Jessica Solchenberger

� �

THE DRAMATIC NOVELS OF NICHOLAS SPARKS �

I�m focusing on Nicholas Sparks� works. The drama is unlike anything seen in plays today. In fact, Nicholas Sparks has created novels that touch not only the soul, but also the heart. His romantic, yet dramatic style is the reason I wanted to create an annotated bibliography on his works.

I admire Nicholas Sparks� style. He has a style unlike many authors of romantic novels. His plots are not completely full of sex, which is different from other romantic novels. Nicholas Sparks has an ability to create a believable plot that will keep the average reader interested throughout his novels. Each story line is of its own, mainly discussing love and the pain and happiness that often comes with it. He creates characters that readers can relate to, and believe in.

The drama is intertwined throughout his novels, with tension amongst characters. Nicholas Sparks writes dramatic novels that teach the average reader different morals to hang onto throughout life. Yet, the drama carries another important aspect in his novels. The reader is grabbed by stories of: obsessive love, lost love, renewed love, and even newfound love. Nicholas Sparks creates believable drama within his stories that keep the reader wanting more.

I chose to create an annotated bibliography about Nicholas Sparks� works because of his romantic, yet dramatic style. He creates a story that is believable, beyond the sex. I find myself crying every time I get to the end of one of his books, and in this, Nicholas Sparks has done his job. He has created novels for us all to enjoy. I hope you will read each of these books. You will find yourself pleasantly surprised. Love can survive anything, and Nicholas Sparks� novels help us to see this.

� � � Sparks, Nicholas. The Notebook. New York: Warner Books, 1996.

In 1932, two North Carolina teenagers from opposite sides of the tracks fall in love. Spending one idyllic summer together in the small town of New Bern, Noah Calhoun and Allie Nelson do not meet again for 14 years. Noah has returned from WWII to restore the house of his dreams, having inherited a large sum of money. Allie, programmed by family and the "caste system of the South" to marry an ambitious, prosperous man, has become engaged to powerful attorney Lon Hammond. When she reads a newspaper story about Noah's restoration project, she shows up on his porch step, re-entering his life for two days. The first sets the stage for the reading of the eponymous notebook, while the later one takes the characters into the land beyond happily ever after, a future rarely examined in books of this nature. Early on, Noah claims that theirs may be either a tragedy or a love story, depending on the perspective. Ultimately, the judgment is up to readers be they cynics or romantics. For the latter, this will be a weeper. Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club main selections.

This book is not your typical romance novel, with enough drama for a believable plot. If you�ve ever been in love, this book shows you the possibilities of loving someone forever. This book is a good read for those who believe in the power of love.

�Sparks, Nicholas. Message In a Bottle. New York: Warner Books, 1998.

Message in a Bottle, Nicholas Sparks's eagerly anticipated second novel, proves that this author can uncork the magic again. The book is a heart-wrenching tale of self-discovery, renewal, and the courage it takes to love again. Teresa Osborne, a 36-year-old single mother, finds a bottle washed up on a Cape Cod beach. The scrolled-up message inside is a passionate love letter written by a heartbroken man named Garrett who is grieving over "his darling Catherine." Teresa is so moved by the stranger's poignant words that she vows to find the penman and publishes the letter in her syndicated Boston newspaper column. Questions linger in her mind and heart: Who is Garrett? Who is Catherine? What is their story? And most importantly, why did this bottle find its way to her? Imagining that Garrett is the type of man she has always been seeking, Teresa sets out on an impulsive, hope-filled search. Her journey, her discovery, and the wisdom gained from this voyage of self-discovery changes her life forever. �

This book contains beautiful imagery and prose on the concept of love. This book brings its readers into the dramatic plot of a woman trying to find the man she�s always been seeking, and won�t let go. If you�ve ever lost someone that you love, do you believe you can ever find love again? The answer to finding love again will come when you read this book.

� � Sparks, Nicholas. A Walk to Remember. New York: Warner Books, 1999.

Every April, when the wind blows in from the sea and mingles with the scent of lilacs, Landon Carter remembers his last year at Beaufort High. It was 1958, and Landon had already dated a girl or two. He even swore that he had once been in love. Certainly the last person in town he thought he'd fall for was Jamie Sullivan, the daughter of the town's Baptist minister. A quiet girl who always carried a Bible with her schoolbooks, Jamie seemed content living in a world apart from the other teens. She took care of her widowed father, rescued hurt animals, and helped out at the local orphanage. No boy had ever asked her out. Landon would never have dreamed of it. Then a twist of fate made Jamie his partner for the homecoming dance, and Landon Carter's life would never be the same. Being with Jamie would show him the depths of the human heart and lead him to a decision so stunning it would send him irrevocably on the road to manhood . . .

This book is a heart-wrenching book about growing up, and finding a love that will change life forever. The dramatic scenes come in early on, and keep you intrigued throughout the book. This book will teach you that love is always possible, even in the places you least expect. This book is a good read for those who have always dreamed that love was possible, but have never really looked for it.

� Sparks, Nicholas. The Rescue. New York: Warner Books, 2000. �

Denise Holden, the 29-year-old heroine, is destitute and forced to live in her mother's old house in Edenton, N.C. She's also the single mother of a handicapped child, Kyle, a four-year-old with "auditory processing problems" that render him unable to express himself or to fully understand others. Though she doesn't suspect it, Denise is on a literal collision course with true love. After she smashes her car into a tree and wakes up to discover Kyle missing, she finds deliverance in the form of Taylor McAden, dashing firefighter and compulsive risk taker, who rescues Kyle, too. Since Taylor enjoys an instant, unprecedented rapport with Kyle, there is little standing in the way of burgeoning romance. Trouble comes, however, when Denise learns of Taylor's checkered romantic past. Taylor's inability to commit, it seems, is somehow tied to his compulsive heroism, of which numerous histrionic examples are described. Denise's quest to find the source of Taylor's emotional distance takes up the final third of the book.

This book is a page-turner from the beginning to the end. Denise and Taylor�s meeting is believable, and powerful. If you like to read about a love that crosses all boundaries of emotions, read this book.

Sparks, Nicholas. A Bend in the Road. New York: Warner Books, 2001. �

The nearly thwarted but eventually triumphant romance of deputy sheriff Miles Ryan and second-grade teacher Sarah Andrews goes down as easily as marshmallow fluff and offers about as much real nourishment. Miles's high school sweetheart, Missy, was killed in an unsolved hit and run accident, leaving him to raise their son, Jonah, in New Bern, N.C. Sarah's politically ambitious husband, Michael, dumped her when her ovaries proved inactive, and she fled to New Bern to teach, and love, other people's kids. Miles and Sarah meet at a parent-teacher conference, and the sparks fly. As tough truth shadows their landscape, Miles and Sarah find depths within themselves, and their rekindled light illumines all. � � �

This book contains drama throughout. Miles and Sarah find love yet, they also find pain. Each character is an equal part of the drama, which makes for an intriguing read. Love is possible, as long as you can learn to open yourself up again. If you yearn to know who Missy�s killer was, read on.

� Sparks, Nicholas. Nights in Rodanthe. New York: Warner Books, 2002.

At forty-five, Adrienne Willis must rethink her entire life when her husband abandons her for a younger woman. Reeling with heartache and in search of a respite, she flees to the small coastal town of Rodanthe, North Carolina, to tend to a friend's inn for the weekend. But when a major storm starts moving in, it appears that Adrienne's perfect getaway will be ruined�until a guest named Paul Flanner arrives. At fifty-four, Paul has just sold his medical practice and come to Rodanthe to escape his own shattered past. Now, with the storm closing in, two wounded people will turn to each other for comfort�and in one weekend set in motion feelings that will resonate throughout the rest of their lives. � �

This book is an intriguing love story. Both Adrienne and Paul try to run from their past, and find solace in each other. The drama is intertwined throughout the novel, but truly comes about in the end. If you believe in love after heartache, read on. This story will undoubtedly leave you in tears.�� � Sparks, Nicholas. The Guardian. New York: Warner Books, 2003. �

At 29, Julie Barenson is too young to give up on love. Four years after her husband's tragic death, she is finally ready to risk giving her heart to someone again. But to whom? Should it be Richard Franklin, who is handsome and sophisticated and treats her like a queen, or Mike Harris, who is Julie's best friend in the world, though not as debonair? Now, with a decision that should bring her more happiness than she's had in years, Julie's life is about to become a living nightmare, as one man's jealousy spins into a deadly obsession. � http://www.nicholassparks.com/Novels/TheGuardian/Index.html �

This book is Nicholas Sparks� most dramatic novel, and takes a different look at the idea of love. According to the book, love is either true or its obsessive. The characters are entwined in a tale that will bring fear to your heart. Read this book if you want to know whom Julie chooses.

� Sparks, Nicholas. The Wedding. New York: Warner Books, 2003.

After thirty years of marriage, Wilson Lewis, son-in-law of Allie and Noah Calhoun (of The Notebook), is forced to admit that the romance has gone out of his marriage. Desperate to win back his wife, Jane's, heart, he must figure out how to make her fall in love with him... again. Despite the shining example of Allie and Noah's marriage, Wilson is himself a man unable to easily express his emotions. A successful estate attorney, he has provided well for his family, but now, with his daughter's upcoming wedding, he is forced to face the fact that he and Jane have grown apart and he wonders if she even loves him anymore. Wilson is sure of one thing--his love for his wife has only deepened and intensified over the years. Now, with the memories of his in-laws' magnificent fifty-year love affair as his guide, Wilson struggles to find his way back into the heart of the woman he adores.

This book is heart warming. The drama is brought to the story with Jane�s fears for Noah, and an ending that you may suspect early on. If you believe that love can be renewed through time, this book is a good read. I recommend this to anyone who believes that love will survive anything.

Hulse, Ed. �Reviews.� Review of the movie: �A Walk to Remember.� Barnes and Noble Winter 2002. 20 Nov. 2004 �

Teen singing sensation Mandy Moore makes a surprisingly effective screen debut in this warm, touching adaptation of the coming-of-age bestseller by Nicholas Sparks. Moore plays Jamie Sullivan, the archetypal clean teen whose reluctance to engage in the morally questionable practices of her fellow high school students makes her something of an outcast. TV actor Shane West costars as Landon Carter, the equally archetypal bad boy who only needs the love of a good woman to realize his potential. As you might expect, fate throws them together, and a romance eventually blossoms, but Jamie�s plan for Landon�s reformation gets sidetracked when he once again yearns for the intoxicating approbation of his peers. Moore, whose own image is squeaky clean, seems very much at ease in her role and handles it with aplomb; West is equally comfortable with his character and acquits himself just as well. Peter Coyote contributes a strong supporting turn as Jamie�s stern father (the town preacher, no less), who guards a tragic family secret. Under the direction of Adam Shankman, A Walk to Remember treads familiar ground -- but Moore�s fresh personality puts a little spring in its step. � This review is intriguing. The drama of the �hidden secret� that the preacher holds is an important aspect to the movie. This review doesn�t mention that the movie is a tearjerker, but it is one. I recommend it for anyone who enjoys romantic films.

� � Wells, Ron. �Review.� Review of the movie: �Message in a Bottle.� Barnes and Noble Summer 1999. 20 November 2004. �

While her son visits her cheating ex-husband, Theresa goes on a vacation by herself. One day, while running on the beach, she finds a bottle washed up on the shore. She opens it and inside finds a love letter unlike any she's ever read. Captivated by the author's words of love, she returns to her job at the Tribune where she convinces her boss to run an article about the mystery writer, known only as "G." He approves, and Theresa begins her hunt. Scrutinizing every physical detail of the letter and the path the bottle may have taken, she eventually locates Garret Blake (Kevin Costner), a North Carolina boat-restorer who has not been the same since the tragic death of his beloved wife Catherine. Since her death, Garret has written several letters to his dead wife, put them in a bottles, and let them loose in the sea. As Theresa spends time with Garret, she quickly falls in love with him, though she neglects to tell him she knows about the letters. Garret, prodded by his cantankerous, no-nonsense dad, Dodge (Paul Newman), emerges from his shell of grief and develops an interest in Theresa as well. Theresa returns to Chicago and Garret soon visits her; he meets her son, Jason (Jesse James), but also discovers her knowledge of the letters.

This review brings out the dramatic aspect evident within the movie. The review brings up the fact that Garret discovers that she has found the letter, adding drama to a love that might never be. I recommend this movie, and review to anyone who believes that love goes on, even after death.