Three Weeks With My Brother

Rating:
Summary: Great Read
Review: I was not familiar with Nicholas Sparks' work when I saw this book at a local store. But after reading the inside flap, I thought it would be worth checking out. I was interested in hearing more about his relationship with his brother. This is truly one of the best books I have ever read. He has a wonderful style that is easy and quick to read. He is very honest and shows who he really is and where he has come from. I think this book has wide appeal because, even though he grew up very poor, his adventures/experiences are very similar to those of average Americans. It's very relatable. I have laughed and cried while reading this book and I would strongly recommend it to anyone who has siblings. My relationship with my brother is sacred to me. Mr. Sparks has a way of showing just how profound sibling relationships can be. I am thoroughly impressed by this book and plan to check out his other works.

I just think this book is real and I can relate so well to the stories he tells about his family and growing up the way he did. This book was not meant to be a travel book, though it covers travel. This book was not meant to be a religious book, though religion is important to Mr. Sparks. I think this book was meant to honor his family and show the love that Sparks has for his wife, children, mother, father, sister, and brother. It is heart warming and very hard to put down. Mr. Sparks is able to use words to describe feelings, thoughts, and emotions that most of us couldn't begin to describe. I highly recommend this book and will definitely purchase a copy for my brother.

Rating:
Summary: My favorite author didnt let me down!
Review: I would love for Nicholas Sparks to write a new book more often as this was one of his best along with The Wedding being the best for me. Keep up the good work and more coming our way!
It was just nice to read some of his background and the reasons for some of his books. I loved it and it's a keeper!

Rating:
Summary: One of the best I've ever read
Review: I'm a big Nicholas Sparks fan and as with his other books got it as soon as it came out and read it the same day. It's definitely one of the best books I've ever read and I'm recommending it to all my friends. I like the way Nicholas mixed the round-the-world trip with vignettes about the family. He made it tender, sweet, funny and sad. Keep a hankie nearby though....you'll need it.

Rating:
Summary: It was different and just as good.
Review: I've read all the books, in order they were written. I still believe The Notebook is the best (I will remember that story for the rest of my life). However, I thoroughly enjoyed this new book, Three Weeks with My Brother. It was different and I enjoyed reading it. In true form, I still cried. I appreciated Mr. Sparks' attempt to try something different and it worked for me. I felt I connected, mainly because we're the same age and I could identify when the world was a little safer so parents could let their children play and explore. The amount of tragedy and loss weighed in with accomplishments and successes. It was nice to know it doesn't always come easy for everyone else either. The book was great. THANKS to Mr. Sparks for providing great characters, stories and emotions. I look forward to each book.

Rating:
Summary: Insight to an author
Review: I've read almost all of Nicholas Spark's books and after reading Three Weeks With My Brother, I felt that it provided great insight into the author. After reading about everything he and his family have been through, I can really see why he puts his heart into every book that he writes. When you read this book, you not only found out more about the author, but also about the places that he's traveled that may of us will never be able to see. I liked this book because I think it is actually two books in one, a travel log and a memoir.

Rating:
Summary: Skip the Travelogue, Read the Memoir
Review: If anyone advised Nicholas Sparks to abandon couching his memoir within a travelogue, he should have paid attention. Sparks's thoughts about the wondrous places he visits -- Machu Picchu, Easter Island, Agra, among others -- are silly and shallow. Plus he and his nominal co-author brother proudly portray themselves as buffoons and philistines. You want to slap them both on the back of the head and tell them to at least be quiet if they can't behave.

On the other hand, the bulk of the book, which details the series of tragedies that have overwhelmed the brothers' adult lives -- deaths of parents and a sibling, as well as the rearing of an autistic child -- is sad but compelling, and ultimately encouraging, because it is written from the heart.

I also think another book -- perhaps it will take the form of a novel -- needs to be written about the Sparks' mother. Nicholas professes unblemished love and respect and devotion to the woman, who died tragically at 47, just weeks after his marriage. However, she was a complicated character whose parenting of her three children was often questionable at best. Perhaps additional time is needed for him to examine her -- and his own feelings about her -- more honestly.

Rating:
Summary: should come with a bic lighter
Review: If only I could go back in time and stop my fingers from ordering this absolute drivel. I've never read such superficial writing...except on cereal boxes. To think that this man receives any compensation for his thoughts should disgust even the most indiscriminate reader.

Rating:
Summary: Three Weeks With My Brother
Review: In January 2003, Nicholas Sparks and his brother Micah set off on a three-week-trip around the world. It was to mark a milestone in their lives, for at 37 and 38 respectively, they were now the only surviving members of their family. As they travel the globe, the intimate story of their family unfolds in the details of the untimely deaths of their parents and only sister. Against the backdrop of the wonders of the world, the Sparks brothers band together to heal, to remember, and to learn to live life to the fullest.

Rating:
Summary: Moving
Review: Just as moving as his bestselling books in fiction, Nicholas Sparks's, along with his brother,gives us this unique memoir. chronicling the journey of two brothers bound by memories, both humorous and tragic in detail. A profound read similar to that of A Paper Life and Nightmares Echo.

Rating:
Summary: "Three Weeks" is a great read
Review: Like many others who have reviewed this book, I have read all of Nicholas Sparks' previous books. I completely enjoyed reading this book as well. I think some reviewers missed the point of the book, unfortunately. It is not a "travel" book and it is not a "spiritual" book. It is a memoir, an autobiography, of the author and his brother's life experiences. I was drawn into the story on many levels - the familial relationships, the growing up years in Fair Oaks, the heartbreaking traumas endured. I think it is wonderful that Cathy and Christine were in favor of this trip for the brothers. They truly are saints (it's nice to know that both Nick and Micah truly understand that!). It makes me sad to think that Micah and Nick are so far apart (physically), but the book is a beautiful reminder that love knows no bounds. And aren't they lucky to have each other. I don't think they come off as pretentious at all...they're all they've got, it doesn't get more real than that. I think it must be amazing for Nick to look back and realize where he was and where he is now (and that he thanks God for all the blessings). I think writing this book must have been very cathartic for him, at least I would hope it was. And that he can still rely on his faith to carry him through the difficult times...we all have them, even if we aren't best selling authors or successful businessmen. It's interesting that as I read the book, I kept reminding myself that this wasn't one of his novels...this stuff really happened. And though some of the antics that he and his brother did on the three week trip were borderline-out-of-control, it was funny. I could see me and my brother and sisters doing stuff like that! Micah seems to be a good reminder to relax, enjoy life and have fun. I hope that they both benefitted from traveling together and spending quality time together like that...and that there was some healing in the pains suffered after living through so many tragedies...especially for Nick. Micah seems to deal with life and it's ups and downs well enough...I mean, if not going to church and questioning his faith are the worst things that he has endured, then good for him. I think writing the book for Nicholas probably has helped him move forward, which sounds like he is doing. God bless him, his brother and their families. Now I think I need to make a run downtown to get some Zelda's and beer myself! :)