Sparking an Interest: Are We "Over" Nicholas Sparks?
By James Lane for BounceBack.com
At First Sight, A Walk to Remember, Dear John, The Last Song, and of course, The Notebook. Not only did these books make us cry and get turned into movies where we cried even more, they made us believe in love. Author Nicholas Sparks sure knows how to tug at the heartstrings, with every year putting out a new love story, and making us fall in love with the characters. But after ten or so books, pretty much all about the same topic, we have to ask: Is Nicholas still sparking an interest with his readers or are we over it?
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It is no doubt that the world of literature has changed, bringing books like the Twilight series into our homes for a new twist on the classic love story. I, for one, could not get into the Twilight book series, perhaps because my imagination doesn't go that far. A young girl falling in love with a vampire? I don't think that is going to happen any time soon. But two people who meet in the 1920's, writing letters to one another, finally get together and die in each others' arms sixty years later? That is something I want to believe in.
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I hate to admit it sometimes, but I am an avid Nicholas Sparks fan. Once in a while I want to read something real, and true. Something that will make me know love is out there. And something that will, yes I am going to say it, make me cry. I have read almost all of his books, with the exception of two or three, and I have enjoyed each one of them. And I know that I am not alone in this. Sparks is one of the most valued and appreciated authors, with such a huge fan base, and every book ending up on The New York Times' Bestseller List.
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But, after reading so many of his novels, where they take place in the same state, and they are always about two people so wrong for each other that soon realize they were meant to be, I sometimes fear that we, as the readers, will be over it soon. Even though each book is different, it is all the same in one way or the other. From his distinct writing style to the "somebody is going to die at some point" curve ball, we can already expect the outcome of the book ten pages in. So, why do we continue buying them? And why does Hollywood continue making each and every book into a movie?
We continue buying them because we know what we are going to get with the book. We know it will be a light read that will introduce us to new North Carolina natives who tragically fall in love. It isn't educational. They aren't books that make you sit down and ponder the meaning of life. And you know what, that's totally okay. Sometimes we all just need a break and a day to curl up on the couch and get lost in a romance. That is why I think his books are so popular and why I think Nicholas will always spark an interest with his readers. He never seems to disappoint us, and that, above all, is why we will never get over it.
Are you over these types of stories? If not, what's your favorite Nicholas Sparks book and why?
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