Author: Nicholas Sparks
Length: 368 pages
Genre: Fiction
Publisher/Date: Grand Central Publishing; 2011
Source: Library copy
About the Book
When a mysterious young woman named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past. Beautiful yet self-effacing, Katie seems determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships: one with Alex, a widowed store owner with a kind heart and two young children; and another with her plainspoken single neighbor, Jo. Despite her reservations, Katie slowly begins to let down her guard, putting down roots in the close-knit community and becoming increasingly attached to Alex and his family.
But even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts and terrifies her . . . a past that set her on a fearful, shattering journey across the country, to the sheltered oasis of Southport. With Jo’s empathic and stubborn support, Katie eventually realizes that she must choose between a life of transient safety and one of riskier rewards . . . and that in the darkest hour, love is the only true safe haven.
My Thoughts
I was quickly drawn into this story and found both the writing and the main characters to be interesting and well-done. I have to admit that I probably wouldn’t have picked it up if I had realized there would be quite so much description of spousal abuse, since that is something I usually avoid in novels.
The secondary characters (Katie’s husband and Jo) had less depth and were a bit off-putting to me because of that. I found the story overall to be good, but did not like the twist related to Jo in the last chapter at all. I’m not sure if I would recommend it. If you are familiar with Nicholas Sparks and generally like his work, and if you can handle hearing about abuse situations, you would probably enjoy the book. Otherwise, I wouldn’t say it’s worth going out of your way for.
Note: This is Book #64 of my 2011 Reads (master list here).
I'm a mom with Asperger's raising an amazing son with autism, which means I'm basically the case manager/advocate/cheerleader/chauffeur. The rest of the time, you can usually find me with my nose in a book!
