Dear John [Audiobook, Unabridged] [Audio CD]

I decided to be tongue and cheek with my review title; the book didn't exactly thrill me. The storyline itself is relevant for the contemporary romance genre. Intead of WWI or WWII dividing people, the story provides a contemporary lense on what Iraq does to soldiers and the relationships that they try to build and can't have fully. Although it's about a romance trying to survive on letter writing, there are hardly any letters in the book; that was disappointing. I don't completing understand (or maybe accept) how Sparks is so popular, except that it's basic reading material and lots of people like love stories.

The biggest problem with the book, however, is voice (with other smaller problems like describing the boring details of heating food in a microwave). The book is written with John as narrator (first person). John describes his experiences using words that don't match his rugged demeanour and therefore he doesn't seem real, just the creation of a writer describing someone else. Also, his voice wasn't unique; it sounded too similar to Wilson in "The Wedding". I think the book would have been better if he wrote it the third person and incorporated a lot more of the letter writing between John and Savannah. That way, the romance that developed would have been more tangible and believable by showing it instead of telling it through John's disjointed voice. The film does a better job at portraying the character of John and demonstrating the chemistry between the two young lovers.

In terms of writing style, again, it's basic. She may not sell as many books as Sparks, but I like Joshilyn Jackson's writing better because it has more depth when it comes to character development.

First off, I need to make some declarations before I get into the meat of my 'review'.

1) I don't write these reviews for Amazon, or its readers. I write them for *me*. I write them to better understand the novel I've just read, to better understand what the author accomplished (while guessing at what their intent had been...sometimes not the same thing at all), to better understand what works and what doesn't, towards the eventual goal of gaining a better grasp on what great writing is, what great storytelling is, what great entertainment novels featuring these elements can be. It is a self-serving process that I offer up for other Amazon readers to take as they will.

2) I envy and admire Mr. Sparks. He's managed to carve out a niche in the marketplace, writing (presumably) what he wants to write, and has a solid fan-base encouraging him to continue doing so. What more could a modern author hope for in this day and age? (Never mind that he's had the added compliment of having several of his novels adapted for the screen.)

3) I bawled through all the 'romance' portions of this novel. It is, at the very heart of it, a testimony to not getting what you crave, when your entire being (to the extent that you're capable at the time of giving your 'entire' anything) is lost in loving someone...or at the very least, desiring them. I know of what the lead character John speaks; I've carried the burden of a 'lost love' for more than seven years now. (Even though mine was a world-class case of unrequited love.) Leading me to Point #4...

4) I'm happy for the readers for whom this book resonated. Resonance is a personal thing. And perhaps the most contentious thing I can say is that resonance does not automatically infer -or confer- quality of writing. It only means that it resonated for you...and for other people who share this experience...and that the novel provided an especially positive experience for you. It doesn't mean it's a 'great novel', no matter how many copies it sells.

What It Isn't:

-It's not great writing.

-It's not great storytelling.

-It's not a great reading experience. (Unless you are a lover of this genre.)

What It Is:

-'Dear John' is 'genre-porn'. Pornography is generally acknowledged as material with no other inherent value -or purpose- than to stimulate a prurient reaction. 'Dear John' is a romance, further a heartbreaking romance, and so its purpose is to elicit the reactions that someone reading this genre wants to experience. That's all. It doesn't aim to elevate the reader's consciousness, it doesn't aim to illuminate Life (although there are a few nice examples in 'Dear John' when it does: adult Asberger's, the realities of armed forces personnel in Iraq not having been trained to be judge or police officers and the concomitant stress involved at still attempting to execute these duties, a general view of coin collecting), and it's not aiming to be 'great literature'. It unabashadly takes a certain tack...and Mr. Sparks does what he can to maintain it.

-It is facile but well-intentioned. On occasion it's ham-fisted...but nevertheless with an undeniable amount of acumen and ability, thanks to the author's experience and resultant skill. Unfortunately, in more than a handful of instances, it gets so mired in...well, in what can only be referred to as 'cringe-inducing' dialogue...that it threatens true mediocrity.

-It is a novel that at times has an inconsistent narrator's voice. 'Plaintive', for example, isn't a word that John -as he's revealed to us- would have used. If it had been, the entire tenor of the novel would have been shifted about seven degrees to the north/northeast. The same goes for the use of 'portending'. Ugh.

-On that note, when you have an emotionally-unevolved character acting as the narrator- Well, is that really what you want to have, given the limitations...unless you're intending on this narrator's limitations to become a huge part of the story? Because in 'Dear John', they're not. They inform the story, they affect the story, but they do not so much as to warrant taking this approach.

-It is a pleasing serving of what this genre aims to feed its patrons with, the sort of stuff that for those readers who want this kind of confection, hits the spot.

This is a light and enjoyable novel, one that will give you a few hours escaping reality and plunging into a sappy and romantic fantasy.

This is about army sergeant John Tyree narrating his love for Savannah Curtis, the girl of his dreams, and their relationship. It is the typical boy meet girl love story in the post 9/11 world. Boy goes to war and girl waits for him to finish his tour of duty. Here the specific war is not important, the author doesn't delve into the effects it had on his characters. When John re-enlists it weighs heavily on their relationship. Will their love survive.....

This novel is a quick read; the characters are realistic enough and likable, the plot is very predictable and not complex. The story hovers around the ideals of love and how fragile it can be. Added are some unrealistic twists leading to appropriate sadness and some heart wrenching moments, bringing tears to your eyes. If you are a fan of soap opera, this book is for you.