Three Weeks with My Brother

Rating:
Summary: Lifestyles of the Rich and the Spoiled?
Review: Nicholas Sparks made a million dollars off his first novel, "The Notebook." His books have been made into movies. Some might say he lives the charmed life. So why should we care that he got to travel around the world with his brother? Who wants to read about spoiled rich people and their international trots?

This book will convince you to look at others through a new set of glasses. Not only does "Nicky" reveal the wonders and shortfalls of cultures from Cambodia to Easter Island to Norway, he also shows us the heartbreak of his own family. Without revealing all, let me say that he tells a readable tale of his own childhood, spliced in with scenes of his three week journey with his brother. At times, the story is laugh-out loud funny; at others, it is sobering and poignant.

Yes, I may have harbored a bit of envy for Mr. Sparks' "charmed life." Now I harbor feelings of admiration, compassion, and brotherhood. Thank you, Nick, for opening your heart and your life to encourage those of us traveling the same path.

Rating:
Summary: An Exotic Trip to the World Outside and Inside
Review: Somewhere around forty years of age one begins to think differently of that brother that we picked on when younger. About that time mortality in the forms of parents growing old and passing on. The bloom of first love is long past and the spectre of divorce court may have appeared. Somewhere around this time you begin to realize that your brother is about the only family you have left.

Nicholas and Micah Sparks set off on a vacation together that took them to several exotic places around the world. Outwardly this is a trip of a lifetime to these wonderful place. But inwardly the trip may have even more exotic. This is a time for two men to bond together, laying aside the childhood differences from their growing up years and preparing them for the years yet to come.

I've been there with my brother, but certainly don't have the literary skills to make a record like the one here. The best I can do is to send my copy of the book to my brother.

Rating:
Summary: BUY THIS BOOK AND READ IT!
Review: This guy is super, you can just tell by reading his books that he is likeable and very smart. His books engross me in a way that no other ever has... this one is the best, but I feel this only because it was the latest one I have read. He is so sensitive and and the same time can really crack me up, then a few pages later have me crying. He is my ABSOLUTE favorite writer and like a few others that have reviewed this book, will be patiently waiting for the next one to come out! Love you Nicky! Best of all to you and your family!

Rating:
Summary: A 300 page lame Christmas letter
Review: This thing was so breezy and boring, so filled with self-absorption. At least when we get someone's annual family update in the mail it's someone we know and care about. The author's endless whining was just over-sharing as far as I'm concerned. I suffered through this selection for book club and kept waiting for someone to get to the point.

Rating:
Summary: "Nobody ever said life was fair"
Review: Three Weeks with My Brother is two books in one. The author did a nice job of weaving together two 'good' but separate stories into one GREAT single story. The transitions are seamless. The TCS Heaven & Earth a Journey travel tour would be an exciting subject just by itself, however more importantly in this case it serves to set the stage for the two Sparks brothers to reminisce and reconcile their childhood lives and come to a deep appreciation of what it was like to grow up together. The sometimes offensive and juvenile conduct on the trip lightens the sadness of the main story which is being told at the same time. I personally think that this "ugly American" behavior serves to balance or reduce the sad/negative impact of the Sparks childhood tragedies on the reader. On the upside, throughout the book you can hear their parents repeating some GREAT parenting words of wisdom. For instance: "What you want and what you get are often two entirely different things." and "Nobody ever said life was fair, it's your life - do with it whatever you like." My parents said many of the very same things for example when I was a kid and was confronted with an unusually large task. They would say: "See how fast you can get it done." or "If you are in it - get in it, otherwise get out." They said them so often that the words rolled off their lips as if they were gospel. I believe that is why these types of pearls of wisdom are still with me today and more importantly I use them on my own kids.
Speaking of kids, with both of their parents working to support the family, the Sparks children were given a long leash. As you might imagine with so much freedom growing up they managed to get themselves into mischief without much difficulty. Over the course of their world tour, it is THESE stories that the brothers tell that make the book so enjoyable. A couple of other funny things that stuck with me were the stories about family "default" Christmas gifts, like a "family" stereo and don't forget the personal headphones to match or better yet every kids dream - a carpenters hammer!! As a kid if you have ever received something like a file cabinet as a Christmas gift you will be able to relate.

The part about the "feast or famine" mentality when it came to sweets in the house was hilarious! These episodes included such things as eating an entire box of sweet cereal or an entire bag of their dad's "hidden" Oreos in a single sitting!! My brothers & I did the same thing!

The final couple of chapters are filled with both joy and pain. It makes for an interesting AND emotional read. - I liked it enough to read it twice!

I must say, if you are looking for specific travel information on Tikal, Guatemala * Lima, Cusco & Machu Picchu, Peru, Easter Island * Samoa * Ayers Rock, Australia, Angkor, Cambodia * Jaipur & Taj Mahal, India, Lalibela, Ethiopia * and Valletta & M'dina, Malta then this is the not the book for you.

I say buy this book if, like the Sparks brothers, you wish to enjoy a short trip back to the fond memories of your childhood. I did.




Rating:
Summary: Down memory lane as two brothers travel!
Review: While on a three week journey with his brother and last surviving member of his immediate family, the bestselling author of The Notebook and The Wedding, Nicholas Saprks and his co-atuhor Micah Sparks relate in this latest novel, Three Weeks with My Brother, the trip of a lifetime as they travel to some very exotic spots. While describing this trip they also focuse on being raised along with their sister being raised by two rather unusual and rather eccentric parents.

While this book gave me some insight into Spark's themes and his motivation for writing the books that he did, I felt the parts concerning the actual trip had me thinking they were Ugly Americans considering some of their behavior as well as a rather simplistic travel journal.

I rated this title a bit higher than I originally thought I would because there were some very poignant moments when Nicholas wrote about the loss of his parents and younger sister, life in ahousehodo with 5 children, oen who suffers from an unconfirmed learning syndrome and the strains of traveling on book tours around the country while leaving his wife and family at home.

Unfortunately, I don't think this book will necessarily make me a lover of Sparks's books anymore than I have in the past. I seem to have this love/hate relationship with most of what I've read by him but it still doesn't stop me from reading every new books he writes just to make sure of what I think. In the final analysis I find him a rather mediocre author who appeals to the readers that he does because of his themes and not because of hsi fine writing skills, That said I am glad I read this book and despite these criticisms I did find both his and Micha's soul searching while traveling about life and loss both inspiring and hopeful for their futures.