August/September 2008 Book Club Selection: A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks

[Tarin]

After our first-ever tie-breaker, the votes are now in! A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks is the selection for the August/September period (romance genre). Official discussion of the book will open on August 22. Please don't post opinions until then, in order to give everyone an opportunity to finish the book. Happy reading!

[Tarin]

Alrighty, folks - anybody have time to read the selection this month?

I read A Walk to Remember a year or so ago and really wasn't impressed with it enough to re-read it. But I'll share what I remember of my thoughts. :)

The Bad:

*Weak, boring characters. The narrative was about as flat as could be, mostly due to two completely blase characters. Jamie was ridiculously and colorlessly perfect, and Landon seemed to be without motivation or personality. As far as I can remember, there was little to no character arcs. The movie version (which was only slightly better than the book, IMO) at least managed to infuse some bad-boy zip into Landon's character. By giving him some problems to overcome (instead of simply his own inertia), the film at least presented us with a character arc. Not so in the book.

*Too short. Perhaps if Sparks had lengthened the book a bit, he would have had more of an opportunity to develop his characters and his plot. But, then again, knowing Sparks, that probably wouldn't have helped. :rolleyes:

*Complete lack of energy. Despite its brevity, I remember the story dragging along with little to no momentum. Not a whole lot happens in this book and what does happen isn't portrayed with too much enthusiasm or excitement.

*Terrible title. Honestly, I thought the title, in the context of the story, was really, really corny.

*Bad writing. No offense to the Nicholas Sparks fans out there (and I know he has legions of 'em), but I have to say I think the man is a terrible writer. His prose is simplistic, stiff, unrealistic, and often juvenile. I generally give an author two strikes before I stop reading him, and after slogging through both A Walk to Remember and Message in a Bottle, I'd stood all I could stand.

The Good:

Um, honestly, I can't remember *anything* particularly good. :confused:

But that's just my own opinion, of course. :)

[pprmint777]

Yep, Sparks is one of my favorites. To each his own, huh?

I had planned to join in this review, but got distracted and forgot all about it. I reckon it'll still be on my list of "wanna reads" in the future.

[crankycow]

You still have another month to read it.

I am interested in people who read the book and like it. I agree with Tarin, with the flat lifeless characters. I am surprised that this is considered Christian fiction. I would consider it feel good fiction with Christian undertones. Jamie is so boring a person. She is missing the spark of life that Christ brings. As I read it, I couldn't help but to think that the book was written by someone who really doesn't know how awesome life is with Christ. It is like Sparks just thinks that Christianity is a bunch of rules to follow. I could be wrong about him, of course, because I have not read any of his other books.

Stephanie

[Tarin]

A Walk to Remember isn't "Christian" fiction. Sparks writes secular romances, and as far as I know, he's not a Christian.