Rating: Summary: Sparks does it again! Review: I am a sucker for a good romance book, and Nicholas Sparks never fails to provide this to me. I can not usually stay up late reading a book, but I read Nights in Rodanthe in one sitting. I was up into the wee hours of the night with a box of Kleenex within reach at all times. Tears were rolling down my face as I finished the last few chapters.
The story began when Adrienne feels obligated to help her daughter, Amanda, after her husband dies tragically. She sits down with her daughter at the kitchen table to reveal a secret that she has kept with her most of her life. She feels that this secret will help her daughter move on with her life. The secret is only a word long, but it has life changing effects.
I would recommend Nights in Rodanthe, to anyone who has ever been in love. This story is very easy to relate to and really puts life into prospective. The theme of this book is love and sacrifice. It teaches that sometimes you have to let go to move on with life. It also shows that love can be found when you least expect it and in some of the most unpredictable places. It truly is a great book, and I would recommend it to anyone.
Rating: Summary: Nights in Rodanthe Review:
Title: Nights in Rodanthe
Author: Nicholas Sparks
Pages: 212
Category: Romance
Date Started: 12/15/2004
Date Finished: 12/19/2004
Annotation: "Nights in Rodanthe" is a romance novel written by Nicholas Sparks. It is about a middle-aged woman named Adrienne Willis and her quest in life to not only find the true meaning of love, but to also find herself. The now single woman has three children all whom have children of their own. When Adrienne's only daughter, Amanda's husband died, Adrienne takes it into her own hands to tell her daughter her own story about lost and love. Adrienne's story opens Amanda's eyes to many new things about her mother. It is a story that will forever remain Adrienne's heart and one that changed her life forever.
Author Bio: Nicholas Sparks was born in Nebraska to mother and father Jill and Patrick Sparks. As the middle child to siblings Michael and Danielle, he achieved many things growing up in Fair Oaks, California. In high school, Sparks was a very successful track member receiving a scholarship to the University of Notre Dame. He also graduated the Valedictorian of his class in 1984. He majored in Business Finance and graduated with high honors from the University of Notre Dame in 1988. Sparks was married to his wife Catherine in 1989. In 1992, Nicholas and his wife moved to North Carolina where his many books were created and published. Some of his many books include: The Notebook, Message in a Bottle, A Walk to Remember, and The Wedding.
Evaluation: "Nights in Rodanthe" is about a woman Adrienne Willis and her journey through life. Adrienne was married to a man named Jack and had three children with him- Mark, Dan, and Amanda. Years later, Adrienne discovered the horrible truth that Jack was having an affair with his much younger, more attractive secretary. Adrienne thought that she would never love another man again and that her life would never be the same. It wasn't until Adrienne's friend Jean asked Adrienne to watch over her Inn for the weekend that Adrienne's life took a turn for the better. The only visitor for the whole weekend was a man named Paul Flanner. Because of the huge storm, they spent a lot of time together inside the Inn. They got to know each other and fell completely in love. They had to best weekend together and changed each other's lives. Once the weekend was done, Paul had to leave for Ecuador for a year to do some work; while Adrienne also had to go back to her life taking care of her children. They decided they would keep in touch writing and calling each other, and when it was time for Paul to come back they would get married and start their lives again together. It was almost time for Paul to return home when Adrienne received devastating news from Paul's son. Paul had died in a fatal car accident during an ice storm. Adrienne had this time really lost the love of her life. After some years, Adrienne came to peace with what happened. She realized that she would never love the way she had again, and she realized that Paul had changed her life by bringing her joy and happiness.
"Nights in Rodanthe" was definitely my favorite book by Nicholas Sparks. When I began reading that book I could not put it down because I wanted to her more about Adrienne's life and what would happen with her and Paul. "Nights in Rodanthe" is the type of book that allows you to actually picture what is happening and lets you feel the emotions of the characters while reading. I think that the lost of Paul was a lot different than Adrienne's lost of Jack. When Adrienne lost Paul she still loved him with all of her heart and came to peace with what happened, realizing that Paul had changed her life, while the lost of Jack left Adrienne with bitter feelings. When Jack left Adrienne she went into almost a depression about herself. She had no self-confidence anymore until she met Paul. I think this book taught me that everything happens for a reason. Adrienne met Paul to bring happiness back into her life and to help her see that she could love again.
Rating: Summary: review/summary Review: A forty- five year old woman, Adrienne is still having a hard time finding love after her husband left her so she heads to the small shore town of Rodanthe, New Jersey to spend a weekend watching over an inn for her friend. A storm blows through this small town along the coast and along it comes a man named Paul Flanner who stays at the inn for the weekend to escape the troubles in his life. Adrienne and Paul get to know each other over the time that they spend together and fall in love. The only problem is that Paul promised himself a year to spend with his son in Ecuador. He writes Adrienne everyday but letters stop arriving in the mail and Adrienne lets go of her past with Paul. This book was a good, thrilling romance.
Rating: Summary: Haven't I Read This Somewhere Before? Review: As a huge Nicholas Sparks fan, I pre-ordered this book so I could read it immediately following its release. I was very disappointed! Not only was it lacking in passion and surprise, but it is nearly the same story I read in "Message in a Bottle". If you're thinking of reading a Nicholas Sparks book, I would definitely recommend skipping this one. "A Bend in the Road" and "The Rescue" are far better books, with deeper plots and well-rounded characters. "Nights in Rodanthe" is very one-dimensional and predictable. It was a big disappointment for this fan.
Rating: Summary: You'll shed more than a few tears if you read this one Review: I must admit to being a sucker for a good love story . . . plus, I have enjoyed the other novels by Nicholas Sparks (THE RESCUE, THE NOTEBOOK, etc.) . . . so, naturally, I had to read his latest: NIGHTS IN RODANTHE. It will definitely remind you of other similar books, most notably THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY . . . you know the drill--two middle-aged people meet up and fall in love . . . yet that said, you'll still get hooked on how Sparks handles the tale. My biggest problem in reading it: Deciding whether I wanted to finish the book in one sitting . . . I wanted to see what would happen, but also, I did not want it to end . . . and I guarantee that you'll shed more than a few tears if give this one a chance. There were many memorable passages; among them: Paul watched her walk away, noticing again how attractive she was. In spite of the direction his medical practice had taken in later years, he'd always remained less interested in appearance than those things a person couldn't see: kindness and integrity, humor and sensibility. Adrienne, he as sure, had all those traits, but he got the felling that they'd been unappreciated for a long time, maybe even by her. "It was something he would always say to me, ever since I was a little girl. No matter how good or bad I'd done in anything, no matter if I was happy or sad, my dad would always give me a hug and tell me, 'I'm proud of you.' " But Paul was different. Paul, she knew, wasn't like Jack in any way, and it was there, while upstairs in his room, that Adrienne first felt a vague sense of anxious anticipation, something akin to what a high roller might feel when hoping for a lucky roll of the dice.
Rating: Summary: Not Impressed Review: I was not at all impressed with this book, despite many of the positive reviews by other readers. Although it was not completley boring and tedious to read, the main reason I didn't like it was because it was not at all believeable. The whole setup, and the idea that two people can fall so deeply in love in just one short weekend is ridiculous to me. Maybe it was because it only took about 3 or 4 hours to read the entire novel, so I didn't have sufficient time to really make a connection with the characters. Either way, when I was finished, I found myself laughing at the story that was supposed to draw a tear.
Rating: Summary: I saw this Lifetime movie! Review: I'm not even joking! I couldn't begin to tell you how this book is the perfect plot to many Lifetime movies. I'm not saying it's a bad plot...it's just been done before. I love Nicholas Sparks and I think he is a fantastic writer, so the impression I got overall from this book is that he was having a writer's block of some sort after his other successes with The Notebook and Message in a Bottle. As a struggling writer myself, I can understand. Atleast he's not too wordy adn this book was longer than it needed to be. I would recommend this for diehard Nicholas Sparks fans, and it's a good fast read for the weekend. If you're looking to be spellbound with the meaning of life, I would look elsewhere.
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: Nights in Rodanthe Review: Meaningless drivel. The characters are flat and lathargic and completely lacking in chemistry. The book goes on and on, but the people never actually do anything. Characters generally reveal themselves through their actions, but these paper thin people just sit around thinking about themselves and their terrible lives.
Rating: Summary: Nice love story with a message Review: Nights in Rodanthe is a typical Nicholas Sparks book, a satisfying enjoyable love story & a quick read. Don't expect this book to impress you beyond your wildest dreams and you won't be disappointed. But one thing about Spark's books, you can always count on a read that will take you away to another place & a story that will inspire you. And most definitely, you'll cry! This is the story of Andrienne & Patrick who fall in love over a weekend they spend together. They fall in love during a time in their lives that they're most unhappy and alone. Now, years later Adrienne is telling their story to her daughter Amanda, to help her with a difficult time in her life. Thus, the lesson is revealed. I truly enjoyed this book. I enjoy Spark's writing for a bit of the break in the heavy dramatic novels or crime stories I usually read. This did the trick! Not as good as Message in a Bottle or the Notebook, but still a wonderful read.
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