A Walk to Remember (Mass Market Paperback)

There was only one reason for 17-year-old high school Senior, Landon Carter, to enroll in Drama - a chance to take it easy for an hour. Plus there was only one other boy in a class full of girls, a benefit of the highest degree. Also in the class is Jamie Sullivan, the unpopular preacher's daughter who no one wants to hang around. She is also the only girl left when it comes time for the homecoming dance. Although not his first choice and the fact that he's running out of time, Landon asks Jamie to be his date. Her agreement became the crucial moment, the pedal that got the wheel to spinning, the stepping stone to one of the most beautiful and courageous love stories ever written.

What a valuable lesson this novel serves to teach. Those who may be different from us, status or otherwise, can be the most wonderful people to know. Jamie Sullivan is a character that is pure in heart and would be such a joy to spend a day with. There should be more people like her, and like Landon, a boy who took a chance on her and found a love unlike anything he'd ever known. I applaud Nicholas Sparks for writing this bittersweet and uplifting story. The time and tears spent on this novel was well worth it.

I am a hopeless romantic and I usually don't read romance books, but this book is superb for all of you other hopeless romantics. This book will tear at your heartstrings and will linger with you for days. I could not put this book down and read it in two days. I was immediately captivated and transported into Landon Carter's world in the late 1950's. Landon does an incredible amount of "growing up" during his seventeenth year of life. The minister's daughter, Jamie Sullivan, helps him to transform from a selfish, self-absorbed "kid", to a young adult on the verge of manhood. Landon conveys traits of tenderness, and compassion, and learns about love and faith and how to forgive, while his love blossoms for Jamie. Jamie is able to bring out all that is pure and good from Landon. It is this innocent love that is all consuming that helps to foster Landon's growth and wisdom.

Jamie may be portrayed in the book as a "goodie two-shoes", but her innocence, her unnerving faith and trying to live her life as God wanted us all to live, endears her to the reader.

The book may be predictable in parts, but that does not deter from the beauty of this story. In the conclusion, Landon realizes what love is and what it really means to love another by helping your love's dream become a reality. Landon's heart softens when he lets his true nature come through and shine - and shine it does. Epitome of true love - most definitely! With Landon's transformation complete, the reader is completely absorbed with these two main characters. You can't help but fall in love with them.

Nicholas Sparks - I congratulate you on another most tender and endearing story.

I absolutely love this book and recommend it heartily. This is a must read kind of book that can't help but uplift you as well. Just keep your kleenex handy!

The story mainly focus's on the growth of Landon's character and the romantic relationship that is formed between Landon and Jamie. Through different events in the novel, the quality of Landon's character and the quality of the relationship improves. For example, Jamie brings Landon with her to the children's orphanage and this experience opens his eyes and causes him to be more sensitive. He not only changes himself by doing things with Jamie, he also learns from her forgiveness. In the first stage of their friendship, Landon mistreats her because he cares too much about what his peers think. Jamie possesses the quality of forgiveness and is able to pardon Landon for his actions even though she was deeply hurt. Landon falls in love with Jamie for her soul, and for her compassion. Jamie falls in love with Landon's sincerity and his ability to change and accept things. The two teenagers are inseparable and devote all of their time to each other. They share everything in each other's lives except one secret that Jamie has kept from the whole town including her soul-mate. In the end, Jamie is not strong enough to carry this heavy burden. She must rely on the sweet love of Landon to get her through her life-changing secret.

After I finished this novel, I felt as though I had been through so much. I felt the emotional effects of the story deeply. I was so attached to the novel; any moment of free time, I read a new chapter. Not only did I thoroughly enjoy the story, I let myself become friends with the characters. When they were sad, I was down; when they were elated, I felt joy. This novel taps into human emotion so profoundly. I cried for twenty minutes at the end of the novel. It left such an impact on me. I felt such a connection to the growth the characters went through. I examined my own life and it caused me to be more conscience of certain aspects of my own character. Jamie's strong devotion to God helps me examine my own faith. I believe in God and I try to base my life around my dedication to a higher being. I admire Jamie for her altruistic ways of caring for others and putting other's needs before her own.

Landon learns so many truths about life, about love and about humanity. He learns what true and unconditional love is. He learns what it means to treat others with respect, and he learns to be confident with his own convictions. After finishing the story, I was left with a feeling and emotion of complete happiness. I was left smiling (even with tears streaming down my cheeks) at the lives of the characters. Landon has been through so much exploration and has found himself. He forgets the norm and rebels against trying to fit in. This touches me deeply because I understand how hard it is to soul-search; I understand how hard it is to look past the trivial events of high school and to be an individual. This novel is about growing up. It is hard for Jamie to rely on someone else to carry her secret. However, she is able to, and learns how important her soul-mate really is to her survival. He is the difference between living and dying. Through the life lessons, the spiritual epiphanies, and the self-discovery, I have never felt so connected with a novel. I can relate my life to the novel so easily and all of the events the characters go through. I will forever remember these two friends of mine. Even though they are literary characters, they have opened my eyes to a world of selflessness, devotion, and most importantly, yet simply, love.