"Dear John"

Author: Nicholas Sparks
Genre: Romance / Fiction
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, 2008
Pages: 352
My Rating: Do Not Recommend*.

While reading Dear John I felt my intelligence being insulted and wondered if Sparks thinks a woman's mind isn't capable of appreciating something other than fluff.

Synopsis (book jacket): An angry rebel, John dropped out of school and enlisted in the Army, not knowing what else to do with his life--until he meets the girl of his dreams, Savannah. Their mutual attraction quickly grows into the kind of love that leaves Savannah waiting for John to finish his tour of duty, and John wanting to settle down with the woman who captured his heart. But 9/11 changes everything. John feels it is his duty to re-enlist. And sadly, the long separation finds Savannah falling in love with someone else. "Dear John," the letter read...and with those two words, a heart was broken and two lives were changed forever. Returning home, John must come to grips with the fact that Savannah, now married, is still his true love--and face the hardest decision of his life.

Review: This was the first Nicholas Sparks book I read and I'm just not impressed (my sister-in-law would call me a heretic for saying such a thing), but I think Sparks writes for what the stereotypical woman wants to read. Savannah was too perfect. John was portrayed as a man every woman would want, but men like him just don't exist. I hated the ending too. Sparks could have gone three ways with it and he chose the ending that least appealed to me. I should read another Sparks book before I write him off completely, but I think that's a long time in the future.

Note: I rated this as a DNR, because it's just not my cup of tea. However, if you're a Nicholas Sparks fan or a fan of romance novels in general, you might really like it.