Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas [Hardcover]

James Patterson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 16, 2001

James Patterson has written a love story! -a powerfully moving and suspenseful novel about families, loss, new love, and hope. Katie Wilkinson has found her perfect man at last. He's a writer, a house painter, an original thinker-everything she's imagined she wanted in a partner. But one day, without explanation, he disappears from her life, leaving behind only a diary for her to read. This diary is a love letter written by a new mother named Suzanne for her baby son, Nicholas. In it she pours out her heart about how she and the boy's father met, about her hopes for marriage and family, and about the unparalleled joy that having a baby has brought into her life. As Katie reads this touching document, it becomes clear that the lover who has just left her is the husband and father in this young family. She reads on, filled with terror and hope, as she struggles to understand what has happened-and whether her new love has a prayer of surviving. Written with James Patterson's perfect pitch for emotion and suspense, Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas captures beautifully the joys of a new family even as it builds to an overwhelmingly moving climax. This is an unforgettable love story, at once heartbreaking and full of hope.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Talk about a change of pace! Renowned suspense writer and Edgar Award winner James Patterson, author of such bestsellers-turned-blockbuster-movies as Along Came a Spider and Kiss the Girls, exposes his sensitive side in his new novel, Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas. Katie Wilkinson's boyfriend Matt dumps her; not a total cad, he leaves her a gift, a diary kept by Suzanne, his first wife, for their son Nicholas. Though it's not exactly the diamond ring Katie was hoping for, she's unable to make herself destroy the diary--against her better judgment, Katie begins to read.

Drawn against her will into the other woman's world, Katie learns of physician Suzanne's heart attack at age 35 and her decision to slow down, accomplished by a move to Martha's Vineyard and a new job as a simple country doctor. When love comes knocking, in the form of housepainter-cum-poet Matt Harrison, Suzanne is ready to listen to her newly repaired heart. Though painful for Katie, she begins to know and like Suzanne and her infant son Nicholas. Suzanne's devotion to Matt and their son shines through, as well as her plainspoken wisdom. While the journal helps Katie understand Matt, whether they can write a future together remains in question. --Alison Trinkle

From Publishers Weekly

Say what? A women's weepy from the megaselling author of the hard-boiled Alex Cross mysteries? Yes, and it's not the stretch some might imagine. Patterson has demonstrated his flair for female POV and characters in the stand-alone When the Wind Blows and in his current bestseller, 1st to Die and Cross himself has his gooey side. So how good is the novel? Good enough to lightly pluck the heartstrings and to impress with its craft and its calculation. As usual, Patterson mixes first- and third-person narration. Katie Wilkinson is a Manhattan book editor who's been inexplicably left by her lover and star author, a Martha's Vineyard poet named Matt. After he splits, Matt mails Katie the diary kept by his wife, Suzanne, for their young son. Katie reads it (the novel's extensive first-person passages) and reacts to it (briefer third-person interludes). The diary details how physician Suzanne, recovering from a heart attack at age 35, forsakes the rat race, moves to Martha's Vineyard and finds bliss with Matt, a housepainter who reads Moby-Dick and writes strong poems, and with their newborn son, Nicholas. The novel sloshes with sentiment (some of it quite icky) and simple spiritual truths, while acknowledging the reality of pain and loss: rose bushes galore, with thorns. Patterson sustains suspense through clever plotting and by Katie's wondering about the fate of Suzanne and Nicholas; what's finally revealed pushes her, and the novel, to a bittersweet conclusion. Patterson is one smart author (here, he dazzles with his use of refrains, stories-within-stories and romance novel tropes); this jump into another genre won't hurt his reputation as a master of popular lit. (July)Forecast: A lovely dust jacket featuring a title in violet script trumpets this as a love story. Will Patterson's fans buy it? Some mostly women yes. And a 12-city author tour and major print and TV publicity will draw in enough new fans, most of them also women, to float the title onto bestseller lists though not at Alex Cross numbers.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; 1st edition (July 16, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316969443
• ISBN-13: 978-0316969444
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (841 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #457,489 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

From my publisher:

James Patterson...


* James Patterson holds the New York Times bestsellers list record with 63 New York Times bestselling titles.

* JP has sold more than 220 million books worldwide. And considering pass-along and libraries, it's safe to say many more people than that have read a Patterson!

* In 2010, JP was named by kids everywhere the Children's Book Councils' Children's Choice Book Awards "Author of the Year" in 2010. More than 15,000 kid and teen readers voted for JP in a category he shared with Suzanne Collins, Carl Hiaasen, Jeff Kinney, and Rick Riordan. His Witch and Wizard series saw the biggest launch of a series for young readers ever, surpassing sales of first installments of Twilight, Diary of A Wimpy Kid, and Percy Jackson & The Olympians.

* JP has grossed over 3 billion dollars in worldwide sales. This is larger than the worldwide theatrical gross of Avatar, the highest grossing film of all time.

* JP has had 43 New York Times hardcover #1 bestselling novels, also a publishing industry record.

* Last year, JP has sold more books than John Grisham, Dan Brown, Tom Clancy, and Stephen King combined (source: Nielsen BookScan).

* JP properties are gaining wide interest amongst film and TV producers. JP's award-winning series for young readers, Maximum Ride, is currently with Avi Arad (Spiderman, Iron Man) and Universal Pictures. Lloyd Levin (Green Zone, Watchmen) is attached to produce a feature film adaptation of JP's newest young readers series, Witch and Wizard, and James Patterson Entertainment is set to produce the next Alex Cross film, I, Alex Cross which will feature Idris Elba (The Wire, The Losers) as Alex Cross. And, a television adaptation of JP's 2007 love story Sundays At Tiffanys aired in December 2010 starring Alyssa Milano and Eric Winter.

* JP's books are licensed in 43 countries worldwide, and are in print and actively sold in 100 countries.

* According to a 2010 Bowker Sisters in Crime Survey, JP is the favorite mystery writer amongst readers under 50...AND over 50! Survey respondents comprised American men, women and teens who bought at least one mystery fiction title in 2009 and/or 2010.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL STORIES EVER WRITTEN, July 16, 2001

By 

Sandra D. Peters "Seagull Books" (Prince Edward Island, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas (Hardcover)

James Patterson and his Alex Cross novels have captured the attention of readers around the world. His has written some terrific psychological thrillers and a couple of less acclaimed novels, such as "When the Bough Breaks" which might have been best left in the closet. However, James Patterson's fans will not be the least disappointed in his latest masterpiece. It could not be further from the action packed, Alex Cross, crime novels, but it is every bit as worthy of praise and acclaim.

Katie Wilkinson, a book editor, has been left by her boyfriend, Matt. Matt, however, gives Katie a diary written by his first wife, Suzanne, for his son Nicholas. As Katie reads through the diary, she is not only compassionately drawn to Suzanne but develops a better understanding of Matt. The story that evolves will capture your heart and will long be remembered after the final page has been read. You will laugh and you will cry. The book is on the same par as "The Bridges of Madison County" and "Message in a Bottle." The readers will be pleasantly surprised at the new creative ability of Patterson in this sure to be best seller. Do not miss this book, it is packed with emotion and the reader is immediately drawn to the strong characters. This is once again, James Patterson at his finest - worthy of a whole universe of stars!

39 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Simple Love Story. 4.5 stars, September 7, 2001

By 

Denise Bentley "Kelsana" (The California Redwoods) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas (Hardcover)

Patterson has taken a huge leap in genres, and by the reviews I see, his readers are running hot and cold. I personally loved this book and I know for a fact that love like this does exist, if only it could happen to everyone at least once in a lifetime.

The style of the book is not only as a diary, but it is laced with short entries about the life of Katie who has been given the diary to read. The majority of the story takes place on Martha's Vineyard, a small island off the coast of Massachusetts. It is the story of a perfect love, a perfect family and everything one could only hope for in life. Patterson is acutely sensitive in his ability to write as a female character telling her story.

Without ruining it for the reader I will say that the book is an emotional roller coaster, but a ride I wouldn't have missed for anything. Right from the beginning we are left to wonder why Katie is reading Suzanne's diary and we know that there is much more to this story. Thank you Mr. Patterson for a wonderful book and a loving piece of humanity. Kelsana 9/8/01

37 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas left me Spent!, July 26, 2001

By 

Karyn (Long Island, New York ( USA)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas (Hardcover)

This book touched me in so many ways. It was sensitive and thought provoking. When I reached the chapter called "Matthew", my heart sunk because I knew at that point what had probably taken place. I was right, but I wasn't shocked or thrown until I began to read that chapter. I have never been so moved by a book. I was absolutely sobbing. Finishing the book was no easy task considering the sobbing lasted long after I was done. I spent the rest of the day, (I read the book in one day, how could I put it down?) thinking of the characters and of James Patterson. Read the jacket from the book, I can't get Mr. Patterson out of my mind. Thank you, Thank you!!