Savannah asked John could she write to him and see him and he shut her down! Not in a mean way and I know that was the hardest thing he had to do but it was the RIGHT thing. He gave Savannah to Tim :*(

"I finally understood what true love meant...love meant that you care for another person's happiness more than your own, no matter how painful the choices you face might be."

Sorry this was a pretty much play-by-play of the book but it truly speaks for itself! The writing was great...I mean it is Nicholas Sparks after all. But if youre not wanting your heart ripped out STAY AWAY! Im sure some of you might agree or disagree…but I wanna hear it! What did you think?

And btw next time I try to read NS will someone slap me and remind me about this book please? Everyone is like "oh it was bitter sweet"...I tell them "im just plain bitter"! lol


I give this book a total of...