Dear John - Nicholas Sparks

It's been a while since I've read a book by Nicholas Sparks. My last one was Message in a Bottle. Sparks has found a winning formula as he has eight New York Times bestsellers to his credit.

My experience has been that they all tug at your heartstrings and Dear John is no exception.

John Tyree is home on leave from the army when he meets Savannah Curtis. Their time together is short lived, but they quickly fall in love. John must return to his squad, but Savannah vows she will will wait for him. His time is almost up when 9/11 strikes and John re enlists. Can their love survive further time apart?

I listened to this in audio format. Holter Graham was the reader. I'm not sure if he naturally speaks with a Southern accent, but once in awhile I would find it slipping. He played John with a slow southern drawl that at times made him seem simple. Savannah's voice was easily identifiable, with a slightly different southern accent and a quicker manner of speaking.

I think the story is an excellent one, especially in today's times, when this scenario is being played out in many lives. Sparks finishes his tale with a different twist, again designed to make you reach for a tissue.

Now this is purely personal and I'm sure there will lots of dissenting opinions, but... I just didn't like Savannah. I found her overbearing, manipulative, selfish and too much of a know it all. I often wonder if in listening to an audio book, you form a different picture of a character than you might have in reading the book. I then watched the movie trailer and with the characters played by Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried , think I may change my mind again.

So, yes if you're looking for a heart string tugging read, this is definitely one for you. I'm more of an action girl myself, so found some of it a bit repetitive and slow going but I did enjoy the story.

Listen to an excerpt of Dear John. Or read an excerpt of Dear John.