Adrienne is cooking dinner while her “guest” is upstairs settling in. She’s just watching the bed and breakfast while her friend is out of town, but this was a needed getaway for her, too. Fresh off a divorce and navigating the world of being a single mom to teens, she’s been struggling to move forward. Paul has a plan to move forward, but his life is upside down as well. Newly divorced, sold his medical practice and all his belongings, and a son looking to stay as far away from him as possible, the trip to Rodanthe is the start to a new life for him. That weekend leads to one unexpected encounter, one unexpected storm, and two lives changed forever.
Nicholas Sparks is by far the king of the romance storyline. Nights in Rodanthe was Sparks’ first novel to debut at #1 and was made into a movie a few years later. This book is about finding love in unexpected places and learning to process your grief when it’s gone. This is also a story about the power of being present for your family and having their support in the roughest times. In true Sparks fashion, this book will make you look at your loved ones a little closer, and hug them a little tighter.
I give Nights in Rodanthe 5 out of 5 stars. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book, but it’s not one I would necessarily “shout from the rooftops” and I can’t place why. However, the accuracy of the storm preparations and experience spoke to me, along with the storyline of the lawsuit against Paul. The deeply human and real conversation between Paul and the patient’s husband touched me and gave me new perspective on some of the conflicts I’ve been having in my own life (although, nothing as life and death as this). I also found Adrienne’s conversations with her daughter so real – there are so many things I want to share with my own daughter as she steps into adulthood and real relationships, but don’t know exactly how to go about it yet.
Given the root of romance in this book, including very light discussions of sex, I would recommend this novel for readers over 13. I would also recommend this book to readers looking for a quick weekend read – coming in at just over 200 pages, it took me around three hours to read. If you’re a fan of Sparks’ other works like The Notebook, A Walk to Remember, or Dear John, you will love this one, too!
I chose Nights in Rodanthe for the Booklist Queen Reading Challenge prompt “a modern classic”. It’s also in honor of my upcoming vacation to Salvo, NC, just south of Rodanthe in the Outer Banks. As I’ve written about in the past few weeks, I love small-town romance stories, and this fit that bill! I haven’t seen the movie inspired by this book yet – I wanted to wait until I had read the book. In researching Sparks and this novel, I was surprised to find out that this book is a bit autobiographical and inspired by the way he and his wife met decades ago while on vacation. His website also details how the names for his main characters were a Christmas gift to his in-laws – you can read more here. I love finding out little behind the scenes facts like these about the books I’m reading. Do you have any fun facts you’ve learned about your favorite books? Share them below!
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What I’m Reading
- Current print book: Murder in Coweta County, Margaret Barnes
- Current audio book: Tom Lake, Ann Patchett
- Book I’m most looking forward to: The Woman in Me, Britney Spears
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