Well, from the reviews I’ve read, this book falls squarely into the Love It or Hate It box, and nowhere in between. For my part? I loved it. From the tantalising opening, through all 3 parts of the story, I was glued to the pages. The first part is the happiest: John meeting Savannah and falling in love. Sweet, heart-warming and feel good, and then it all starts falling apart in Part 2. The final part had me filling up and in tears at the ending. I understand why Nicholas Sparks wrote the end as he did, but man, it was a tear jerker.
John Tyree is on leave from his army posting in Germany, and right at the start of his 2 weeks break he meets Savannah. She’s an innocent and utterly guileless, and John is immediately smitten.
“I don’t usually date strangers,” she finally said, “and we only met yesterday. You think I can trust you?”
“I wouldn’t,” I said.
She laughed. “Well in that case, I suppose I can make an exception.”
The story is more than just John and Savannah though, it also charts the frustrating and uneven relationship John has with his father.
Savannah sounded a lot like the little voice that had taken up residence in my head but never bothered paying rent, and right now it whispered that if I felt guilty, maybe I was doing something wrong. I resolved that I would spend more time with him.
Savannah suggests that John’s father may suffer from Aspergers Syndrome, a condition that suddenly makes a lot of sense to John – it explains the uncomfortable distance he’s always had from his only parent.
I looked at Savannah, then up to the ceiling, then to my feet, and finally back to Savannah again. She squeezed my hand, and I drew a shaky breath, marvelling at the fact that while on an ordinary leave in an ordinary place, I’d somehow fallen in love with an extraordinary girl named Savannah Lynn Curtis.
They are both distraught at the end of his leave, but at this stage, both believe they can sustain a loving relationship while he is posted abroad. They talk about being married and Savannah writes him the first of a series of letters that endeavour to keep their love alive.
Wherever you are and no matter what’s going on in your life, when it’s the first night of the full moon – like it was the first time we met – I want you to find it in the night time sky. I want you to think about me and the week we shared, because wherever I am and no matter what’s going on in my life, that’s exactly what I’ll be doing.
They count down the time until his service is due to end. And then with bitter irony, three months to go… September 11th 2001. John signs on for another two years and ends up posted to Iraq.
In the mail, there were six letters from my father. But from Savannah, there was only one, and in the dim light, I began to read.
Dear John. I’m writing this letter at the kitchen table, and I’m struggling because I don’t know how to say what I’m about to tell you.
At this point, I had to close the book for a while. I wanted to yell at Savannah, slap her soundly on both cheeks and shout Noooooo! So their relationship was faltering, she might have thought it couldn’t last, but to write him the classic Dear John while he’s on active service and fighting for his life every day? How cruel could this woman be?
By this point, I was too invested in the story to leave it, so I followed it through John’s denial and heartbreak. Through the continuing illness of his father – and to the point where he next saw Savannah. I’d been looking for a light and fluffy read when I came to this novel – epic fail. But I know this will stay with me for some time and John Tyree has claimed a place in my heart.
An emotional rollercoaster, it deserves 5 out of 5.
Nice review! This was a great love story but what I loved just as much is the hard relationship John had with his dad. Their relationship was nonexistent – the only thing
his father had in common to talk about was his beloved coin collection, and
it irritated John that this was all he ever talked about. Eventually he snaps
on his father hurting him deeply to the point that they no longer have
anything to talk about at all, and breakfast and dinners are quiet and
awkward. I’m a bestselling author too, so I know how difficult it is to write real relationships like this. But John’s father teaches him so much about true love and I think Savannah’s love teaches him to be a better man, a better lover and a better son. Thanks for this review!
Thanks Jeff. You’re right, the emotional connection to his father was beautifully written.