A true, honest tale of love is hard to find these days, especially one that includes real trials that a couple goes through.  Dear John by Nicholas Sparks offers just that.

The novel is broken up into three parts and takes place between the years of 2000-2006. Dear John features an angry, school-dropout John Tyree, who is home on leave from a tour of duty in the Special Forces unit in the Army. 

While on leave, John meets Savannah Curtis, a good samaritan who is vacationing in North Carolina building houses for hurricane victims. They cross paths as he saves her belongings from the ocean.  The two begin to form a relationship, and in the two weeks John is home, the pair fall in love.

After realizing that their two weeks together is coming to an end, John and Savannah agree to wait for each other while John finishes his one-year tour of duty and while Savannah finishes college.  They also agree to write letters to keep in touch.  In a typical Nicholas Sparks’ turn of events, just as John is about to come home for good, September 11, 2001 changes the lives of all Americans. 

John decides to serve his country and signs up for another tour of duty.

Savannah tries to support him but ends up sending him a “Dear John” letter which ends their long distance relationship for good. She marries another man.  The ending will throw all readers for a loop, and the story reveals true changes that have taken place in John.

The story has an excellent plot development and includes an interesting back story involving John’s undiagnosed autistic father. Savannah has grown up around an autistic child and ultimately diagnoses John’s father. 

The character development continues throughout the story as they age and mature. The reader develops a bond with the characters through their growth.

While the book has a few slow points, Nicholas Sparks does a good job of overshadowing those few areas with touching moments coupled with a good share of heart-wrenching moments. 

As the novel progresses, the plot may seem pretty predictable, but Sparks also changes that with an ending that is sure to surprise all readers.

Dear John is one of several Nicholas Sparks’ novels to be turned into a movie (2010).  While the movie is very good, it does feature many differences from the book, especially in the ending.

Dear John is a worthwhile read that is sure to evoke a surge of all emotions from cover to cover-a classic Nicholas Sparks novel.