Book Review : Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

Book Review : Dear John by Nicholas Sparks 

-“I fell in love with her when we were together, then fell deeper in love with her in the years we were apart.”

Book Synopsis:

Our hero John grew up with a silent, meticulously organized father that he didn't understand. In his teens he began to rebel, hanging out, playing pool and drinking. This continues for a number of years with John working menial jobs, getting several tattoos and going nowhere fast. Eventually John decides it’s time to grow up and he joins the army. In fact it's during 2 weeks leave that he first meets Savannah, diving into the ocean to rescue her sinking purse. Savannah is your stereotypical good-girl; raised in a stable family she's kind, pretty and hopes to save the world. It's also love at first sight for our couple despite the warnings from her tattoo phobic college friends. Together the pair plans a future together, counting down the days until John's discharge as Savannah helps him understand his father and he in turn feels contentment for the first time in his life.

On Sept 11 everything changes as John in a moment of patriotic loyalty chooses to re-up in the army, putting a hold on their marriage plans while he enters the war in Iraq. The two try to maintain a long distance relationship but the war changes John and the years apart put a strain on their deep love. When John's father grows ill he returns home but will he be too late to save both his relationship with his father and the love of his life?

Review:

You can always tell you're reading a great book when you find yourself skipping ahead into the final chapters to see how things will be resolved, even though you've vowed you wouldn't. Love doesn't always have a happy ending (especially when it comes to a Nicholas Sparks novel) and this is a wonderful yet quick tear-jerking romance.

 I fell in love with John's character and surprisingly his father too. Each is well written and they felt like real people. I also enjoyed reading about John's military career and the reasons that take men into a war. Savannah as the heroine was a little too perfect for me but their heartbreaking love story and the regret that they both share will keep you up into the wee hours, and leave you wondering about John long after you've finished reading its bittersweet ending.

Some Great Quotes from the Book:

-“Passion is passion. It's the excitement between the tedious spaces, and it doesn't matter where it's directed...It can be coins or sports or politics or horses or music or faith...the saddest people I've ever met in life are the ones who don't care deeply about anything at all.” 

- “I finally understood what true love meant...love meant that you care for another person's happiness more than your own, no matter how painful the choices you face might be.” 


-“The saddest people I've ever met in life are the ones who don't care deeply about anything at all. Passion and satisfaction go hand in hand, and without them, any happiness is only temporary, because there's nothing to make it last.

This heart-wrenching book is one of my favorites from Sparks, 
I’ll rate it with:
****

Reviewed by Fouzia Umer 

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Book Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Book Review: Anna and the French Kiss

 by Stephanie Perkins 

I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz, 

or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.

I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,

in secret, between the shadow and the soul. 

-Pablo Neruda

Book Synopsis:

“French name, English accent, American school. Anna confused.” 

Anna is looking forward to starting her senior year in Atlanta--she's got a car, a great job, a great best friend, and a smoldering crush that may be evolving into more. Her father has other plans though. He wants her to experience "culture" and enrolls her in an American school in Paris. What? Anna doesn't speak a word of French and has no idea how she'll get through the year. That is until she meets the quite gorgeous and charming Etienne St. Claire. He is all that Anna could ever want in a boyfriend except for the fact that he already has a girlfriend. And doesn't Anna have an almost-boyfriend back home? As the year in the romantic City of Lights comes to an end, will all of the romantic near-misses finally come to something more for Anna and Etienne.

Review :

In this book, Anna is shipped off to SOAP, School of America in Paris by her Nicholas Sparky-type author dad; and she’s absolutely homesick, lost and insecure as she doesn’t speak a lick of French. Along comes the best crew of characters and not only befriend Anna, but drag her out of her dorm to experience the city of Paris and all of its wonders. As the book progresses, Anna and St. Clair develop a lovey type friendship that they eventually must acknowledge, but not without some messy stitches along the way. 

My favorite scenes in the book: Anna and St. Clair’s tour of the city, their Turkey dinner in Paris, yelling down the halls and stairwell during the holiday, sleepovers, multiple trips to the cinema, the flight home, the emails back and forth, the New Year’s telephone call, the banana bead, Pablo Neruda poetry book... I love Neruda! I could go on and on, so let’s just say I loved it all.

St. Clair is absolute perfection, yummier than a fluffy croissant. Anna is adorably awesome and flawed. Together, their story is full of enjoyable moments that reminded me how sporadically awesome it is to be a teenager. I’m in love with the theaters, Notre Dame, Point Zero des routes de France, Luxembourg Gardens and what not!! Every place in this book deserves to be fallen in love with!

And the friends! Gosh, Friends like Mer, Rashmi & Josh are what everyone needs. And the 'BEST FRIEND' St. Clair. I want to hear him say “Ba-nah-na”. Endless love :) 

This book made me real happy, when I was depressed. It’s a cute book for those who love Paris, Friendship & Love! 

Favorite Quotes :

-“I love you as certain dark things are loved, secretly, between the shadow and the soul.” 

-“Is it possible for home to be a person and not a place?”

-“The more you know who you are, and what you want, the less you let things upset you.”

-“I wish friends held hands more often, like the children I see on the streets sometimes. I'm not sure why we have to grow up and get embarrassed about it.” 

It’s a Parisian delight, just the right choice for book worms with a sweet tooth searching for a sugary and romantic read.

 I’ll rate it:

****

Reviewed by Fouzia Umer 

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Movie Review: The Notebook (2004)

Movie Review: The Notebook (2004)

IMDB Rating : 8.0/10

Plot:

The Notebook is based on one of the most beautiful romantic story ever told. A novel by the the legendary Nicholas Sparks. The movie first takes you to a nursing home where an elderly man opens an old Notebook and reads out romantic tale to her fellow patient, an old woman. The story is about a local country boy who falls in love with a heiress one summer but they are soon separated by the girl’s parents as they thought of the boy as trash.

The Girl, Allie, then moves back to his house away from Noah leaving only the memories and promises of teenage love behind.

Noah enlists for the army to fight in World War II where Allie becomes a volunteer nurse in a hospital for wounded soldiers, where she meets an officer named Lon Hammond, Jr. a young lawyer who is handsome, sophisticated, charming and comes from old Southern money. The two eventually become engaged, to the delight of Allie's parents, but Allie sees Noah's face when Lon asks her to marry him.

When Noah returns home from the war, he discovers his father has sold their home so that Noah can buy the abandoned house, fulfilling his lifelong dream to buy it for the departed Allie, whom by now he hasn't seen for several years. While visiting Charleston, Noah witnesses Allie and Lon kissing at a restaurant; he convinces himself that if he restores the house, Allie will come back to him. Later, Allie is startled to read in the newspaper that Noah has completed the house, and she visits him in Seabrook.

In the present, it is made clear that the elderly woman is in fact Allie, who is suffering from dementia and cannot remember any of the events being read to her. Duke, the man who is reading to her, is her husband, but Allie cannot recognize him.

Back in the forties, Allie returns to Seabrook. She and Noah renew their relationship and make love at Noah's now restored house. In the morning, Allie's mother appears on Noah's doorstep, warning Allie that a jealous Lon has followed her to Seabrook. Allie confesses to Lon that she has been spending time with Noah. He is upset but says that he still loves her. Allie tells him she knows she should be with him, but she remains indecisive.

In the present, Allie becomes briefly lucid and remembers that the story Duke is reading is the story of how they met. Young Allie appears at Noah's doorstep, having left Lon at the hotel. Elderly Allie suddenly remembers her past; after finding out about her illness, she herself wrote their story in the notebook with instructions for Noah to "read this to me, and I'll come back to you". But Allie soon relapses, losing her memories of Noah. She panics, not understanding who he is, and has to be sedated. That same night Noah is hospitalized with what seems to be another heart attack.

When released from the hospital, Elderly Noah ("Duke") goes to Allie's room to find her lucid again. Allie questions Noah about what will happen to them when she loses her memory completely, and he reassures her that he will never leave her. She asks him if he thinks their love for each other is strong enough to "take them away together"; he replies that he thinks their love could do anything. After telling each other that they love one another, they both go to sleep in Allie's bed. The next morning, a nurse finds they have died in each other's arms.

Review:

This movie is undoubtedly one of the most heart touching lovestory till date. The beauty lies in the story where two soulmates are separated for no other reason than society barriers. But love finds its way.

If you ever want to see a flawless example of a movie which is redeemed from mediocrity solely through the cast, there is hardly a better one than this.

Noah and Allie being the most awesome couple and Nick Cassavetes being the greatest director created something worth watching with your partner but be sure to stack a pile of tissue papers.

This movie has set a trend of Notebooking people as an alternative of emotional blackmail.

But still the ratio of enjoying a heavy movie like this one depends deeply on viewer’s mood. If you’re not in for teary climax, this one isn’t for you.

The Notebook has moments which makes it memorable and the magic doesn’t die even after watching it again and again.

A potently rich story about the power of love, The Notebook is heartbreakingly beautiful and achingly real.

Notebook is not about How you get your Love, its all about How You Keep It.

From performances to music to dressing each and every detail is perfect. Well for me it is.

So without further ado I would rate this one of my favorite:

****1/2

Reviewed By : Adina Farid

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Movie Review: A Walk to Remember

A Walk to Remember

Cast :

Shane West as Landon Rollins Carter

Mandy Moore as Jamie Elizabeth Sullivan-Carter

Peter Coyote as Reverend Hegbert Sullivan

Daryl Hannah as Cynthia Carter

Lauren German as Belinda

Clayne Crawford as Dean

Al Thompson as Eric

Paz De La Huerta as Tracy

David Lee Smith as Dr. Carter

Jonathan Parks Jordan as Walker

Matt Lutz as Clay Gephardt

Plot:

“You have to promise you won't fall in love with me.” 

One of the most touching romantic movie ever, ‘A walk to remember’ is a tale of teenage love and promises which makes you believe that miracles do happen. It released and spreaded love in year 2002.

Adaptation of Nicholas Spark’s out of this world novel this movie conveys a story of young and popular Landon Carter who never thought of falling in love with an introvert and Reverend Sullivan’s daughter Jamie Sullivan. After playing a dangerous prank on his classmate, Landon is forced to spend time in various after-school activities, such as tutoring disadvantaged children and performing in the drama club's spring musical. 

For the first time in her life Jamie approaches Landon and asks for his help for charity work while they are acting together in a school play.

Landon being the most popular boy in the bunch tries to avoid her company and makes fun of her by adding sarcastic comments. In answer to that Jamie refuses to help her with script and somehow he manages to learn it on his own.

During the play, Jamie astounds Landon and the entire audience with her beauty and voice. Landon kisses Jamie during the play, which was not in the script, and Landon tries to get close to Jamie, but she repeatedly rejects him. Soon thereafter, however, Landon's friends publicly humiliate Jamie by altering a photograph of her and placing her head on the body of a scantily clad woman. Landon angrily confronts his former friend, punching him and publicly siding with Jamie. Afterwards, Landon and Jamie begin a relationship in which Landon dedicates most of his time to her. He discovers that she has a wish list, and sets out to make all her ambitions come true, such as taking her to a state border so that she can stand on either side of the line and, thus, be in two places at once. 

She warns Landon not to fall in love with her and finally tells him about her serious medical condition that she is suffering from terminal Leukemia and has no hope.

Her disease gets worse by the time and she collapses in her father’s arm and is taken to hospital where Landon learns that his father is going to pay for her medical attention which will be given to her at her own home. He goes to his father and breaks down in tears and makes up with him after a very long time.

Jamie believes that Landon is an angel from Heaven sent down for her relief and thanks God in every condition. Landon however is sad and angry with God for taking away the only precious gift of his life, his Love. He goes on fulfilling Jamie’s wishlist.

In the end he asks Reverend Sullivan to marry his daughter and he agrees. They are married in the same chapel as Jamie’s parents where she makes a ‘walk to remember’ by walking down the aisle in a poor health but living the most precious moment of her short termed life.

After Jamie’s death Landon spends his life just like Jamie wanted to. In the end when he says that Jamie never got his miracle, Reverend Sullivan tells him that he is her miracle.

“she did get her miracle, Landon.

Her miracle was you.” 

Review:

This is a kind of movie you can never express in a negative way. It won’t only leave you tearful but also longing to see more of this charming couple.Another best feature of this movie is its sound. Mandy Moore has captivated many souls by singing ‘Only Hope’ the way only a true believer can.Although it’s an old flick but the magic can never fade. It leaves you awestruck just Landon when he sees Jamie in school play costume blooming like a rose.

Last but never the least is the ‘Walk’. You can actually feel that burden of Jamie’s ill being on your heart as she takes step towards Landon and clutches your heart with a never ending feeling of true and unconditional love.

Just like me anyone who sees the movie will thank the person who recommended it.

But before you see it, prepare your hearts for a romance-full heart attack!!

“It was, I remembered thinking, the most difficult walk anyone ever had to make. 

In every way, a walk to remember.” 

Performance Ratings:

Mandy Moore (Jamie Sullivan) :

Kind, wonderful, beautiful and gentle. For once you believe the girl on your screen is the real Jamie Sullivan and she is actually going to die!

Hats-off!

As for the songs; Mandy sang magic.

****½

Shane West (Landon Carter) :

Shane West has done a commendable job with Landon’s character summoning the ‘bad-boy-falling-in-love’ attitude!

****

Now as for the Overall rating:

****½

Reviewed by : Adina Farid

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