2nd quarter outside reading review

Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks. Grand Central Publishing, 2003.
Genre: Fiction


Nights in Rodanthe is another great love story that will capture the hearts of all ages. Like every well-written love story, Nights in Rodanthe includes suspense, confusion, and of course, tragedy. The story begins with Adrianne Willis, a woman of 45 years, struggling with her divorce. In an attempt to escape, Adrianne offers to look after her friend’s inn for a few weeks. This is where she meets Paul Flanner, another middle-aged man, also dealing with a few issues of his own. The two quickly hit it off and discover that they have many things in common, and subtly, a relationship forms. Their time together comes to an end, and they must go on without eachother while Paul is taking care of some buisiness with his son. The couple write letters to eachother everyday, counting down to their next meeting. Unfortunatly, due to bad weather conditions, that meeting never happens. Paul dies, leaving Adrianne depressed and confused.
“Nicholas Sparks is such a wonderful story teller. I started this book last night at 3 AM when I couldn't sleep, and less than 24 hours later I was finished. I couldn't put it down!” –Megan Parker
Nicholas Spark’s writing style is the same in all of his books I’ve read. I’ve noticed that all of his books are love stories, and either have happy endings, or almost unbearably sad endings, there’s never an in-between. Sparks writes with many descriptions, and it always sure to capture the feelings of everyone involved, so it’s as if you’re feeling the character’s feelings. He also describes the setting very well, so you know every last detail about where the characters are, and what exactly is going on around them.
“We all make choices, Adrienne. You chose that life, you chose that man. Do you even remember who you really are anymore?” This line was said by Paul Flanner during an argument between him and Adrianne. This shows how the author shoes the character’s feelings through their dialogue. You can almost feel the emotion during the arguments, and when they make up. This line stuck out to me because I think a lot of people forget who they are, and Nicholas Sparks brought that to our attention. Though I cannot relate to this book experience wise, I can relate to it emotionally. I feel Adrianne’s pain when Paul dies, and I know how it feels to be struggling with your family. I’m also very into romantic things, so I could relate to this book in that was as well. This book affected me because when Paul dies, it shows you cannot take anyone or anything for granted, and that things can be taken away from you right before your eyes. It made me want to value everyone in my life, more than I already do. This book was very enjoyable. Once I picked it up, it seemed I could never put it back down. It kept me hooked from the first page, to the last. I plan on reading more of Nicholas Sparks’ books in the near future.