Book Review by Arthur E. Gorospe

Everyone has their own love story. A story built with passion, time, trust, hope and love. It is shared by people willing to give something, willing to sacrifice their own. But not all love stories surpass the trials of time or even make it to the end. What if it is time for you to give up? What if it is time to let go? Everyone would eventually walk off and leave. Their will be no one to stay by your side forever, but there is something that will linger in you no matter what, it is love.
Can you imagine spending a couple of months with your loved one and then it is you alone forever? The same chaotic experience that happened to Landon Carter, a teenager from Beaufort North Carolina and to his love Jamie Sullivan. A story created by Nicholas Sparks and published by Warner Books Inc back in the year 1999 in North Carolina. It is one of Sparks’ best-sellers, among with “The Notebook” and “Message in the Bottle”, revolving around love’s wonderful features, beauty, power and innocence. Some of his masterpieces that were published are “The Guardian”, “Nights in Rodanthe” , “The Wedding”, and “At First Sight” .
Narrated by a seventeen year-old teenager, the story was about a young love sprung on a small town of Beaufort, North Carolina. Landon Carter, a well-known student in their school, fell in love with a shy, soft-spoken and town’s Baptist’s daughter Jamie Sullivan after performing a school play. They get to know each other and soon, Landon finds himself falling deeper in love with her. As the story goes, they had a memorable moment together, but a sad line said by Jamie that made confusion to Landon, “I cannot fall in love with you”. Eventually, Jamie had no choice but to tell him the truth that she has Leukemia and dying. Landon’s world collapsed and tears did fill his eyes as he looks into Jamie’s face. Each day seemed like it was the last for the both of them. Landon visits Jamie everyday as her condition becomes worst. He looked into himself and discovered the thing he has always wanted for the both of them, to marry Jamie. They got married as Jamie closed her eyes and laid in peace.
The writer’s style of telling the story can be much related to a realistic technique of writing. He used factual words that made a better mode of stating each chapter and not to mention the unforgettable parts that indeed influenced me as a reader. It was a colorful canvass of emotions that the writer painted for the person who reads his masterpiece. The inscription was full of romance, a tap of humor and a blast of heart-touching lines. He also used a bit of symbolism relating to life, death and love.
Actually, only minor flaws were seen in the book, some of these are the unrelated statement of an insignificant character’s life which I find uninteresting and at the last part, it was sort of a hanged story, for the author did not mention the exact time of the girl’s death. But in over-all, it was really convincing and a good book to read.
As a teenager, I have experienced the innocence of love. Yes, it was new yet very interesting feeling that a person could feel especially at a young age. It brought several changes to me and especially to my life. It was not the way it used to be anymore. I find it easier to wake up everyday and to do things I normally could not, in simpler words I have found an inspiration. The only thing and I am looking forward to, is to know and to experience how love could be everlasting and forever, even in the face of death.
Indeed a breathtaking story set in the 1950’s that showed how powerful love is. It was a book intended to show love’s true meaning and to touch lives of many people. The author has selected his words very carefully, so that several of the readers' emotions are affected. This book made me laugh, cry and everything in between. I was pleasantly surprised about how much I enjoyed this story. It was far from the sappy, hokey love story I was expecting. Though the main characters are teenagers, their experiences are adult in nature and very touching.
Love is truly an amazing thing that revolves around every people in this planet. Its capacity is unknown yet all of us recognize the feeling it can plant into our soul. Some of us believe that love can make us pleased, but they do not know that true love can make us contented forever. This book was great. The cover was really appealing that it almost narrates the story it contains. Every word is worthy of your second. It is not boring but a roller-coaster ride of emotions. It is a touching story that will input something in your life, introducing the true face of love and its endurance to live eternally. And that death only ends life, not relationship or love. Yes, “we can all believe in miracles.”