Rating: 
Summary: Enough Already...
Review: same predictable story, circumstances that are forced and contrived, just the names have changed. i fell in love with the notebook, but i feel like nicholas sparks takes his readers for granted now. i never wanted to admit this, but he's just not that good anymore.
Rating: 
Summary: Sparks fizzles
Review: I liked the book, don't get me wrong, but it was short, sad, and something was missing. I wasn't moved to tears (like I usually am with his books.) I didn't rush out and recommend purchase to sixteen of my closest friends. I barely told my mother that it was worth her time. My recommendation:
Read it, certainly, but don't buy it. Go to the library!
Rating: 
Summary: No surprise
Review: I read the following novels written by Nicholas Sparks in this order: THE NOTEBOOK, MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE, A WALK TO REMEMBER, THE RESCUE, BEND IN THE ROAD and finally NIGHTS IN RODANTHE. My favorite is BEND IN THE ROAD. I suspect that I like BEND IN THE ROAD the best because it is the least predictable. Like most of his novels, NIGHTS IN RODANTHE is highly predictable. Regardless of its predictability, I enjoyed reading it. I am sure that those who have read his other novels will respond in the same manner as I did. However, I don't think that people read Sparks to experience a surprise. Sparks is a master of the English language and through his talent of constructing a sentence, he can induce a person to continue to read. Sparks has the rare talent to draw a picture with words. Characters come alive and make a connection with the reader. The connection to real life that makes NIGHTS IN RODANTHE particularly compelling is the emergence of relationship triangles. I related to at least four relationship triangles. One of the three people has to make a decision reminiscent of Rick's final decision in the film CASABLANCA. To follow a path that fulfill one's emotional needs or to follow a path that is less altruistic but clearly more noble? Should a parent address the loneliness in one's life or focus on the needs of one's children? "That is the question." In real life as in the book, one cannot have it all. Like Rick in CASABLANCA and Paul in NIGHTS IN RODANTHE, only one decision can be made. Once the decision is made, there is no turning back. The elegance of NIGHTS IN RODANTHE is the author's ability to capture the feelings of making a critical decision and placing these feelings in the heart of the reader who vicariously identifies with the relationship triangle.
Rating: 
Summary: A bit too formulaic...
Review: I had read Nicholas Sparks' "The Notebook" when it first came out and remember thinking that it was good. Not great, but not awful. A quick read for sure (as in one night). Last week, I picked up "Nights in Rodanthe", intrigued, having just vacationed there. It is the story of Adrienne and Paul, both divorced, who meet in the town of Rodanthe during a hurricane and fall in love. Told in retrospect, Adrienne is sharing the story in the hopes of consoling her widowed daughter. From the beginning we know that something tragic must have happened to keep Adrienne and Paul from happily-ever-after. There is also a 'mysterious' subplot about why Paul is in Rodanthe which falls flat, but I won't reveal too many details because I know there are fans of Sparks that want to discover this book for themselves.
Like "The Notebook", this was a quick read, exasperating at times in its predictability and cardboard cut-out characters. I tried hard, in vain, to search for deeper, subtler meanings. Since the book seems to repeatedly point out that it is set in a small town, by the sea, called Rodanthe, I was hoping to see more of a connection between the characters and the environment. Why did Sparks choose Rodanthe as the backdrop? This story could have taken place anywhere. Had Nicholas Sparks done a bit more research, perhaps he could have incorporated the island legend (as mentioned in "Hatteras Journal" by Jan DeBlieu) about Rodanthe, the Australian flower for which the village is named but has never been known to bloom in the village's history. This would have nicely kept in tune with the tragedy of love never allowed to blossom. There is no discernable reason that this trite twist of "The Bridges of Madison County" takes place where it does. It also lacks any plausible sense of build up in tension between Adrienne and Paul that causes them to declare endless love for each other the way they do after a few days. The character's internal reactions to this burgeoning love are adolescent and the love scenes were unconvincing.
The character of Adrienne is a sad stereotype of a wife that devoted her life to her husband and children, only to have him leave her during the even more stereotypical mid-life crisis. She is left with bills, children and an ailing father to take care of. Paul is the stereotypical work-a-holic who has remained emotionally detached from his family and estranged from his son. To quote Homer Simpson, "BOR-RING!"
Sparks prose is cliche and unimaginative and the characters lack self-awareness. He includes a few of the letters between the characters in an almost desperate attempt to try and draw upon the sucess he had with this formula in "The Notebook". I say desperate because it seems as if they were thrown in at the end of the book as an afterthought and he pitches them like an adman trying to get us to buy into this fluff. After presenting an excerpt of a letter from Paul to Adrienne in an attempt to show us the depth of Paul's feeling for her, he writes, "[what about]...these [words], from the next letter?" followed by another sappy excerpt and then, going in for the big sell, "Or even these...." I couldn't help of thinking of an infomercial saying, "But wait, there's more!" Maybe Sparks had a book deal to fill and a deadline to meet that caused him to crank this out. Either way it would have been best if it had been left to the pages of "Modern Romance" magazine.
Rating:
Summary: Form Writer
Review: Don't get me wrong, I love to curl up with a Nicholas Sparks book and let him take me away.
I have read all of his book, fell in love with "Message in a Bottle"...
But I feel like all he does is take his outline that he has used for every book and change the character and the scene. It is getting a bit repetitive.
Rating: 
Summary: A Heartwarming Tale of Love, Loss & Self-Growth
Review: Adrienne Willis has been keeping a secret for 14 years. No, she's never murdered anyone. She doesn't have any illegitimate children. Her secret's special. Even beautiful. When her husband leaves her for another woman in 1988, Adrienne's perfect world unravels. Their three children depend on her even more and, though she pretends to stay strong, inside she's quickly falling apart. When her friend Jean asks her to watch the Inn in Rodanthe, North Carolina, Adrienne sees it as a good weekend escape. Little does she know, her life will change forever. Paul Flanner's been dedicated to one thing in his life: his job. As a successful surgeon, he's missed out on his marriage to Martha and woke up one day to find his son grown and resentful. With the death of one of his patients and a note from the woman's husband, Paul's on a new mission. He's determined to change his ways and right his wrongs. And his first stop leads him to Rodanthe. Paul and Adrienne find out they're not the only guests in the small town. A major storm is coming their way and it makes the atmosphere a perfect setting for soul-searching. The two try desperately to figure out their next step in life. All the while, they never realize the power or the impact that one weekend will have on who they are or who they'll become. And just when the storm passes through, another stormy element begins to surface.
Rating:
Summary: I Thought I Was the Only One!
Review: I've had the same thought as others about Nicholas' last few books, but I was afraid to speak up and say anything because I thought I was the only one who felt that way! Nights in Rodanthe was okay, but like the last couple books it seemed like a repeat of predictable characters and circumstances. For the reviewer looking for fresh voices, I have many but I'll stick to two. If you want someone like Nicholas Sparks who expresses emotion and writes stories with great meaning, then I would follow other reviewers advice and pick up Shade of the Maple by Kirk Martin - it is the most beautiful novel I have read since The Notebook. I even cried reading an excerpt of his next book at thegraveldrive.com. When I want something warm and funny, I pick up Fannie Flagg - Standing in the Rainbow is excellent! I hope Nicholas returns to his former brilliance with the next one.
Rating:
Summary: One Long Cliche
Review: I was severely disappointed by Nights in Rodanthe. It just seems like a string of cliches strung together. His fans deserve better.
Rating:
Summary: Fresh Voice Needed
Review: I know I will upset many of Nicholas' fans (as I have been for many years), but I think his books have become like recycled sitcoms. The same thing every time. I think he just knows how to manipulate a scene to drum up emotion, but it's become old and tired. I have been with him for many novels, but I think it is time to look once again for a fresh new voice. Anyone have any recommendations??
Rating:
Summary: This Novel is a Dud!
Review: As a huge fan of Nicholas Sparks, I eagerly awaited the release of his latest novel. Upon finishing the little 212 page novel, I was extremely disappointed. Usually, I think Sparks can do no wrong, but I was wrong. This novel does not live up to the expectations readers have after reading The Notebook or A Walk to Remember. To say the least, don't waste your time with this poorly written book. Sparks lacks to go into as much detail as he usually does. At the end of the book, you feel like you don't know any of the characters.
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