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 He wrote his second novel, The Royal Murders”, also unpublished in the year 1989.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.