Message in a Bottle

Rating:
Summary: Message in a Bottle
Review: I agree with Laura from California. There are only two books that I have read that are better in movie form...and this is one of them. The movie was more developed. The Notebook is one of my favorite books. This one though was too long for what happened. (I will add that I did see the movie first.)

Rating:
Summary: Not as good as his first book
Review: I loved his first book, The Notebook, not because Mr. Sparks is such an eloquent writer, but because he told such a poignant story. I found this story much less compelling and overly maudlin. I thought the ending was a soap opera-ish and I closed the book w/ disappointment and some disgust for having spent the time reading the book.

Rating:
Summary: One of the most beautifully written books
Review: Not one for romance novels or any of this lovey dovey stuff, reminds me of those Mills and Boons Books :) I rented the video as a change from action/thriller and I have to say I never cried so much in my life! It was a beautiful film and I had to set about looking for the book as I know how Hollywood likes to 'butcher' some well written novels ie Grisham and the book was even better than I expected! Read the novel and you will not be disappointed. Even though are some story discrepancies between the movie and novel. Whilst I knew the ending was coming I still cried. It makes you believe that true love exists and you can love again. The cynical people will believe what they want. But why Mr Sparks did you let hollywood have its wicked ways with your book....

Rating:
Summary: One Star Too Many
Review: Perhaps those who endeavor to teach the English language should use "Message in a Bottle" as an example of how not to write fiction. The fact that this poorly-written book made it, not only to publication, but also to best-seller status, remains a mystery to me. I'd like to know where Nicholas Sparks' editor was when he/she read the following passage (page 170 of the copy I borrowed from my library): "She was short of breath as she reached for the snap on his jeans. Meeting his eyes again, she unsnapped them, then slowly slid the zipper down." This image of eyeballs with snaps and zippers is horrifying, to say nothing of painful, and it's only one of a thousand glaring stupidities in a banal and trite little book. I finished reading it merely to see just how much worse the plot and writing could get. I wasn't disappointed. It fulfilled all of my lowly expectations.

Rating:
Summary: Message In a Bottle
Review: After reading Message in a Bottle, is is easy to become a hopeless romantic even if you are unable to believe in true love. This romantic novel by Nicholas Sparks is one that will leave a lasting impressionin the reader's ind and heart. With its tail of Theresa Osborne a divorced, hard working mother and columnist finding letters in bottles washed ashore, she is bound to find who wrote them. Once she does she can't help but fall in love. He on the other hand must learn to love again. Although I am enthralled by a romantic story I have always tried to stay away from reading them because of the fact that no one has really been able to capture the story of true romance. Once I read this book, I am satisfied with the fact that this book can capture anyone's heart. Sparks displays a unique style of writing with a lot of ecperience and description. He holds the ability to show and not tell. "She thumbed idly through People, reading a few articles here and there, not really interested in what was happening to the rich and famous. All around her she could hear the laughter of children as they splashed in the water and filled their pails with sand. Off to one side of her were two young boys and a man, presumably their father, building a castle near the water's edge. The sound of the lapping waves was soothing. She put down the magazine and closed her eyes, angling her face toward the sun." With a plot that thickens as it unfolds the book is appealing tot he reader. The style of writing is also unique because of the letters that appear, glimpses back into Garrett Blake's old life and how he reminises on those, as well as the story that unfolds. Message in a Bottle has only a few characters and only the reader gets to know the most are Garrett and Treasa. The reader learns about them, their past, their jobs, and how they feel. Always how they fee. "Thanks for picking it up for me," she (Treasa) said, "There was something in her eyes that made the initial attraction he'd felt that day before begin to rise again. Absently, he scratched the side of his face." The theme of this novel is quite unique. Sparks made a topic that would be hard to develope come alive. "The bottle drifted back and forth for a few days- as if deciding where to go before choosing its course- and it finally washed up along the shore on a beach near Chatham. And it was there after 26 days and 438 miles, that is ended its journey." Although it is ahrd to believe that someone could find a message in a bottle, then find the person and fall in love with them all at the same time- this book does this. After reading this book it is easy to see that it could. That's how powerful this book is. At times in the book the author talks at length a little more than necessary. There are conversations which last extensively, and sometimes elaboration on needless details, but in the end the relationship of the two characters over shadows this. Especially with all of the twists and turns that Message in a Bottle takes.

Rating:
Summary: Good Romance Novel for Teenagers
Review: Message in a Bottle was a nice idea---certainly a very romantic one, to say the least. It attests to the fact that love is out there if you just seek it out, and don't give up, no matter what sort of dumb rap life has handed you in the past. The ability to love is the ability to be alive. Even though I read this book within two days, and I found the storyline romantic, I feel that it was written on a very immature level, lacking the sexual tension or mystery a true romance demands,lacking any depth,and utilizing too many cliches and to many theatrics. I was able to figure out what was going to happen next without much effort. I think that this book will appeal more to my pre-teen daughter, who still enjoys the writing style of Judy Blume.

Rating:
Summary: Message in a Bottle
Review: Wonderful, romantic, enticing, well written! There is no shortage of words that could describe how great Message in a Bottle by Nicholas Sparks is. Message in a Bottle is quite similar to another of his novels, the Notebook, in that the characters struggle with love. A divorced woman, Theresa, with a son, leads a very demanding and busy life as a syndicated columnist. As one would guess, she finds an unopened bottle on the beach. When she opens it, a whole new world unravels before her eyes. A romantic letter written to Catherine from Garret. Who are Catherine and Garret? Thersea puts the clues together and finds her mystery romantic, Garret. They meet and only their love for each other grows. Nocholas Sparks wrote about their love in such a beautiful manner. He clearly shows how Garret loved Catherine, but loves Theresa. "Theresa, I love you and always will. I am tired of being alone...I am sick and sad without you. As I sit here in the kitchen, I am praying that you will let me come back to you, this time forever." He writes with such passion, as if he is acharacter himself. He wrote with incredible inagery and symbolism. The whole message in a bottle idea is incredibly romantic. Man writes letter and sends it out to sea. Woman finds letter, finds man, they meet and fall in love! It's simple, but awesome. He turned this into a creative metaphor. Garret often wrote to his lost love, Catherine, and threw his letters out into the sea in a sealed bottle. He bottled up all of his emotions and threw them out, far away, where no one could help him. When Theresa opens the bottle, she opens up his emotions and exposes them to the world. She could somewhat relate to him because she had (in a way) lost a love. She became the one who could help him open up and let his true feelings be known. She helps him, and helps herself too. Despite the pure fact that I love this book, it isn't for everyone. It is a romantic love story. This story appeals to the sensitive and hopeless romantic senses of human nature. It gives a reader a feeling of hope for love. Not everyone wants that in a book. I loved it and could not put it down.

Rating:
Summary: amazing
Review: the most beautiful book! i'm 13 but after I read this book, I almost learned a lifetime's worth of learning about love. It really showed me what true love is! really worth your time!

Rating:
Summary: True Love is Out There
Review: I think this book is so enjoy to be read with a tragedy in the end. By the way, you should read this one because u will never find other books which make u believe that the true love is out there.

Rating:
Summary: A Beautiful Love Story
Review: This was the first book I read by Nicholas Sparks and it made me want to read his other two novels. I haven't read a beautifully written love story like this one in years. The beginning of the book drags a bit, but it's well worth the wait. The characters are believeable, even if the whole storyline feels a little out of touch. The love that is expressed at the end of the book between Garret and Theresa was so beautiful that you have to wonder if there are people in the world that really love like this. Believe me, don't pass this book up--a must-read for any true romantic!