johnvano.com: Book Review: True Believer

Another Nicholas Sparks novel, another uber-sensitive male portrayal, another guaranteed love connection. Sometimes his books are pretty good, and sometimes they're pretty bland. True Believer--was closer to the latter.

True Believer is the story of Jeremy Marsh, an investigative journalist fresh off his biggest debunking. He gets a tip that a ghost story out of Boone Creek, North Carolina, might just be his ticket to the top--so he leaves New York City, for the tiny and unsophisticated town. Of course while there, he meets eccentric southern characters--and falls in love.

This book asks the question: Can a small-town girl and a big-city writer overcome their differences--and find lasting love? Hmm...

I don't mind these stories, in fact, I need them several times a year. But again, there's well-done, and not so well-done. The first thing I noticed were the characters in Boone Creek were just a little too dopey, slow, and stereotypically southern. This was a little surprising for a writer who hails from the south. But then the characters from New York City were also drawn up from Central Casting. But as the plot moves forward, the North Carolinans start to come into sharper focus--and become likeable and real.

By the middle of the book, I was caught up in the story, but it was still exceedingly tame and unsurprising. And the mystery of the ghosts--which could have made the plot thrilling--is only a device for the romance, and the reader is quickly encouraged to abandon any thought that the mystery is anything to care about.

True Believer is easy, breezy escapism--not bad for a week in late August. I have no complaints, but neither am I going to jump up and down on Oprah's couch--in love with this book. Grade: C-

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** True Believer is my fifth Nicholas Sparks novel. I have read A Walk to Remember, The Rescue, The Guardian, and The Notebook. I enjoyed A Walk to Remember best and was gooed-out by The Rescue. I have seen the movie Message in a Bottle, based on one of Sparks' novels.

I have also read Sparks' gripping biography/ travelogue, Three Weeks With My Brother. Sparks is an inspiration to me--he's not Hemingway, but he makes a mint from writing. His first book was picked up by Warner Books for $1 Million, an amazing number for an unknown. He's also the father of five kids--so if he can do it with a large family, maybe I can, too. He also puts me to shame by reading 125 books a year, while I'm trying to crack 50 for the first time.

My buddy Carp and I once visited New Bern, NC (setting for The Notebook) and home to Nicholas Sparks. I was underwhelmed. We were mostly there to see the birthplace of Pepsi. I'll have to tell you that crazy story someday.