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Book Review of the New York Times Bestseller "Dear John by Nicholas Sparks"

Updated on August 14, 2013

Getting to know more about the writer, Nicholas Sparks

I will share the information I gathered about the author from a reliable source online, Wikipedia.

Nicholas Charles Sparks (born December 31, 1965) is an American novelist, screenwriter and producer. He has seventeen published novels. Eight have been adapted to films, including Message in a Bottle, A Walk to Remember, The Notebook, Nights in Rodanthe, Dear John, The Last Song, The Lucky One, and most recently Safe Haven.

Mr. Sparks resides in North Carolina with his wife, Cathy; their three sons, Miles, Ryan, and Landon; and twin daughters, Lexie and Savannah.


Understanding Military Men

I have cousins and friends who are serving the military, especially the army division.

One of my cousins died while fighting against the rebels. I also gave the sad news, when I was still active on the radio.

My grandfather (father of my father) was also a World War II veteran. One of his sons also served as reservist in the army.

Being a war veteran, he instilled in us the military discipline he learned from the army during my childhood days. I had to obey first before I complain when doing chores that I was not familiar with.

Since, rebel groups are rampant in the Philippines, we are cautioned by my grandfather to be vigilant whenever strangers are passing in our place.

I was also a reservist during my ROTC years in college. I’ve seen how our officers and trainers molded us into a disciplined individual.

Official DEAR JOHN Trailer - In Theaters 2/5 c/o SonyPictures

The Grunt

Knowing Nicholas Sparks with his #1 New York Times Bestseller, Dear John, brought another roller-coaster ride of human emotions.

If you’re familiar with him, Mr. Sparks’s masterpieces-turned-into-movies (Message in a Bottle, A Walk to Remember, and The Notebook) changed my outlook in life when it comes to the feeling called LOVE.

A popular coach in New Bern High’s (North Carolina) track team, Mr. Sparks ventured into another romantic setting exploring how love can transcend time and space.

This time, it’s about true love that sprang between a college student and a US army sergeant.

Grunt as he is (most military men are tagged with that moniker, especially in the army, Sergeant John Tyre came home in June 2000.

Fresh from his mission, being in infantry division, in Germany, Wrightsville Beach at Wilmington, North Carolina was the first thing in his mind in order to pass the time and enjoy his vacation.

Before joining the army, he was, first, a surfing enthusiast, which he learned during his adolescent years.

His father, who works at the local postal service, was also a coin collector.

Father and son interaction were limited and conversations were limited to coins. Young John was rebellious, most male youths are.

Until he joined the military, the discipline “to follow without questioning” brought him to faraway places. But his sense of direction was still scattered until he met Savannah Lynn Curtis.

Note: The movie adaptation was shown way back 2009 starring Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried.

When I read the book, "Dear John"...

Starring roles are for John and Savannah, the leading characters.

John is the rebellious one, growing up without the care of a mother.

Meanwhile, Savannah was nurtured by her two educated parents and the friendly and homey environment in Tennessee who gave her a tamed and controlled upbringing.

But when love plays...

The two hit it off instantly.

Savannah is a member of the volunteering team building houses for less fortunate.

She’s basically a man could ask for in life but circumstances intervened

John met her friends and family but their fate will not jive for a happy ending.

One must sacrifice or I’ll say they should set aside their true feelings in order to help their loved ones survive.

As always, Nicholas Sparks narrated the book in the most readable way that you will not stop until you reach the climax of the story.

The twists and turns of events presented will keep you guessing as the two protagonists, John and Savannah, will continue to fight for their feelings.

John was the one narrating the whole story. It's quite a unique way for a man to be the one telling us his story (his life, his career and his love).

Twist in the ending of the story


Fictionalized love story always gives us a happy ending.

But this one has a unique way of ending the love story between the two.

Savannah and John felt a contentment that they could understand without uttering a word.

The credit goes to Mr. Nicholas Sparks in presenting the book without the grandeur of rosy ending.

But his deep understanding of human emotions made me understand what will be the feelings of the characters if they are alive.

Still, I believe that the experiences presented in the book were gathered from true accounts,

His unique ways of looking at different perspectives in life made this book a unique read.

Perhaps, the author’s thoughts about the lives of military men were inserted so that readers will be able to identify with their true feelings about life, about family and marriage.

You can buy the book, Dear John by Nicholas Sparks @ Amazon

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