Customer Reviews

True Believer

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TRUE BELIEVER by Nicholas Sparks
March 25, 2005

In Nicholas Sparks' latest novel, TRUE BELIEVER, Jeremy Marsh is a science journalist whose forte is debunking supernatural phenomenon using science and technology. His latest challenge is to solve the mystery behind the rumors of ghosts living in a cemetery in the small town of Boone Creek, North Carolina. When he starts to fall in love with the local psychic's granddaughter, she does her best to dissuade him, knowing they come from different worlds and that nothing would come of this romance.

TRUE BELIEVER is a departure for Sparks, in that this is not a tragedy. It is a straightforward story of a man who is trying to solve the mystery of the ghosts in Cedar Creek Cemetery, and in the midst of working, he meets Lexie Darnell, a woman who has been hurt in the past and is afraid to love again. The two are worlds apart in terms of background, but he feels that they have a chance to make a go at it.

Lexie believes in the ghosts, as do many of the town's people. If Jeremy finds the solution to this puzzle, it would change life in Boone Creek and possibly ruin any chances Jeremy has with Lexie. But he continues on, wanting to prove that yet again he can solve any mystery that involves the supernatural.

I enjoyed this book, but it's not going to be a favorite. I have always enjoyed Sparks' tragedies (in particular MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE). TRUE BELIEVER was a well-written novel, but it lacks the "oomph" that is characteristic of his stories. The most enjoyable part of this story was the mystery behind the ghosts, but I in particular enjoyed the characters that filled the pages. Sparks always does a good job with the characters that grace the pages of his novels, and while the plot itself may lack something, TRUE BELIEVER is worth the read for any Sparks fan.

If you are a Sparks fan, you were probably prepared for this. I was not. The PW description seduced me into thinking it was a story about journalist investigating mysterious lights. It isn't. The lights serve only to get Our Hero to the place where he meets cliched smart beautiful librarian, so that he can ultimately embrace the charms of rural life.

Now, just about every romance formula is done over and over, and if it is done well, I enjoy it over and over. I did not think this was done well. The characters were all surface; there was no apparent reason for Hero to fall for this particular woman or she for him (except that pickings are slim in a very small town). And it struck me as being purely anti-moderniist/technological -- a tiny backwater town equated with all that is good. (the concomitant bad thinks about the small town did not figure in). On the whole, I would rate this similarly to a Danielle Steele, which is negative to me but of course, in the eyes of many, a high compliment.

In TRUE BELIEVER, journalist Jeremy Marsh spends his time debunking the supernatural. He has just finished exposing a fake television psychic, proving that the man was not able to read people's minds or see into their pasts. When he hears about a phenomenon happening in the small town of Boone Creek in North Carolina, where ghosts are seen inhabiting a local cemetery, Jeremy knows he will be able to find the truth behind the lights that are seen glimmering on certain nights above the cemetery grounds. He knows that ghosts do not truly exist.

When Jeremy arrives in Boone Creek, he experiences what small town life is all about. He's from the big city and feels like he's walked into a time warp. Everyone knows everyone, and gossip spreads like wildfire. His "hotel" is a hole-in-the-wall motel, filled with dead animals ranging from a bear to snakes and all sorts of wonderful critters that can be found in the wild. He's as far from New York as he can get, and he's not sure he likes it.

The very day he arrives in town, Jeremy makes a quick visit to Cedar Creek Cemetery, where the ghosts are reported to have been seen, when he notices a young woman there who catches his eye. He later finds out that her name is Lexie Darnell. Neither of them knows it but soon their lives will be changed forever. Lexie is the granddaughter of the woman who had invited him to visit the town. Doris Marsh is the town psychic.

As Jeremy slowly does his research in the library where Lexie happens to work, he gets to know her. Despite what he feels about the town, he finds himself interested in this woman who doesn't seem to want anything to do with him.

Having read nearly every Nicholas Sparks book that has been written, it is safe to say that TRUE BELIEVER is quite the departure from his previous works. While Sparks tends to write tragedies as opposed to true romances, this novel is far from the tragedy that some of his other fiction books have been.

This is not to say that TRUE BELIEVER wasn't enjoyable. But fans who are looking for the typical Nicholas Sparks book will not find it here. Instead of concentrating on the romance, this reviewer found the focus of the novel to be on the mystery behind the cemetery, and the high point of the plot was Jeremy's answer to the story behind the ghosts. The fact that Jeremy is dating a woman who believes her parents' ghosts have come to her in the cemetery makes the reader anxious to know what he finds, realizing that the answer will greatly impact the relationship that is central to the love story.

One aspect of storytelling in which Sparks excels is his ability to create the characters who populate his books. His capacity to bring into being likeable, everyday people helps make this novel readable. The strength of the story isn't necessarily the plot, and the romance that is found here is not one that a typical romance reader might expect. For this reader, the characters were the highlight of the novel, and the process of getting to know some of the more prominent ones was a delight. One will find oneself chuckling over some of the antics of the townspeople. The brouhaha that the people make over Jeremy's celebrity is very cute, if not humorous.

Overall, the plotlines are balanced between the mystery of the cemetery, Jeremy and Lexie's relationship, the aspect of small-town living, and the individual life stories of the two protagonists. Focusing on the individual characters is just one way of truly enjoying this book. It's a soothing type of read, and readers will feel comfortable with these characters.

On that note, TRUE BELIEVER comes recommended. However, newcomers to Sparks should not think that this novel is characteristic of the type of writing that has popularized him over the years. His forte lies in the tragedy, and to read THE NOTEBOOK or MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE --- two of this reader's favorites --- is a must.

--- Reviewed by Marie Hashima Lofton

I became a fan of Nicholas Sparks about three years ago, when I read A Walk to Remember a few months before the movie debuted. I cried for a week. The Notebook reduced me to a sobbing wreck as well. So when I sat down to read his newest novel, True Believer, I made sure I was well-stocked with plenty of Kleenex. I was surprised to find I didn't need them.

The story is typical of Sparks' tried-and-true style of star-crossed lovers: Jeremy Marsh is a hotshot New York journalist whose life revolves around his career. His current stories involve researching (and debunking) the supernatural-when we first meet Jeremy, he's working on uncovering the sly tricks of Timothy Clausen, a John Edward-type "spirit guide." His next big story brings him to Boone Creek, North Carolina, to investigate a legend of ghostly lights in the town's cemetery. The small town of Boone Creek is pretty much the polar opposite of New York City, and Jeremy plans to get the heck out of there as soon as his research is complete.

Of course, things aren't always as easy as all that. While researching, Jeremy ends up meeting a young girl named Lexie, who runs the town library. Over the course of the week or so that Jeremy is in Boone Creek, they become friends and Jeremy quickly falls head over heels in love with her. Of course, their relationship is ultimately doomed-their homes and lifestyles are completely different, and Lexie doesn't want to give up her small, quiet life in Boone Creek any more than Jeremy wants to give up his career and fast-paced life in New York. It would take a miracle for their relationship to work-the type of miracle Jeremy doesn't believe in.

I generally like Nicholas Sparks' work, and I generally liked this book. It's not a cry-fest like some of his other novels have been, and it probably won't be one of his best-remembered books, but it's a sweet story. Despite its tendency to get a tad predictable (you can tell from the beginning that a schmaltzy ending is in store), it still works and leaves you with an overall good feeling. It's a quick read, and it's fast-paced enough to stay interesting. Overall, True Believer is a little something like an after-dinner mint-not much substance, but it's light and sweet and, in the end, leaves you generally satisfied.

I am a huge Nicholas Sparks fan and am always first in line for his new books. I love the deep romantic aspects of his books and how attatched you get to the characters. Not so with this one. The entire plot of the book was well...weird. It was a pretty weak storyline with a disapointing explanation that made you go "was that IT?!" And this is the first time that I honestly couldnt care less about either one of the characters. I felt no real connection to either one of them and found nothing special or particularly appealing about them. I was so excited to hear that Nicholas had another book coming out soon and to my disapointment its the sequal to this one. I'm not really looking forward to meeting these dull characters again but im sure I will read the new book down the line since Ive read all his others.

I see that this book is number 2 on the bestseller list and it makes me wonder if I should ever let the "list" play a role in what I choose to read. There is absolutely no depth to any of the characters or the plot, which is very predictable and boring. The author tried to create a mystery which didnt pan out. In short a cheap paperback romance bought at a drugstore is probably more entertaining.

Jeremy Marsh is a handsome young journalist who is assigned to cover a story about mysterious lights which appear in the small town of Boone Creek, North Carolina. When he arrives, he meets the town librarian, Lexie Darnell, who soon lets him know that she has been hurt by romances in the past and she refuses to get involved with a big-city man such as himself. They spend the rest of the book falling in love and trying to resist each other because they are so different and they lead very different lives. Usually the best part of Nicholas Sparks novels is the depth of his characters, but somehow Jeremy and Lexie don't become as well-developed or as loveable as many characters in Sparks' other books. He has written some memorable books with somewhat tragic endings, but this book is all fluff and not much substance. Hopefully Sparks will return to what he does best in the future.

This was my first Sparks book and I was disappointed. The description led me to believe that the story would be about the investigation of the lights with a little romance thrown in. Instead the lights seem to have been a background story to the developing relationship of the two main characters. Although easy to read it didn't keep my interest. I kept waiting for something exciting to happen but almost felt as if I was reading the condensed version of the book and in depth details had been left out.

The story line had a lot of promise but didn't seem to be developed to its full potential.

As a Nicholas Sparks fan, I expected this book to be a page-turner similar to The Notebook. But I found it to be a great cure for my insomnia as often I'd read through two paragraphs and be soundly asleep! The character development is poor, at best. You barely grasp the personality of the main character until the very end of the book. Much time is spent describing the inner 'thoughts' of the characters, but very little time is spent on what they're actually doing. Hence, the plot moves slowly. The storyline has good bones, however. If you must read it, skim the first couple chapters and then skip to the last third of the book. You truly won't miss anything.

True Believer provides another solid showing from best selling author Nicholas Sparks. However, this is not the best Sparks work out there. Here, Sparks uses his typical love story plot to take the reader to the rural North Carolina, where psychics, ghosts, and premonitions are a normal occurrence. Jeremy Marsh is, as the main character, a critic who focuses on debunking the strange. As his writing takes him to North Carolina, Jeremy has to decide what is real, and what is worth risking everything for. Fans of Sparks will recognize his "Can their love survive?" themes. True Believer provides an enjoyable read, but is not as successful in drawing the reader into the love story as other Sparks' novels have been. Too much time is spent laying the groundwork for the supernatural for the reader to become fully engaged in the underlying love story.