Book Review

Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks is a read that has the power to soften hearts that have turned to stone because of a love gone wrong. This romantic novel follows Adrienne Willis, a divorced mother of three children living in North Carolina. When her husband leaves her for a younger woman, she feels defeated. Then, a love comes into her life when she would least expect it. She keeps a part of her life a secret for good reasons. However, when her daughter Amanda becomes depressed from the death of her husband, things change. Adrienne feels as though Amanda does not believe that they could ever relate. This is when Adrienne decides to sit her daughter down and tell her the secret she has kept for years from almost everyone; her encounter with Paul Flanner.

Paul Flanner is, like Adrienne, a divorced parent. The difference is that he feels very much responsible for the fall out of his marriage. As a retired surgeon, he believes now that he worked too much and possibly “worked his life away.” Adrienne heads to Rodanthe for the weekend when her close friend that owns an Inn needs to leave town. Adrienne agrees to help her friend out, but never expects what would come next. The Inn has one guest for the weekend, it being Paul Flanner of course. They bond over the course of a few days, learning from each other, and almost healing up each other’s wounds. They unfold a romance that seems fairytale like to anyone else. When the weekend comes to an end, they realize they both have to go back to their separate lives that they came from. What they decide to do for their love and genuine care about each other’s best interest is a hard decision. And one that won’t let you put the book down.

This beautifully written book captures the real struggles of life and love. It is romantic and intimate, without feeling cheesy. It does not feel fake, and it incorporates the loves of a lover, a friend, and a parent/child. As it switches back and forth from present to the past, the reader will most likely laugh, cry, and ponder. I give this book 4.5 stars and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a romantic novel. Sparks did not disappoint with this heart tugging read.

For My People

This is for my people

who are the teenagers of America

who are considered children and adults at the same time.

Expected to work 20 hours a week

While going to school 7 hours a day, and maintaining a good GPA

Along with staying active,

and keeping up on personal hygiene.

Don’t forget 8 hours of sleep a night

While keeping good relationships with friends, family,

and your boyfriend/girlfriend.

How are we supposed to do it all?

Going to parties, fighting with our parents

Football games, going out to eat, school dances,

spring break, junk food,

we want it all.

Lulu lemon, Nike, Hunters, Victoria’s Secret.

Fake nails, fake tan, dyed hair.

Made up girls, ten pounds of makeup

Who is dressed the best?

For my people that need to know something;

We are almost done with this.

We are on our way to something bigger and better

than anything we are leaving behind.

Let us never forget this time in our life,

where we shared all the same pressures.

It gets better, my people.

That won’t be me

From the time you are young they ask you “What are you gonna be when you grow up?”

It’s an easy question when you are six. You might say, “A princess!” or “A super hero!” or “a Race-car driver/ Chef!”

A few years pass and you are eleven now, “A veterinarian, because I love animals!” or “A doctor, I want to help sick people.”

There are so many choices for so many young years, before you give stress, money, and college a single thought.

An artist, a surgeon, a pilot, a movie star, a teacher, a photographer, a lawyer, a singer, a dentist, an ice cream truck driver, a pastor, a nurse, a mechanic. Anything you want to be. Why should it be any harder than that?

I miss those days because my answer was thoughtless and easy, without any hesitation. It did not leave my head spinning or my thoughts running wild

Now, it does. Now, what you “want to be” is the last thing that actually matters. What will make the most money? How long will you have to go to college? What school offers that degree? Is that career high in demand? Could you find a job in Michigan? Do you mind moving yourself across the country, away from your family? Is it okay with you that you will have to work nights, 5 days a week, for the first 5 years of your job?

I hate that nothing can be easy about careers now, you have to think about what is the most sensible career for your needs and if it doesn’t pay well enough, your life is going to suck outside of work. You have to work 9-5 five days a week to barely make end’s meet. I want to travel. I want to have a job that makes me happy and I do not dread waking up for.

I do not want to walk into my house at 45 years old, to my kids already in bed when I haven’t had a real conversation with them in three weeks. I do not want to spend my entire life in an office that I am unhappy going too, just because it adds another zero to my paycheck at the end of the month. I do not want to miss out on my life because I worked it away.