The Guardian [Mass Market Paperback]

Nicholas Sparks (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2004

Julie Barenson's young husband left her two unexpected gifts before he died-a Great Dane puppy named Singer and the promise that he would always be watching over her. Now, four years have passed. Still living in the small town of Swansboro, North Carolina, twenty-nine-year-old Julie is emotionally ready to make a commitment to someone again. But who? Should it be Richard Franklin, the handsome, sophisticated engineer who treats her like a queen? Or Mike Harris, the down-to-earth nice guy who was her husband's best friend? Choosing one of them should bring her more happiness than she's had in years. Instead, Julie is soon fighting for her life in a nightmare spawned by a chilling deception and jealousy so poisonous that it has become a murderous desire...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

On Christmas Eve, Julie Barenson, 25 years old and newly widowed, finds an unexpected present-a Great Dane pup that her late husband, Jim, had arranged for her to receive after he died from a brain tumor. On that melodramatic note, bestselling author Sparks (Nights in Rodanthe) begins his latest love story, one in which he combines elements of romance with those of a thriller. Julie's new dog, Singer, turns out to be a better judge of character than she, which is unfortunate because the dog nearly gives away the book's ending when he growls warily at Richard Franklin, the new man in Julie's life. On the other hand, the pooch loves to be around Mike Harris, Jim's best friend, who has grown to love Julie. Richard's increasingly bizarre behavior causes Julie to break up with him, and his subsequent stalker tactics make for compelling action, especially when he plots to destroy the budding romance between Julie and Mike. But the writing is lax at best, with multiple point-of-view shifts in the course of one page or even one paragraph. Secondary characters are two-dimensional, such as Pete, the dumb cop who is taken in by the scheming Richard, and Andrea, Julie's co-worker at the local hair salon, a low-class broad from the wrong side of the tracks who might as well have "next victim" tattooed on her forehead. Yet Sparks fans clamor for his brand of love story, and, with the added punch of suspense, this one will be another bestseller.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

In his newest, the ever-popular Sparks, known for his romantic tales, combines an involving love story with the creepiness of an unpredictable thriller. Julie Barenson survived a negligent mother and is now trying to survive the loss of a loving husband. The man who rescued her by offering her in the small town of Swansboro, North Carolina, died far too young, leaving Julie with a Great Dane puppy she names Singer and a promise to look out for her. Now 29, Julie is starting to date again after four years of mourning and Singer is acting very strangely. He becomes possessive, and especially dislikes her new beau, Richard Franklin. Richard is the perfect gentleman, bringing gifts and always being thoughtful, but something isn't quite right and after three dates, each more lavish and exciting than the last, Julie reaches a decision about her dream man. In the background is Mike Harris, her late husband's best friend. Good old Mike has always been there for her, but she has to decide to risk a great friendship for the possibility of more. After Julie makes her decision, she finds true love and happiness, but ominous things start to happen and she soon realizes that she's being stalked by a deranged sociopath. Sparks' tricky tale of romantic suspense starts off slowly but builds steadily to an edge-of-your-seat conclusion that is well worth the wait. Patty Engelmann
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 494 pages
• Publisher: Warner Books; First Edition edition (March 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446613436
• ISBN-13: 978-0446613439
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1.1 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (366 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #69,641 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, February 25, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Guardian (Hardcover)

I've never written a review before, but I thought that this book really qualifies for one. I couldn't put the darn thing down! I am a college student, and for that day or two that I read this book I never got anything done. I could never find a good "stop spot" for the night. When I was near the end of the book I ended up staying awake until 3 in the morning finishing it. I absolutely love reading, but I have never cried or got so emotional over a book before. This one did me in at 3 in the morning. And that is saying a lot if you knew me. I highly recommend this book. It's an easy read, but if you are in college like me, sometimes you just want something that you can indulge yourself into without the analysis and critical thinking. Read this, and then read all of Sparks other books! Go, Now! Stop reading reviews! Shoo!

48 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read!, November 2, 2003

By 

[e-mail] (San Jose, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Guardian (Hardcover)

I was disappointed with Nicholas Sparks' The Rescue and A Bend in the Road, and I wasn't sure if I'd read his next novel. I read Nights in Rodanthe which was very good, so I decided to read The Guardian. I am very happy to say that this is the best book he's written since The Notebook. It's an excellent read, that catches you off-guard and pulls you in until you just can't put the book down! The first half of the book is a bit slow in parts, but the second half of the book is exciting, engrossing, and very fast-paced. You will not be disappointed. In the Author's Note at the back of this book Sparks explains how difficult this book was for him to write. (It is quite different than his previous works.) The Guardian is not Sparks' typical love story but is unquestionably entirely successful. My only complaint is that sometimes his dialogue is a bit stilted and unrealistic. (This is true in some of his other novels as well.) It has a way of pulling me out of the story and kind of rolling my eyes. But even so, I liked this book very much, found it believable, and the characters well-defined and realistic. I strongly recommend it! :>

60 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Potential Five Star Film But Very Disappointing Novel, May 27, 2003

By 

Tucker Andersen (Wall Street) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Guardian (Hardcover)

Despite the eight major revisions discussed in the Author's Note at the end of this novel, the final version still doesn't work for me. The final revision should have been to turn it into a film script. Due to differences in the nature of print as compared with film media, I think that the key elements of this story could be an excellent movie (perhaps that is the eventual intention).

The storyline is very straightforward: Julie Barenson's best friend and husband Jim died of cancer when she was only twenty five years old, and four years later when the novel begins she is only beginning to truly deal with the grief which overwhelmed her. She has decided to stay in Swansboro, N.C., which is where Jim found her a job and they later married after he met her as a lost young woman on her own. While her presence in Swansboro is a painful reminder of how Jim's premature death cut short their time together, the town also provides the support of their friends and the comfort of her memories. Furthermore, she feels safe there, protected both by Jim's promise that he would always look down as her guardian angel and also by her constant companion Singer, the Great Dane who was delivered as a Christmas Eve gift from Jim exactly forty days after his death. This aspect of the plot is similar to other books by the author that examine the relationship betwen grief and love, but he chose to also make the book "a thriller' (this is his word for that aspect of the plot). Julie is at the point in her life that she has started dating again , but a meaningful romantic relationship still seems to be impossible given her emotional state combined with the paucity of potential candidates in such a small town. However, when Richard Franklin, a consulting engineer on temporary assignment, asks her for a date, Julie enjoys herself tremendously and feels an instant affinity towards him. This soon creates tension between Julie and Mike Harris, Jim's best friend who has been Julie and Singer's usual companion since Jim's death. While Julie and Mike have been hesitant to become involved romantically, all their friends believe that they would be the perfect couple.

The story is told from the multiple viewpoints of these three characters in a fairly effective manner; the downside of this technique is that the reader's knowledge is much greater than any of the participants. When complications from the relationship turn jealousy into something much more sinister, we don't the outcome but we sure know who we hope wins. In addition, the minor characters, several of whom have crucial roles, are very poorly developed and in some case charicatures of small town America. This is especially true of the two police officers drawn into the situation as disturbing incidents begin to occur and the violence escalates. Pete Gandy is portrayed as a typical MCP cop and in contrast his trainee associate Jennifer Romanelli seems to possess unfailing instincts at every turn. The best character by far is Singer, whose humanness will be immediately recognized by all Great Dane lovers.

My main complaint is that the attempt to meld the two genres did not succeed. Almost immediately it becomes obvious that one of the characters is evil and the resulting tension is intense as the reader waits for the story to develop. Yet the book proceeds at an incredibly slow pace as the details of all the various relationships are leisurely described (this part of the book is much like some of the author's other work, which is fine for descriptive tales of love and heartbreak where the details add to the mood of the story, but not for thrillers) I could only read a few chapters at a time and almost just skipped ahead to see how it ended. Then, slightly more than halfway through it turns into a typical thriller and proceeds at breakneck pace, almost nonstop action with litle further character development. While this would have saved the story if there had been unexpected developments in the plot, the conclusion was as close to predictable as you can get given the nature of Nicholas Sparks' previousstories.

While I recognize that a negative review may earn me some unhelpful votes from the author's most loyal devotees (my wife thinks that I am too harsh and that the book deserves four stars), writing this review reinforced my convictions that this is too trite and straightforward for a real thriller. While it works as a love story, I don't enjoy tension filled ones with such bittersweet endings. Thus, I recommend that if you are interested in a story by Nicholas Sparks about grief and the healing power of love you should instead read the wonderful NIGHTS IN RODANTHE. If you want a real mystery thriller with a subplot involving the nature of perserverance, love and potential redemption, then instead read LOST LIGHT by Michael Connelly.