A Book Review on Nicholas Sparks' Dear John

A BOOK REVIEW ON NICHOLAS SPARKS' DEAR JOHN
by: Jed Adelbert Lopez


Dear John, one of Nicholas Sparks most loved tale, covers a story of unconditional love and sacrifice. Sparks writes human emotion with empathy and deals with life-changing subjects that corral the reader's interest. A one-of-a-kind love is born between two unlikely people.

This extra-ordinary tale of love begins with John Tyree who came from port city of Wilmington, North Carolina. John decided to join Army because he does not know what to do with his life. He was on leave from his Army tour in Germany; he went surfing along the beach. It is there that he retrieves a young lady’s bag that has dropped into the waters; this incident turned his life to another direction. It was Savannah Lynn Curtis who dropped her bag and was retrieved by John. Savannah Lynn Curtis is a college student on a summer mission for Habitat for Humanity. She and John both grew up in country locations, though their family backgrounds are radically different. Savannah's world is energetic and socially broad, but what interest Savannah most is the relationship of John and his father.

Though John is unsure of the outcome, he still gives in to Savannah. He takes on little real conversation with his father, who is obsessed with coin collecting and seems unable to talk about much else. Savannah thought of giving John a book on autism that she thinks will help him better understand his father’s behavior. John is hurt by Savannah’s accusations, and feels that Savannah is intruding. He brushes her thoughts aside and instead enjoys their time together realizing how much she is filling in his life. Because the summer is almost over, John decided to be going back to Germany and this event placed their friendship on hold but with letters that connects their hearts. When John read her letters on his plane to Germany, he could not think of anything than to back home to North Carolina.

He was again given a chance to be with Savannah as he returns home in 2001 for vacation. Their days together are glorious, as John meets Savannah's family, spends time at her college with friends and engages in a whirlwind of social activity. Savannah swears to wait for John as he finishes his responsibility and duty for their country. John then realizes her feelings for Savannah and he wanted to marry her. But by a sudden twist of faith, the 9.11 terrorism attack happened. And so John was forced to extend his stay in the Army and for a while, set his dreams with Savannah aside.

Though it was really difficult to make a decision, he still stayed n the battle field knowing that Savannah would understand his condition and choice. By just an unlucky turn of events, Savannah’s love for John soon became colder and killed the brightness of the place. It was really a risky decision to make for choosing between you. All his dreams and wishes were shattered when he found out that Savannah is already getting married to Tim, her long-time childhood friend. John could only watch her from a distance because that is how much he loves her.

Nicholas Sparks gave his readers a different kind of love that is matured and lasts a lifetime. It causes the readers to have a positive outlook towards lost love because not all people who falls for love wins it. This kind of story shows us that love is not just about being in love but learning to make sacrifices for the ones you love.

The author made this book very interesting because just like the other books he made, they were all narrated in flashback memories. The story was very interesting though it does not contain any climax or suspense part. It was story not meant for lovers both for people who never gets tired of loving without asking anything in return. It is a stunning tale of loving and being contented by just giving them.

The God of Small Things: a Book Review by John Colin E. Yokingco

“…loves by night the man her children love by day.” A story written about life, boundaries, and forbidden love, “The God of Small Things” has become a New York Times Bestseller and has also won the Booker Prize. Written by Arundhati Roy, this book tells of how small circumstances can instantaneously govern and affect one’s life hence the title.

Rahel and Estha are twins born into a world where pain and suffering are no strangers. Tracing back to their mother’s roots, a strain of abuse and infidelity can be found. Their grandfather used to beat their grandmother, their own mother wedded to an alcoholic and abusive man who even tried to sell her just to keep his job, their uncle an excellent mind yet foolish to what his heart dictated, and their grandaunt an ex-nun who betrayed her own father’s religion to chase after a scholarly priest. With such a tragic and forlorn world they were born in, the twins try to form a childhood with the wreck of a family they had. But, a simple visit from a relative forever changes the twin’s lives.

Written and told from a different perspective and style, this book reinvents how novels are ultimately told. The story’s events that are seemingly unrelated and jumbled up, gracefully piece together as the reader finishes the book.

Social and moral boundaries are seemingly crossed in this novel as it exploits human being’s seemingly inevitable quest for love and happiness. With the setting placed in a communist era India, character’s conflicts range from the boundaries of the caste system to beliefs in a government systems. Such boundaries are still question today. Should we or shouldn’t we eliminate such boundaries.

Greatly written and excellently told this book keeps readers turning the pages. The style of the other is unique in the sense that I have not read a book that had a story told in such a direct, yet puzzling manner. It was told like how an innocent child would see the world.

But, I have a few complaints about the whole thing. Some terms in the book are so unheard of, it might confuse readers. Also, the thing that makes the book great is what also drags it down. The storyline is so jumbled up and confusing you can easily get tired of reading the book if you don’t really appreciate what the book is telling.

A great read, “The God of Small Things” is an insightful book with an interesting style. A must read if you want a book that would make you rethink how your life turned out this way.

The Notebook

By: Nicholas Sparks

a book review by Ma Dianne Elizabeth G Lao

On December 31, 1965, Nicholas Charles Sparks was born in Omaha, Nebraska. He is the second son of Patrick Michael and Jill Emma Marie Sparks. His siblings are Michael Earl Sparks and Danielle Sparks. He used to live in Minnesota, Los Angeles, and Grand Island, Nebraska, and finally settling in Fair Oaks, California. His father was a professor, his mother a homemaker, then optometrist's assistant. He lived in Fair Oaks through high school, graduated valedictorian in 1984, and received a full track scholarship to the University of Notre Dame. After he got married, He and his family decided to live in Sacramento. Though his first and second novel were not published, He worked a variety of jobs over the next three years, including real estate appraisal, waiting tables, selling dental products by phone, and started his own small manufacturing business which struggled from the beginning.

In 1994, at the age of 28, he wrote The Notebook over a period of six months. In October, 1995, rights to The Notebook were sold to Warner Books. It was published in October, 1996. His novel The Notebook was only the third novel in recent history to spend over a year as a hardcover best-seller. And one of the poems by Walt Whitman quoted in the novel is entitled 'To a Common Prostitute’. The title for the novel was chosen by Theresa Park, his agent.

The novel was later adapted into a popular romance film by the same name in 2004. However, the movie and the book have very different endings.

This bestseller novel by Nicolas Sparks begins is a story about Duke and Allie, an inseparable couple living in a nursing home. While Duke remembers their life together, Allie, who suffers from progressive dementia, does not. Their only bond is a faded notebook from which Duke reads to Allie every day, telling her the same story over and over. It's a sweeping tale of two South Carolina teens, country boy Noah and city gal Allie, who spend one glorious summer in the early 1940s falling madly in love. Unfortunately, the couple is soon separated, first by her disapproving parents and then by World War II, but after seven years apart, after taking different paths, they are passionately reunited. There's a catch, though; Allie is now faced to choose between the man she once loved and the successful businessman she is engaged to. It's really no surprise who the young Allie chooses in the end--but for Duke, the only thing that keeps him going is the fact that every day, somehow through the power of this story, the mentally impaired Allie miraculously remembers their love, if only for a very brief moment, before slipping back into oblivion.

This novel is one of the greatest books I’ve read, second from my favorite twilight series. Some says that if not for some inspired moments of breathtaking beauty and heartfelt performances in the film, The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks would just be one of those tired love stories that you quickly forget. Anyone can appreciate the power of love and the amazing things it can do. We can see here the incredible tales of how love and dedication help a family stay together or give an injured friend remarkable strength.

I recommend this book to all the lovers out there, because this really shows true love and faith. This is really one of a kind book. Nice twists.

Dear John: Nicholas Sparks' Tale of Love and Sacrifice

Jessica M. Ordonez
IV - Albert Einstein

Nicholas Sparks’ Dear John is a story of sacrifice and generous love. This book is a kind of quick-read novel that will make you appreciate its character whole-heartedly. Though the characters do not have that complex features much, this book is certain to contain the good-humored ones.

Dear John starts in the present day with John watching Savannah from afar and thinking about how much he loves her and why their relationship dissolved. He then takes the reader back in time and narrates the story of their love.
There is, unfortunately, not much more to say about the book. Dear John has a pretty formulaic plot. Although Sparks is one of the first to set the age old boy meets girl love story in the modern, post-9/11 world, he does not delve into how the war affects the characters or go very deep in this area. In Dear John, it could be any war keeping them apart. This specific war is not important.
John Tyree is a product of the port city of Wilmington, North Carolina. Iced with pretentious summer vacation homes, the beaches invite visitors and homegrown youth to the finest in water sport. John had enlisted in the army after high school, not knowing exactly what he wanted to do with his life. Now on leave from his Army tour in Germany, he enjoys the return to surfing along the beach. It is here that he retrieves a young lady's bag that has dropped into the deep waters, an incident that changes his life forever.

Savannah Lynn Curtis, a college student on a summer mission for Habitat for Humanity, is staying in one of the rental vacation mansions with her work group. She and John both grew up in country locations, though their family backgrounds are radically different. Savannah's world is energetic and socially broad, but she approaches John's quiet and remote relationship with his father with genuine intent and insists that they meet.
Wary of the outcome, John succumbs. He engages in little real conversation with his father, who is obsessed with coin collecting and seems unable to talk about much else. Savannah reacts to the situation by offering John a book on autism that she thinks will help him better understand his father’s behavior. John is hurt by the interference, and feels that Savannah is intruding. He brushes her thoughts aside and instead enjoys their time together realizing how much she is filling in his life. Unfortunately, John's leave ends and his return to Germany puts their friendship on hold.

"Dear John, Should I start by telling you that I love you...If you come back, I'll marry you …Love, Savannah."

John reads these words on his plane ride to Germany and can think of nothing but going back to North Carolina. He is given that chance when he returns home on leave in 2001. Their days together are glorious, as John meets Savannah's family, spends time at her college with friends and engages in a whirlwind of social activity. Savannah vows to wait for John as he finishes his tour of duty, and John realizes that he is ready to settle down with his one true love.

But by an unfortunate twist of events, the 9/11 bombing happened and John was not able to come back home for Savannah. But during John’s extended mission, savannah sent him a letter saying that she is already marrying her childhood friend.

John's return from overseas --- drained by battles he's endured on professional and personal levels --- climaxes the narrative. Savannah’s insight has opened John to possibilities outside himself; through her, he realizes the opportunity he’s been given by his father. Sparks ends the book on an emotional positive. His message is that, though harsh and complex, love transforms us forever.

A Book Review on Nicholas Sparks' Dear John

Lito Largo Labor
IV - Albert Einstein


Nicholas Sparks’ Dear John is a romantic, sappy and uplifting story of love. If you like Sparks' previous novels, you will probably enjoy Dear John, a love story about an army sergeant who falls in love shortly before 9/11. Sparks' writing is smooth and easy, but the characters and plot are not particularly memorable.

Nicholas Sparks never gets tired of making this kind of story with generous and unconditional love. Dear John made it to everyone’s favorite book, just like how The Notebook topped them once. It was really a great thing to know that there is an author like him.
It's a touching story of young love that lasts a lifetime. The main character, John Tyree, first met the love of his life, Savannah Curtis, on the beach in North Carolina. At the time, John was home visiting his father while on a short leave from the military. Savannah, a college student, was in town with some of her peers working on a Habitat for Humanity project. The two were an unlikely pair from the beginning. John was somewhat of a rebel who ran off right after high school to join the Army, while Savannah was a pure, hardworking, Southern girl. But, as they say, opposites attract. From the beginning, theirs was a powerful bond that unfortunately was always separated by time and distance. John had his obligations to his military duty and Savannah had her obligations to completing her education. However, the two remained very committed to each other, despite their distance, until the unexpected events of September 11th changed everything, not only for the world, but also for this young couple's future. John was forced to extend his stay and before he knew it, Savannah was already getting married to her long-time friend.
Nicholas Sparks’ heart-touching love stories create a great wave of love and realization. It gives another kind of generous and unconditional love. Though it gives an extraordinary kind of love, we can clearly see that there case is somewhat unbelievable in real life. Though they are madly in love with each other, it seemed kind of impossible for these two persons to fall for each other and together with their supporting scenes.

I really like how the story went on. It was built with great love and humility. It was such a great thing to know that love could have this unassuming nature and sincerity. It was really uplifting to know that a kind of love like that is present even though, it is only in books. It shows so much sacrifice and love that make sit so hard to believe.
A novel like this makes you wonder about all the people who pass through our lives and how often a single incident can change fate forever. This kind of story truly makes you realize what love could make a person or how can it affect the comings and goings of people in our lives.
It's a very endearing and heartwarming story about love and sacrifice. This kind of tale is really a very admirable story that will sweep you off your feet and will make your heart cringe from the great withhold a very heavy feelings.

Nights in Rodanthe..

By: Eliah Kim U. Camiller

I love epic romantic novels, Stories of people falling in love and not so boring scenes because of exciting turn of events in somewhat realistic measures. This cookie cutter recipe works time and time again. Though used in many books, people seem to never get tired of it.

“Nights in Rodanthe” was written by Nicholas Sparks. Sparks was born on New Year's Eve in Omaha, Nebraska to Patrick Michael Sparks, a professor, and Jill Emma Marie Sparks, a homemaker and an optometrist's assistant.

Sparks wrote his first novel, “The Passing”, in the year 1985 while home for the summer between freshmen and sophomore years at Notre Dame. It was never published. He wrote his second novel, The Royal Murders”, also unpublished in the year 1989. In 1994, over a period of six months, Nicholas penned what was to be his first published novel, “The Notebook". He was discovered by literary agent Theresa Park, who picked “The Notebook” out of her agency's slush pile, liked it, and offered to represent him. In October 1995, Park secured a $1 million advance for The “Notebook” from Time Warner Book Group. The novel was published in October 1996 and made the New York Times best-seller list in its first week of release.

After his first publishing success, he wrote a string of international bestsellers. Four of his novels have been made into films: “Message in a Bottle” (1999), “A Walk to Remember” (2002), “The Notebook” (2004), and “Nights in Rodanthe” (2008).

“Nights in Rodanthe” refers to one long weekend during which two strangers, Adrienne and Paul, meet at a crucial time in both of their lives. Adrienne is a divorcee with three teenagers whose husband left her for another woman. He also left her unable to relax her guard with anyone, least of all herself. Paul has just left behind all the trappings of a successful life, including a lucrative surgeon's practice, a dream house, prestigious awards, and widely published articles. He wants to make amends with his estranged son, Mark, but first he has to take care of another emotional issue from his past. Fate draws this man and woman together in the small fishing village of Rodanthe, North Carolina.

“Nights in Rodanthe” is a drama between two likable protagonists who can be one of the characters in other Nicholas Sparks’ novels. The story is fun for new readers but for long time Sparks readers the story is sort of predictable. Nicholas Sparks' latest novel will not fail to satisfy his new fans.

A Walk to Remember

by Nicholas Sparks
a book review by Gerard Rey Z Jacinto

The third novel written by an artistic American writer, Nicholas Sparks, after The Notebook and Message in a Bottle. This is a romantic and compelling contemporary book. Emotions of both main characters can be felt as the story goes on. In then, unexpected event will flow and surprises are uncovered.

In 1958 in Beaufort, a small town in North Carolina, Jamie Sullivan is a caring, passionate and living daughter of a Baptist minister in the small town of Beaufort. She is just a simple girl who has a big faith and believes in miracles in life. Beloved by many, but somehow outcast her peers, she is quiet and thoughtful. She is someone that Landon Carter, a popular senior at Beaufort High, never really noticed because of his selfish acts and self-centered attitude. Then, in a twist of fate, Landon and Jamie are cast together in the local Christmas pageant. As they spend more time together, Landon begins to see, Jamie for who she is, and he's changed forever.

She challenges his perception of his life in her strong by her unwavering faith and uncommon generosity. She teaches Landon to find forgiveness, to openly give without selfishness, and sets him on the journey to becoming a truly compassionate, good man. Amazingly, he finds love in a place he never expected, in a girl he never noticed. Landon finds himself falling for Jamie and learning some central lessons in life. He had been changed by Jamie but just as love blossoms, Landon learns a heart-shocking secret about Jamie.


Nicholas Sparks is such a great writer. He based his novel through experiences and like this one; this is based in a true to life story. Unfortunately life has its own ups and downs. At first you felt like your heart is falling for the two couple and a swing in your emotion will occur as the story proceeds to its big twist.

A simplicity done by the author had been the key for the readers to understand it thoroughly and to be attached with emotions with the book. It will make you cry for the story had turn out but still you cope up with a big smile with the actions of the characters specially Landon.

The author had been good in describing the characters. Wit the use of specific adjectives or words that modifies the story, the reader had a picture out how the story flows.
.

The book is a good one because it had made me felt the emotion of the character is feeling in that certain event. The book suggests that love really can move mountains. Even though the lovers had a hard time with one another still they had learned to love each other. I think some readers had been shock by what happened to Jamie. I am convinced that Jamie had to face that situation and she had to be brave to live with it. The book had left us tons of lessons that should be applied in our life. There are times that we have to face problems and we should be brave to face it. People who are deeply concerned to us quickly help and fixed our problem. Side by side we stood tall and faced no matter what happens.


A Walk to Remember made me think and feel all at once. Sometimes I wanted something to happen, and I got excited and wonder what would happen next, or what is the character was thinking at the time. Other times I felt sad, and wondered why it had to happen. But I think that is the big twist on the book and the main thing that makes it a bestseller. Truly it is a tale of young lovers bonded by eternal love.

A Walk to Remember

Nicholas Sparks

a book review by Jon Bon Jovi Endaya Timones

“Jamie saved my life. She taught me everything. About life, hope and the long journey ahead. I’ll always miss her. But our love is like the wind. I can’t see it, but I can feel it.” – Landon Carter

A Walk to Remember is a novel written by the famous American author, Nicholas Sparks. A Walk to Remember is his third novel, the first two being The Notebook and Message in a Bottle, and he started writing the manuscript in the summer of 1998. Just like most authors, some parts of Sparks’ fictional love story were based on real experiences. The novel was inspired by his sister, Danielle Sparks Lewis, who died of cancer. Danielle’s then-husband proposed to her for marriage despite her sickness. For her sister’s eulogy, Sparks said, “… 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.”

The novel is about two teenagers who falls inlove for the first time. Young love, many would call it, but Jamie and Landon’s story is far from that. It is true love. It is a heart-wrenching account of true and first love combined. It tells us about the sacrifices and risks that a person can do for love. Sacrifices and risks that he himself never knew he was capable of.

He is popular, she is known as a dork. He is the son of a United States congressman; she is the daughter of the Beaufort church minister. He comes from a rich family, she detests the luxurious lifestyle. He is a jerk, she is full of meaning. He eventually falls for her, she is afraid to admit that she feels the same way too. He is Landon Carter, she is Jamie Sullivan.

Sparks describes Landon as your “typical teenage boy.” Totally carefree and seemingly futureless, Jamie changes him totally. Their story begins when Landon got dateless for the homecoming dance. Panicking, he just pulled out a yearbook to scan for a date. He finds Jamie Sullivan, the sensitive outcast. She’s not the typical girl that Landon, or any of his friends, would want to date or even want to be seen with.

The moment he lets Jamie into his life, his once pointless life suddenly had direction. The hottie suddenly fell inlove with the dork. Everything was perfect, until Landon learns that Jamie is suffering from leukemia. Despite her sickness, Landon still decides to propose of marriage to her and she agrees. Even after Jamie died, their love still stayed. Like the wind, Landon still felt it fully.

Devoted readers of Sparks’ novels must be very familiar with his style. Sparks has a gift. He has a way of accurately describing his characters and their feelings in a way that you would involuntarily get your own feelings involved. He always manages to find the perfect words to match the setting, mood, and the feelings in the story that you can’t help but match it with your own experiences.

This book was no exception to Sparks’ magic. Do not start reading this novel if you are not prepared to stay up all night. A Walk to Remember will keep you glued to your seat and it will surely get you emotionally attached.

“First you will smile, then you will cry – don’t say that you haven’t been warned.” Sparks was right to warn us. Although fictional, A Walk to Remember touched my heart so deeply. It will make you believe in the power of love and how it can conquer all. It reminds me of how I, myself, have done some sacrifices and took some risks, just for love. Their love story is very realistic and it definitely shows us how love can defeat even death.

While reading the novel, you will find yourself attached to it and hooked with the twists and turns of their love story and how one secret can change everything. One moment, your smiling and “giddy-ish” and then the next you would find yourself fighting back the tears. Their story is truly unforgettable. Once again, Sparks has touched millions of hearts with his words.

Aretha Sarah F. Mamaradlo

Aretha Sarah F. Mamaradlo

IV-Albert Einstein

Book Review in English

Book: Womenagerie and Other Tales from the Front

Author: Jessica Zafra

I. INTRODUCTION

Womenagerie and Other Tales from the Front is a collection of Jessica Zafra’s earlier columns in Women Today magazine. Jessica Zafra was born and raised in Manila. She attended St. Theresa’s College, Quezon City, Philippine Science High School, and the University of the Philippines, where she majored Comparative Literature. She is a three-time Palanca Award winner. Her column “Twisted” appears thrice weekly in Today. She has two books, Manananggal Terorizes Manila (1992), her first collection of short stories, and Twisted (1995), a selection of her column pieces. She has a weekly radio program at NU 107-FM and regular weekend talks at the Ayala Museum.

II. SUMMARY OF CONTENT

The different tales from the said book mainly talks about women and all things related to them. It narrates stories concerned with what women experience in their everyday life. The main theme of it is to inform readers everything about women and how they respond to these things. Every tale of the said book has its own plot.

III. ANALYSIS OF TEXT

What is the writer’s style?

a. intellectual qualities of writing (clarity, simplicity, persuasive, logical, realistic)

The writer used simple words to narrate the tales of the book. It made the analysis of the story easier. I was even affected by some of the stories of the book because those were some of my real-life experiences. Because of that, I had greater interest in reading the book.

b. emotional qualities of writing (humor, interesting, satire)

Like I said, the tales in the book got really interesting since they can be experienced in real-life. Some of them also are humorous since I was informed of the fact that some of my doings are really funny, yet I was not aware of it. The book really tells everything related to women’s actions in life.

What stylistic devices are employed?

The writer often used comparison between two things or ideas since women and men are the main topic in the tales of the story. She even used descriptions to describe things in the tales.

IV. Evaluation of the Text

There are different possibilities that are suggested by the book. First, women are of different attitudes and traits. Second, they are really amazing yet confusing to the fact that they have multiple thinking and multiple personalities. Certain experiences of mine are held through the tales of the book. These are about the opposite sex, studies, etc.

A Book Review on Laura Esquivel's Like Water for Chocolate

“Like Water for Chocolate” is Laura Esquivel’s first novel yet it has been a great success for being awarded as a best-seller when it was first published in 1989. It has been translated into 30 different languages around the world and one of these is its translation to English which made the novel a best-seller. It gave the readers the exact excitement as the original Spanish version.

“Como agua para chocolate” is a common expression in Spanish-speaking countries which is “Like water to chocolate” when translated in English. This was the inspiration for Esquivel’s novel title. Like Water for Chocolate’s full title is Like Water for Hot Chocolate. In Latin American countries like Mexico, they use water instead of milk in making hot chocolate. At the boiling point of water, chocolate melts and that will be the hot chocolate. It is associated in the extremity of emotion in this novel such as anger, madness and passion. The book is composed of twelve chapters representing each month of a year which each month starts with a recipe. This novel showed Esquivel’s love for the kitchen and she believes that it is the most important part of a house because it is the source of knowledge and undertakings that brings pleasure.

The novel tells us about Tita De La Garza, the youngest in her family that long lived in Mexico and her suspense love story with Pedro Muzquiz. Due to a tradition which says that the youngest daughter must not marry and take care of the parents, she was not allowed to marry. This brought Pedro into a decision of marrying Rosaura, Tita’s older sister, just so he can be closer to Tita.

Tita has always loved the kitchen and as their family cook, Nacha, died, Tita replaced her position. She was not allowed to weep in front of her mother so she cries whenever she cooks. And whatever she was feeling while cooking, the people that will eat what she had cooked will feel the same way as she did.

As the story goes, Pedro fell into a spell of romance in Tita’s cooking. Rosaura has no skills in cooking and so it made Pedro unattracted to her more. Mama Elena noticed that Roberto, Rosaura and pedro’s son kind of make Tita and Pedro closer and so she asked the Pedro and Rosaura together with their son to go to a trip. Roberto died in the journey and when Tita found out about it, she blamed her mother for everything and that’s when Tita started disobeying her mother.

Tita continued living far from her mother and when she received a news that the ranch was attacked and that her mother died, she moved in back together with his fiancée Dr. john Brown. They lived there with Pedro and Rosaura. Rosaura gave birth to a baby girl and she was named Esperanza.
After the all obstacles to the relationship between Tita and Pedro are gone, the lovers finally share a night of bliss that is so heated and passionate that Pedro actually dies while making love to Tita. Upset that Pedro dies while she lives, leaving her alone in the world, Tita proceeds to consume matches whilst thinking of his face. The matches are sparked by the heat of his memory, creating a fire that engulfs them both, leading to their deaths in union and the total destruction of the ranch.

The narrator of this novel is the daughter of Esperanza. The narrator then says that all that was found under the smoldering rubble of the ranch was Tita's cookbook, which contained all the recipes described in the preceding chapters

This novel was full of symbolisms that made it more beautiful. It may not be realistic because of some magical and unexplainable events and it needed some logical thinking to understand some symbolism. It has it’s simplicity as its strength too. The story took place in Mexico and Spanish was its original language so people from other part of the world will not understand some of it if it was written in a more complicated way. The novel may not be realistic and it needed some logical thinking to understand some symbolism.

The book itself is perfectly capable of staying as it and changes are not needed anymore. It is a great book which is easy and fast to read and comprehensible book.

~Kimberly Saraza Felix
~IV-Albert Einstein

A Bend in the Road: Nicholas Sparks' Tale of True Love

Roberto Miguel A. Gaspar IV - Albert Einstein

Nicholas Sparks’’ A Bend in the Road is a story of true love, hope, tragedy, painful memories and a shocking secret. It is a story that is bound to cause an intense shift in reader’s emotional gear. You must feel love, sadness, anger and frustration to fully experience the story. The kind of love that Miles have for missy will always remain in his heart while the kind of love that he and Sarah have will always be forever.

The nearly thwarted but eventually triumphant romance of deputy sheriff Miles Ryan and second-grade teacher Sarah Andrews goes down as easily as marshmallow fluff and offers about as much real nourishment. Miles's high school sweetheart, Missy, was killed in an unsolved hit and run accident, leaving him to raise their son, Jonah, in New Bern, N.C. Sarah's politically ambitious husband, Michael, dumped her when her ovaries proved inactive, and she fled to New Bern to teach, and love, other people's kids. Miles and Sarah meet at a parent-teacher conference, and the sparks fly. But there's a fly in the ointment as well; an italicized voice threaded among the happy chapters alerts us that Missy's death was caused by someone whose identity, if revealed, could destroy Miles and Sarah's newfound joy. In Sparks' heaven, clouds exist to make silver linings look the brighter. As tough truth shadows their landscape, Miles and Sarah find depths within themselves, and their rekindled light illumines all. New Bern becomes a city of the reborn. Charlie Curtis, Miles's stickler boss, learns to bend; Missy's aimless killer morphs into a healer; and Jonah once again knows a mother's love.
The turning of point of Miles’ and Sarah’s love was when they both found out that Brian, Sarah’s brother was the one who hit Missy two years ago. It served as the test of their love. But lessons were learned and situations were understood that made Miles forgive Brian. Like what expected, Miles lived happily with his son, Jonah, and his love, Sarah.

The books of Nicholas Sparks, like this, are far more intimate than anything found in the typical romance novels because it goes beyond lust. It promises romance. It hints of the desire for a relationship. I feel the couples he brings together have a better shot at permanence then couples presented by other authors. It’s hard for me to believe that tangled sheets alone can ever bring about a fiftieth anniversary. Almost all the books he made were from true love. They all budded from undying and unconditional love.

It really did amuse me because even if true and love and mystery is not that good together, it still came out well and still, a page-turner. The author managed to maneuver the story well. He did not make it too sloppy or too murderous. It was just enough of everything.

It some nice stories in the book like the story of the two lighted candles which served as the highlight of the ending. It was really a good style to use the candle as their symbol of how true was their love for each other.

I find this book good though I was not that attached to its story. It gave a good impression to me though it was not too appealing for me.

Paolo Coelho's By the River Piedra I Sat and Wept

A book review by:
Monique Garcia Rosario of IV - Albert Einstein

Paolo Coelho, author of the million-copy international bestseller The Alchemist, puts forward By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept. This offers a poignant, richly poetic story that reflects the depth of love and life. This story reveals a rare kind of love found at a young age.

Paolo Coelho has created a lyrical tale that intertwines the mysterious powers of God and magical gifts of love. The story journeys on a reunited childhood love. The story did revolve on the character of Pilar. She is the kind of person who just wants a peaceful soul. She is afraid to take risks or make decisions that could wobble her stable and simple life. Though her childhood friend already confessed to her that he loves her, she still does not want to accept the fact she, too, was falling fro her friends because of the complications that could happen. She believes that love is a trap. When it appears, we only see its light, not its shadow that is why she is afraid to take the risks of love.

When Pilar’s childhood left the small town of Soria for him to follow his dreams, she transformed into a strong and independent woman. Though her friend left their town, their communication was not lost but it was not that strong either. Pilar can only feel envious to the different stamps that her friend is sending her from the different places he has set foot on. But a day surprised her, when her friend told her that he will be giving a lecture at Madrid and wants her to come. She went to Madrid with all the risks of seeing her childhood love without knowing that her friend has grown into a handsome charismatic spiritual leader. She has learned well how to bury her feelings when she found out that her childhood friend and love was a person of God. But when they reunite, they both dropped all the fears and controls of themselves going against all the conflicts of life, love and religion. But in a small village of in the French Pyrenees, by the waters of the River Piedra , their love will outshine in the dazzling light of some of life’s biggest questions.
Though the situation is not a common picture in our everyday life, the decision-making, conflicts and risks are all part of each and everyone’s life. Certain messages are conveyed by the story. Like the story of a mountain where if you become a mountain, you will never be moved. You do not have to be afraid of what life can bring you because you already have a steady hold on everything you have. But according to Pilar, there is a fall-back of becoming a mountain; you can only look at the same picture forever because of your steady position. Unlike a river, you flow. You can go to any place you desire and you can do whatever you want to do. In the story, Pilar became a river for loving her friend. This story delivers a message about learning to break free from your comfort zone. It is about learning to break the glass of ourselves. It is not only Pilar who had always wanted to break the glass inside her because breaking the glass means freeing yourself from all the rules, from needing to find an explanation of everything and from doing only what others approve of. When she accepted the journey with her friend, she already broke the glass in her and let love inundate her soul.

I really like how the author related a unique story to the common lives of people with their common problems and conflicts. This story showed that sometimes we have to hold on tight on what our heart really tells us because sometimes the things we are afraid to take could be the only thing that is missing for us to fulfill our being. This story is filled with realization of risking things just to go after you’re the thing that you have always wanted because you wanted to be stable. This shows us that sometimes we have to cross the line and be who we really want to be. Sometimes we should do what our heart really wants us to do regardless of everything that is around us.

Book Review: Like Water For Chocolate

“If a strong emotion suddenly lights all the candles we carry inside ourselves, it creates a brightness that shines far beyond our normal vision and then a splendid tunnel appears that shows us the way that we forgot when we were born and calls us to recover our lost divine origin. The soul longs to return to the place it came from, leaving the body lifeless.”

Like Water for Chocolate, or Como Agua Para Chocolate in Spanish, is a best-selling novel by a first-time writer, Laura Esquivel. It was published in 1989 by Anchor Books. In 1992, it was translated to English by Carol and Thomas Christensen and published by Doubleday. Also in that year, it was made into a movie, which screenplay was written also by Esquivel, and had bagged numerous prestigious awards.

The narrator’s great-aunt, Tita De La Garza was born in a well-to-do family in Mexico during the Revolutionary Period. Belonging to a family of culinary excellence, she was brought up well with kitchen skills that made her an exemplar to their country. But paired with that luck, she is bounded by tradition – obliging her to look after Mama Elena until she dies, forbidding her to marry the one she loves. The steel-fist matriarch then gave Rosaura, Tita’s older sister, to Pedro Muzquiz, Tita’s lover, in marriage. Tita had no voice in Mama Elena’s household; hence, she endured years of coldness, with food as her only outlet. This happened to influence every person who eats her food. She then met Doctor John Brown who saved her from despair and from the clutches of her mother. Still, her love for Pedro and Pedro for her continued to burst and so with a number of life-changing events, they both ended up in the lost Garden of Eden.

Esquivel weaves this story through monthly installments of Mexican recipes which happens to epitomize Tita’s experiences and feelings. She used magical realism to let her readers let their imaginations do what has to be done. She incorporated the setting of the Revolutionary Mexico and the farm-life to counter-balance the intenseness of the love of characters in the story. Esquivel elevated the power women have in the society but still citing the importance of men in attaining liberty; thus, both are necessary for each other’s survival. It is also evident in her work how people in general struggle to gain individuality and esteem. Moreover, the drawbacks of tradition especially when it comes to marriage were implied in the tale.

Like Water for Chocolate is a very unique work of fiction. Its story is both entertaining and compulsive. The passion the characters have and how Esquivel had written it really affects the reader. She created such heat in the story without being too obscene. The exaggeration at some point even added flavor to the novel. If it lacked the reinforcement of food as a core of family custom, the book would have been bland. It was moving to learn how love really conquers all, which in this case is time and tradition. It had that certain sensuality that would urge you to read on. This book is just sumptuous and delicious.

Josephine Reubenne P. Sinugbuhan

IV – Albert Einstein

When Hearts Heal: A Book Review of Nicholas Sparks' A Bend in the Road

A Book Review By Josiah A. Jimeno

A Bend in the Road, Nicholas Sparks’ romance of healing and mystery, is a story of new beginnings. Nicholas Sparks’ books give readers the opportunity to see romance from a man’s perspective like the story of A Bend in the Road. Love and death are constant companions in Sparks' books, and this one is no exception. This story is about having to loose than you treasure the most, then, finding another person that gives you a quite unfathomable feeling of tickle inside. This story is about learning to mend broken hearts by learning love again.

Miles Ryan, deputy sheriff of New Bern, North Carolina, had married his high-school sweetheart, Missy, and was living a charmed life when tragedy struck. In 1986, Missy was killed by a car on an isolated road while she was out jogging, and the driver was never found. Two years later, Miles is still haunted by the lack of closure and only recently has shown signs of overcoming his grief. The only bright spot in his life is his seven-year-old son, Jonah, who is now having trouble in school. Then Miles meets Jonah's teacher, Sarah Andrews, and is drawn to her. A newcomer to town, she has moved to be near her family and to escape from a disastrous divorce. The two broken souls recognize each other's fragility as they work together to help Jonah. They embark on a serious relationship, which is sorely tested after Miles receives a tip about Missy's accident. In his determination to find the culprit, he throws his training out the door in his crazed his pursuit for justice. Anyone who disagrees with him or his methods is perceived as the enemy, including his boss and friend, and Sarah, who tries to be the voice of reason. The relationship between Miles and Sarah is threatened by a devastating secret. Sparks intends for readers to solve the mystery early on in the book. If you know the identity of the hit-and-run suspect, you can watch with amazement as the story unfolds. If you don't pick up on the clues, you'll be stunned when the answer is revealed. Either way, you'll be surprised at the climax.

The story is about learning to fix broken hearts through letting your heart be fixed by another. It is about going through something tragic and then learning to revive your being. It is also learning to find hope from the love of another, a hope that could fix a heart or sort a confused mind.

I really like how Miles acted whenever he is around with Sarah. He brings the true nature of men. And the factor that amazed is that it is both a love and mystery story. Once again, Sparks brings a powerful tale of true love to fruition, proving that love stories can be sweet without being cloying.

A Book Review on Laura Esquivel's Like Water for Chocolate

BY: Mara Erica P. Querido

Like Water for Chocolate is a deceptively simple book - a love story set in Mexico, interspersed with recipes, related in unadorned, uncomplicated language. Yet when the ingredients are combined and simmer, subtle and unusual flavors emerge. In a New York Times interview, Laura Esquivel told Marialisa Calta that her ideas for the novel came out of her own experiences in the kitchen: "When I cook certain dishes, I smell my grandmother's kitchen, my grandmother's smells. I thought: what a wonderful way to tell a story." In a New York Times interview, Laura Esquivel told Marialisa Calta that her ideas for the novel came out of her own experiences in the kitchen: "When I cook certain dishes, I smell my grandmother's kitchen, my grandmother's smells. I thought: what a wonderful way to tell a story."

The characters in Like Water for Chocolate are set against the backdrop of the most important modernizing force in Mexican history, the Mexican Revolution of 1910-17. During this time, peasants and natives banded together under the leadership of figures such as Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata to reject the old order's dictatorship, revive democracy, and claim Mexico for the everyday man and woman. Esquivel uses the revolution to explore themes of masculinity and gender identity, and examine how individuals appropriate for themselves the revolution's goal of liberty.

This is the story of Tita, youngest daughter of the formidable matriarch Mama Elena who forbids Tita to marry her true love Pedro because tradition says that the youngest daughter must care for her mother until her death. When Pedro marries Tita's oldest sister in order to be near Tita, it begins a life-long conflict filled with passion, deception, anger, and pure love. Interwoven throughout the narrative are the recipes, which, like an ancient Greek chorus, provide an ongoing metaphorical commentary on the characters and their culture. Finally, there is the food itself that Tita creates as head cook on the family ranch, food so vibrant and sensual, so imbued with her feelings of longing, frustration, rebellion, or love, that it affects everyone who eats it. The combination of all these elements, with a good measure of the supernatural thrown in, makes for an earthy, quirky book, sad and funny, passionate, and direct, told by Tita's grand-niece who follows in her footsteps, using her cookbook and continuing a tradition quite different from the one her great-grandmother tried to impose.
The first chapter begins the novel's exploration of duty, responsibility, and tradition as they present Tita's main conflict. Family tradition requires that she reject Pedro's marriage proposal so she can stay at home and take care of her widowed mother for the rest of her life. If she turns her back on this tradition, she will not fulfill what society considers her responsibility to her mother.

In fiction, the point of view is the perspective from which the story is presented the unique point of view in Like Water for Chocolate helps convey the significance of the narrative. Esperanza, Tita De la Garza's niece, finds her aunt's cookbook in the ruins of the De la Garza ranch. As she recreates the recipes in her own home, she passes down the family stories to her daughter. Her daughter becomes the novel's narrator as she incorporates her great-aunt's recipes, remedies, and experiences into one book. She justifies her unique narrative when she explains that Tita "will go on living as long as there is someone who cooks her recipes."

It is the kind of story filled with liberty and undying love. This book, along with the matter-of-fact weaving of recipes and remedies into the fabric of the narrative, underscores the fact that the novel offers substantial opportunities for feminist analysis.

A Story of Spices and Love: A Book Review of Like Water for Chocolate

Driesch Lucien R. Cortel

IV - Albert Einstein

Laura Esquivel’s first novel, Like Water for Chocolate, is a story of a woman tied between love, family tradition and magical recipes. This book met with unusual success when it was published in 1989. The enthusiasm about the book led to a Spanish-language movie of the same title, which also was immensely popular. Upon translation from Spanish into English in 1992, the novel incited similar excitement, becoming a best-seller; subsequently, the English-subtitled film became one of the most popular foreign-language films in American film history.

This book was first published during 1989. Laura Esquivel's first novel, Como agua para chocolate: novela de entregas mensuales con recetas, amores, y remedios caseros, became a best seller in the author's native Mexico. It has been translated into numerous languages, and the English version, Like Water for Chocolate: A Novel in Monthly Installments, with Recipes, Romances and Home Remedies, enjoyed similar success in the United States.

This tells a story about a young Mexican woman named Tita de la Garza. Being the youngest daughter, she is destined not to marry but only to take care of her mother until her mother dies. Tita’s story began on her misery no t getting married to Pedro where as she also started her wonderful recipe. Because of Mama Elena’s power, Pedro agreed to marry Rosaura, Tita’s sister. Tita extraordinary kitchen skills served as her outlet of anger towards Mama Elena and sorrow to the marriage of Pedro and Rosaura. Her recipes ablaze Pedro’s desire for her though he is already married to Rosaura. He never stopped loving Tita. As Tita’s recipe grew, the more they realize that they could never get away from whatever feeling Pedro and Tita share. The story went on with recipes and remedies that Tita encounters and in the end, she will find herself in a way she has always wanted.

It was self growth that made Tita go against the wicked grip of her mother. At the beginning of the novel, Tita was a generally submissive young lady. As the novel progresses, Tita learns to disobey the injustice of her mother, and gradually becomes more and more adept at expressing her inner fire through various means. At first, cooking was her only outlet, but through self-discovery she learned to verbalize and actualize her feelings, and stand up to her despotic mother.
In Like Water for Chocolate, Esquivel extends the religious-mythical themes of magic realism to the everyday world of the domestic realm of a female-dominated household. Though not a story of the battles, great figures, and moral challenges generally associated with the epic form, Esquivel elevates this story of women, and one woman in particular, to such proportions. This strategy leads the reader to explore the feminist properties of Like Water for Chocolate, which are evident in the depictions of Tita's struggle to gain independence and develop her identity, and also in the fact that this struggle is depicted at all.

The structuring of Like Water for Chocolate as "A Novel in Monthly Installments with Recipes, Romances, and Home Remedies," as it is subtitled, establishes the filter through which the reader will experience the world of the novel. Like Tita--whose knowledge of life is "based on the kitchen"-- the reader must explore the work through the role and power of food, guided by the recipes that begin each chapter. The division of the novel into "monthly installments" conjures up the image of serial narratives published in periodicals (often women's magazines). This organization, along with the matter-of-fact weaving of recipes and remedies into the fabric of the narrative, underscores the fact that the novel offers substantial opportunities for feminist analysis. Just by the fact that this book covers some recipes, you can already tell that feminism is present.

The title, Like Water for Chocolate, indicates that Tita is as heated as boiling water because in other Latin America Countries, they use boiling water to make hot chocolate. This describes the boiling passion in Tita whether for cooking or for Pedro. It can be used as a metaphor for describing a state of passion or – sometimes – sexual arousal. It may also be used to refer to anger, such as being 'boiling mad'. Tita, the main character, actually uses the expression in the book when she says 'estoy como agua para chocolate' (I am like water for chocolate) meaning that she is boiling mad.

The story conveys the greatness of a woman who is set to give the world her recipes and love. In creating this female-centered cast of characters, Esquivel imagines a world in which men are physically present only occasionally, though the legacy of sexism and the confinement of women to the domestic sphere persist. Esquivel does not offer her readers the vision of a happy-ending sisterhood, but rather insight into the way women are restricted by standards of societal correctness perpetuated by other women.

A Book Review of Nicholas Sparks' A Bend in the Road

Wilfredo Basa Fan Jr.
IV - Albert Einstein

A Bend in the Road, Nicholas Sparks’ powerful tale of true love, is a moving story that would seem light on the outside but with subtle depths inside. It is the kind of love story that will touch until the very depth of the reader’s heart. The love shown in this story is the kind of love that could last for a lifetime. Its story is not only about the love like the lovers has but it is the kind of love that is very unconditional and selfless. It is the kind of love that is very willing to be given in spite of everything one has to risk.

The story began on the death of Missy Ryan, Miles Ryan’s wife. She was killed on a hit-and-run accident. For two years, the life of Miles Ryan stopped because being a county sheriff; he could not even give justice to the death of his own wife. He could not only grieve for her and worry about their young son, Jonah, but also longs to put the person responsible for Missy’s death behind bars. But by a twist of fate, he met Sarah Andrews, Jonah’s second grade teacher. She is a young woman recovering from her heartbreaking divorce. Sarah moved to New Bern, where Miles Ryan lives. When Miles was informed by Sarah that Jonah is having a hard time at school, that is when it there feelings toward each other sparked. Suddenly, they found themselves falling for each other in most special way. But what they are unaware is that they are not only bound to love each other but also by a shocking secret. It was a secret that could be bringing them apart.
I really like how the story of love and mystery was combined. I think by using the unknown character as the narrator is a really good style. How the narrator recalled his stories added sense to every chapter of the book. It was a good story to read, very satisfying. It is a well-created page-turner because of the mystery effect. The story was not that rough. It was very much written smoothly and neatly.

I really like how the story went on. It was written so simple yet it will make you think how the story will turn out whether they will end up together or will be parted forever. The most touching part was how Miles love a woman. He is funny when he is tongue-tied in front of Sarah, the typical kind of man who is head over heels in love, and when he found out that Sarah can not bear any children, he still accepted Sarah for she is and nothing changed. The part of the story where all the suspense and thrill were kept was when Miles found out that Brian, Sarah’s brother was the one responsible for the death of Missy. But the part about the Timsons lacked some story because it was not mentioned why the lawsuits for Miles were drawn back; for me, it is the only flaw in the story.

I was really moved by the ghost story of the two lighted candles on the haunted house which can only be seen by those who are truly in love with each other. Though it came from the tragic love story of Harris Presser and Kathryn Purdy, it still was a sweet story to tell. It was really nice that the ending was based on the story of the two lighted candles because that served as the sign that Miles is willing to love Sarah no matter what.

A Bridge to the Stars

By Henning Mankell

A book review by Ma Lorena Gorpido Sebastian

Henning Mankell was born in Stockholm in 1948, raised in a village in northern Sweden and now divides his time between Sweden and Maputo, Mozambique, where he works as the director of Teatro Avenida.Henning Mankell is a Swedish author who gained bestseller stardom with his series of crime novels featuring inspector Kurt Wallander.Internationally acclaimed author Henning Mankell has written numerous Kurt Wallander mysteries. The books have been published in 33 countries and consistently top the bestseller lists in Europe, receiving major literary prizes and generating numerous international film and television adaptations.
The book is written especially for children. Published by Andersen Press. Its national origin is in United Kingdom.
A bridge to the Stars written by Henning Mankell is about a 12 year old Joel lives with his father in the cold northern part of Sweden. At night he often sneaks out of his father's house to look for a lonely dog he has seen from his window. On the bridge across the icy river he starts a secret society and has adventures. But one night he discovers that his father's bed is also empty and will have to come terms with his fathers new found love. The harsh reality of Joel's world comes vividly to life and leaves the reader spellbound.

Henning Mankell is better known in England for his detective fiction, and A Bridge to the Stars has an element of the detective genre as Joel sets out to find the dog who will answer the questions he doesn’t yet understand. It is written in a style ideal for its audience (9-11 years), has an excellent, slightly off-beat story, and Joel exhibits a kind of imagination that many children will find familiar. Not only that, but Joel’s search says some touching and important things about growing up. During his night-time adventures he comes to understand the qualities that make for a civilised human being. He sees the humanity that his odd-ball and outcast neighbours possess. And he has to come to terms with his father’s new found love when he discovers his father’s bed is also empty at night.

A Bridge to the Stars is a compelling and charming read for adults and children alike. It is a good book to use for a discussion on citizenship, as it embraces individuality and acceptance of those who are deemed as different within the community. It is also a good source for a story – as children could really draw on their imaginations to delve into the strange and unexpected possibilities of night-time.

I thoroughly recommend reading this. An excellent book Mankell create.

Book Report in English: A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks

Book Report in English: A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks

“Love is like a wind, you can’t see it but you can feel it”
The book “A Walk to Remember” is a novel by Nicholas Sparks. It is a story of two teenagers who fall in love with each other despite of their different attitude and character. The story was set in the mid-1950 in Beaufort, North Carolina. The book was adapted into a film with the same title in the year 2002. The movie was directed by Adam Shankman. The movie stars were Shane West and Mandy Moore. The movie won several awards like “Year Ceremony Category Result 2002 MTV Movie Awards Breakthrough Female Performance won by Mandy Moore, 2002 Teen Choice Awards Film - Choice Breakout Performance, Actress won by Mandy Moore, 2002 Teen Choice Awards Film - Choice Chemistry (Moore/West) won 2002 Teen Choice Awards Film - Choice Actress, Drama/Action Adventure nominated for Mandy Moore (lost to Natalie Portman)”. Nicholas Charles Sparks was born the second son of Patrick and Jill Sparks on December 31, 1965 in Omaha, Nebraska.His first published work was a book with the Olympic athlete Billy Mills that published in 1990. He moved from California to North Carolina as a pharmaceutical salesman in 1992 and wrote The Notebook, which was later published in 1996. That really sparked his writing career and since The Notebook (1996), he has been the best selling author of several books, including: Message in a Bottle(1998), The Rescue (2000), A Bend in the Road (2001), Nights in Rodanthe (2002), The Guardian (2003), The Wedding (2003), Three Weeks With My Brother (2004), True Believer (2005), and At First Sight (2005), which is his latest and will no doubt be as popular as all his others have been. This novel, A Walk to Remember, published in 1999, was made into a movie which grossed an estimated $13.57 million on its opening weekend. It is inspired by his sister’s life and courage. He is also the co-author of Wokini: A Lakota Journey to Happiness and Self-Understanding. This novel was a main selection for the Literary Guild and the Doubleday Book Club. Interesting fact: Sparks and J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter novels, are the only two authors to ever have both a hardcover and paperback on the New York Times Best seller list at the same time for over a year. The book was Sparks third novel. The manuscript for A Walk to Remember was written in the summer of 1998 in North Carolina. The prologue of the book was in the last part which was like his first novel, The Notebook. The book’s title was taken from one of its tail end page. The book’s point of view is in first person. Sparks’ inspiration in doing the novel was his sister, Danielle Sparks who died in June 2000 due to cancer. Even the story is fictional, some of its part were taken from real life experience like his sister’s husband who propose marriage despite of his sister’s sickness. After the death of her sister, 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.” The novel was published in the fall of October 1999 in hardcover print, and later in paperback edition. It spent nearly six months in the best-seller list on hardcover, and an additional four months on paperback The novel received mixed reviews from critics. Examples are The Sunday New York Post holds that it "never fails to be interesting, touching, at times riveting ... a book you won't soon forget", African Sun Times echoes the former's comments, saying, "A remarkable love story that, like its predecessors, will touch the hearts of readers everywhere.", New York Daily News compliments Sparks, commenting that he "has written a sweet tale of young but everlasting love, and though he's told us to expect both joy and sadness, the tears will still come", Clarissa Cruz of Entertainment Weekly, however, panned the novel, saying, "With its cliche-riddled prose and plot twists that can be predicted after skimming the prologue, Nicholas Sparks' latest, A Walk To Remember, reads more like the script for a bad after-school special than anything approaching literature." Although the novel is number 12 on their list of 1999 Bestsellers Fiction, Publishers Weekly described it as "a forced coming of age story" and "the author's most simple, formulaic, and blatantly melodramatic package to date". The book has moral on it. You will learn from it and can be an inspiration to those who lack faith.
The story was told through the memories of a fifty seven year old man, looking back on his past, a past that he will never forget. This man is Landon Carter. He immediately begins his story, taking the reader back in 1958, in the town of Beaufort, North Carolina. Landon has to choose between a chemistry class and a drama class at his local high school. Landon decides to take the dram class and there he is reacquainted with Jamie Sullivan, a classmate of his. Being the president of his high school , Landon must find a date for the upcoming homecoming dance to fulfill a duty as a president. After desperately searching for a date, he comes to the conclusion that he’ll have to ask Jamie, something he would have never even considered a few weeks before. Jamie, his preachers daughter, was never accepted at school. She always wear the same clothing, carried the same worn-out bible, and never did anything wrong. Jamie accepts hs proposal to go to the dance, and after a collection of events, Landon slowly realizes that he has fallen in love with the most unlikely girl. After many dates Landon learns that Jamie had terminal leukemia and has stop responding to treatment. Landon wants to fulfill Jamie’s wish list example by building a telescope so she can see a comet. Through this process, Landon and Jamie learn more about the nature of love. The book end with Jamie’s death, but only after the couple are married in the same chapel as was Jamie’s deceased mother, the event that tops Jamie’s wish list. The novel explores into the themes of love, faith, and spirituality. Raised a Catholic, Sparks incorporated spirituality in the novel because, according to him, it is "a story of the beauty, power and innocence of first love". This theme is depicted, at most, in Jamie's character who always bring a Bible wherever she goes. The theme of love conquers all is the most prevalent theme. Every time Landon tries to deny the impact Jamie is having on his life, the love that she is slowly building in him and around him refuses to allow him to turn his back on his better nature. She also spreads her love to everyone else in the community and changes everyone for the better. The theme of God’s Plan is also an important idea.

The writer’s style is great because it shows intellectual and emotional qualities. Intellectual quality because the story is clear and realistic due to the true experience of the author. Emotional quality because it is interesting and show the true meaning of love. The stylistic device that the author use is the Bible which shows that faith in God can make you witness strength and miracles.

The book suggest that in life whenever there is faith in God, miracles can happen. The book left out a moral and an inspiration to me. Faith is the best weapon to defeat any illness and love really conquers all. I’m inspired to live life to the fullest and study harder because God gave one life and it is up to us how we use and spend it wisely. There are no parts that are not convincing. For me all are real and true to life. I can relate the death of my cousin to the story because of faith in God, he pass the limit of the doctor and live for almost one more year. The lesson is like a wind, you can’t see it but you can feel it.


Melchoy C. De Jesus
IV-Einstein