Three Weeks with My Brother (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When bestselling author Sparks (The Notebook; Message in a Bottle; etc.) receives a brochure offering a three-week trip around the world, it's not hard for him to persuade Micah, his older brother, to join him in touring Guatemala's Mayan ruins, Peru's Incan temples, Easter Island, the killing fields in Cambodia, the Taj Mahal and Ethiopian rock cathedrals. His account of the trip is refreshingly honest and perceptive. At each stop, the brothers, both deeply committed to their families, cover the crucial moments in a life full of familial love and tragedy: Nick's role as the middle child always feeling left out; his marriage in 1989; the loss of Nick and Micah's mother two months later after a horseback riding accident; the death of Nick's first baby and the physical problems of his second son; the death of their father in a car accident; and the passing of their younger sister from a brain tumor. As the brothers travel together through these mythical sites and share candid thoughts, they find themselves stunned by fate's turns, realizing that a peaceful moment may be shattered at any time. Weaving in vignettes of tenderness and loss with travelogue-like observations, Sparks's account shows how he and his brother both evolved on this voyage. "Somehow there was a chance we could help each other, and in that way, I began to think of the trip less as a journey around the world than a journey to rediscover who I was and how I'? developed the way I did."
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From Booklist

Who wouldn't want to go on a trip around the world? When best-selling novelist Sparks receives a travel brochure from his alma mater, Notre Dame, he thinks, "If not now, then when?" and asks his brother to join him. They both have family obligations, but this sounds like the trip of a lifetime, and as the reader soon finds out, they both need to relax. As they journey to faraway places, the brothers reminisce about their unusual childhood. Instead of the idealistic life readers may imagine, their early years were marked by poverty, although redeemed by their mother's great love. Their father was a graduate student working several jobs to support the family, and the boys, best friends as well as brothers, led an independent life filled with adventure, derring-do, and responsibilities beyond their years. This is a rare opportunity for readers to get to know a favorite author as Nicholas reveals the inspirations for his fiction. A must-read for Sparks fans as well as a treat for those who want to find out what makes a family strong. Patty Engelmann
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (April 13, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446532444
• ISBN-13: 978-0446532440
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (199 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #43,672 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

75 of 83 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Makes you appreciate his novels that much more!, May 26, 2004

By	JJ Stark (Cicero, IL USA) - See all my reviews

To begin with, I have to say that Nicholas Sparks is my absolute favorite author. I am usually one of the first in line to purchase his books on the day of their release. I go home and "gobble" it up as fast as I can, then am disappointed for the other 364 days of the year until his next novel is released. I've always wished he would release more than one novel in a one year period, and was thrilled when he began releasing twice a year. Sadly, this is the last year for that, and next year I will go on yearning for a Nicholas Sparks book for a little more than 11 months of the year!

That said, after reading his memoir, I can now understand why he only publishes only once a year, and appreciate his work that much more. His family comes first, and although he loves to write and is honored by his readers' attention & devotion, he simply does not want to spend any less time with his family than he absolutely must. In order to fulfill this need, we as readers must savor the books we are given, and anxiously await his next delicious read.

I was deeply touched by the relationship Nicholas has with his brother. Being the only surviving members of the Sparks family, they have a deep bond, and their admiration and love for one another is obvious in the words on the pages, and even in the smallest of photos in the book. It most certainly deserves the attention this book calls to it, and I can only imagine that some of the readers whose views are printed here must be envious of this bond, lacking the love & support of their families, which the Sparks brothers so deeply cherish.

If you know anything about Nicholas Sparks and read the book's jacket, you must certainly know that this is NOT a travel book! The trip around the world only serves as a setting for the brothers to reminisce and share the stories of their childhood and the roads they led, and how the effects of these events shaped their lives & made them into the successful, respected men they have grown to be. The trip around the world was a celebration of sorts, for these two brothers who have shared the most painful experiences two brothers can share, yet carried on and persevered. The book was not written to describe the places they saw and encourage others to visit these places. The trip served as inspiration for Nicholas to share HIS STORY, demonstrating to others that you can survive life's most painful experiences with the love & support of family.

If you knew anything about this book beforehand, you also know that the book was written entirely by Nicholas, and Micah was included because of his inspiration, and how Nicholas' admiration for his brother led him to share their story!! Although Nicholas did all the writing, this story is as much Micah's as it is Nicholas', and both brothers are deserving of its credit.

Although the book is a memoir, Mr. Sparks remains true to his craft, and at times, you may think you are reading his next novel, and forget that these events actually happened to one family. It is because of these events, we as readers have been treated to wonderful, endearing stories of love, courage, strength and the bonds of family. We can truly appreciate the love & connection of Noah & Allie, understand why Jamie was so forgiving, strong & courageous, and see just how difficult is must have been for Denise to bring words to the lips of Kyle. The characters of Sparks' novels have been mostly inspired by members of his family, and it because of the tragic events of his life, we as readers have been treated, and come to love novels like THE NOTEBOOK, MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE, A WALK TO REMEMBER, THE RESCUE and THE WEDDING.

I anxiously await the release of Sparks' newest novel this fall, and while I'm still disappointed that I will again have to wait an entire year for his next book, I can now understand why I have to wait, and it only makes me more appreciative of his work, and treasure all of his stories that much more.

Thank you Nicholas - for opening your heart, inviting us in, and sharing your life. You will always be my favorite, and your memoir has only made me cherish your writing that much more!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I enjoyed it., March 28, 2006

By	Tom Hennigan (New Hampshire) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Three Weeks with My Brother (Hardcover)

Like the other reviewer, I picked the book up on a whim at the airport. It was an easy read but also an emotional one. Mr. Sparks talks about the importance of balance in one's life - Between family, work, friends etc. And that if one becomes all encompassing, then your life becomes out of sync and out of balance. He also talks about the importance of family, and as he discusses the loss of his parents and sister, it reminded me that although my wife and kids are the focal point of my life, that I've been letting the relationship with my siblings pass me by, and that you never know when they will be taken away, and then it's too late.

A very good book with a simple but yet also complex point.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars MOVING TALE OF LIFE, LOVE AND FAMILY, August 20, 2004

By	Dana Y. Bowles "DYB" (West Chester, PA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Different from his other novels, Sparks's latest creation is a memoir; a trip around the world to exotic places with his beloved older brother Micah sets the stage for this author to tell readers the story of his life.

From Easter Island to Ethiopia, from the Killing Fields of Cambodia to a dogsled ride in Norway, Sparks tells of growing up in poverty with his parents and siblings. Three in all, sister Dana is the youngest and the only girl; as the middle child, Sparks tells of his many insecurities growing up--with Dana being "special" as the only girl (they had exactly the same birthday but only Dana would get parties) and Micah being the bigger and better older brother--better at everything--it is amazing that the author was able to stay positive and maintain the extreme love for his siblings as he so clearly does. Adulthood, while not spent in the same poverty as his childhood seems beset with tragedy; sudden deaths, terminal illnesses and the like. Through it all, the author of course survives and one can only marvel at his strenth and courage.

While not the usual fictional story of love that he is known for, this memoir seems to me to be one long autobiographical love story...the love of the author for his parents, his siblings, his wife and his family. And apparently for his readers for bestowing upon us a gift such as this.


DYB