Romance Annotation

Romance Annotation: A Walk to Remember

Author: Nicholas Sparks
Title: A Walk to Remember
Genre: Romance (realistic fiction)
Publication Date: 2001
Publisher: Grand Central Pub. (New York)
Number of Pages: 240 pages
Geographic Setting: Beaufort, North Carolina
Time Period: 1958 (modern)
Series (if applicable): None
Plot Summary:  A story about a teenage boy, Landon, who decides to take minister’s daughter, Jamie, to the homecoming dance, and the start of their relationship, as well as Landon’s growth to realize the power and beauty of love, the joy in giving others, and how to have faith when things get tough for Jamie who reveals she has a terminal illness.
Subject Headings: First loves, teenagers, North Carolina
Appeal: Those who enjoy reading about teenage love and how to face difficult time as well as learning how to trust in God’s plans.  Ages 13 and up.
3 Terms that describe book: bittersweet, spiritual, and moving
Similar Works and Authors:
The Carousel – Richard Paul Evans:  This is the third installment of the Locket Trilogy that talks about the unfinished story of two lovers.
The Smoke Jumper – Nicholas Evans:  This is about a young boy who tries to win the heart of a woman he knows he cannot have and her decision will leave a mark on everyone she cares.
Sam’s Letters to Jennifer – James Patterson:  A tale of a woman who returns to her hometown to seek a new life after a tragedy.
Personal Thoughts: This was the first time I have ever read a Nicholas Spark novel, and I have to say I was impressed.  Teenage love is always great to read, but this one left a mark on me because it was a story of a boy’s sudden love for a girl who was seen as plain and a little odd. 
"As these images were going through my head, my breathing suddenly went still.  I looked at Jamie, then up to the ceiling and around the room, doing my best to keep my composure, then back to Jamie again.  She smiled at me and I smiled at her and all I could do was wonder how I'd  ever fallen in love with a girl like Jamie Sullivan" (Sparks, 2001, 154).
It also dealt with something a lot of teens are not ready to face: terminal illnesses. This really hit me because I had a family relative years ago who also had a terminal illness and it was hard to see her so frail and weak whenever I got to see her.
“Certainly we may feel an emotional involvement with the characters in books in other genres, but here the reader’s participation in the story is essential” (Saricks, 2009, 132).  Emotions are important in Romance novels, and Nicholas Sparks has achieved that in A Walk to Remember.
References:
Saricks, J.  (2009).  The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction.  2nd Ed.  Chicago: American Library Association.
Sparks, N.  (2001).  A Walk to Remember.  New York: Grand Central Publishing.