Weekly Blog Post: A Walk To Remember

A Walk To Remember by Nicholas Sparks

     There was a time when the world was sweeter... when the women in Beaufort, North Carolina wore dresses, and the men donned hats... And so begins another touching and satisfying Sparks novel. I'm already used to his fascinating work, but this book was completely and utterly great. So touching, it gave me goosebumps. The extraordinary story of a boy and girl had never been told like this and you will never, ever forget this book. So dive into the wonders of young love, second chances, friendship, regret, and wait for it- believing in yourself, in miracles, and anything that can happen.

     Young love: probably the most bland topic to talk about ever since Romeo and Juliet. But revisit the magical possibilities of young love in this book between two people that never could've been paired together before. First, meet Landon Carter, the bad boy who's had a nice reputation. Now meet Jamie Sullivan, the girl who's never broke a single rule in her life and has always stayed on the boundaries of being the perfect daughter- and student. When I think about their relationship, I think stereotypes. This story is actually told in the late 1950's and even then there were major stereotypes. Think about today, where stereotypes lurk in every corner. But not only do I think about stereotypes, but I think about how lovely it would be to just be with someone who's completely different from who you are. I've always been with friends that could relate to this and relate to that, but I never had a friend that was not my type. Ha ha, not my type. Again with the stereotypes! But like I was saying before, all my friends were on the same page as I was so when Landon fell for Jamie, I felt, I don't know..., out of place. I can see their relationship is out of place too, with all the fights and disagreements, but then again, this is young love.

     So you can really see that Landon and Jamie don't get along too well, but they're doing okay... And it's
only a matter of time before someone does something that makes the relationship topple over. That night when Landon finally blurts out everything he's been feeling about Jamie ever since he's been hanging out with her, he doesn't feel good. I wouldn't either, I mean, what he said was more than insulting and humiliating. But what doesn't surprise me is that Landon's friends had caused him to have this outburst; teasing about him and Jamie being a couple, taunting him about it... It's the basic stereotype thing everyone knows: the popular guy should be with the popular girl, not with the girl who carries the Bible around her everywhere. I can remember liking someone way out of my league and it's hurtful and you can't just forgive and forget about it that easily. I felt so embarrassed and mortified and really, everything that Jamie felt that night when Landon yelled at her. But forgiving is like moving on; once you do it, you have to forget about the past. So it's also about giving second chances just so you could forgive and forget; not mope around all day trying to make yourself feel better.

     My friends, the ones who I've cherished until they began to go against me. Hard to accept, but you know you have to go against them to. So when Landon really begins to ''rebel'' against his friends, it's hard for him, you can see it. But maybe friends go away so you can learn to let go. Everything happens for a reason, right? So anyway, Landon begins to truly enjoy life without trying to please everyone with this pressuring society on his back. He lets go and he's himself, really himself. I miss the old person that I used to be, but what can I say? That it's too late to change? No. I used to not care about what everyone thought and lived life without trying to make everyone happy while I was truly unhappy. Now you guess where I'm at right now. Landon seems so happy without all his friends on his back and that's what made me realize that everybody noticed you. No matter what you did, someone would notice you. And everyone could either be there for you or just desert you. But Landon's friends, you can see that his friends truly do love him, and it's so riveting to see this friendship move just as it used to.

     Over these years, I seem to regret more and more often. So it's really sweet to meet a guy who doesn't regret anything: Landon. Over taunts, teases, and mocks, Landon is still quite proud of meeting Jamie. I love how he refuses to give in and he's still proud of things that had happened. I'm always thinking back and trying to fix everything, but sometimes it's easier to just go with the flow. I try to forget and try hard to not regret, but sometimes terrifying thoughts end up inside my head once more. But maybe regretting is just trying to make you remember all the things you've done. Regret makes sure that you won't forget so it won't happen again. I think of the past way more often than you think and it's scary to move on. It's scary to know that one day you'll forget everything so regret traps these thoughts inside your head. So like Landon, I try to obtain everything that's happened- just so I wouldn't ever forget.

     Miracles; one word with so much meaning in it. I used to think they were stupid and made up, but these days I'm starting to actually rely on miracles- just like Landon. Landon has lots of wrongs that I haven't mentioned of touched on, but the main problem is him always doubting himself in numerous situations. He's pessimistic, really and somehow, he reminds me of myself. I'm always trying to think of worst case scenarios just so I wouldn't be let down, but then I see that it's hurting me. I don't even have enough strength to believe in myself most of the time. Now Jamie, she never fails to succeed in anything she does, and throughout the book, some of her optimistic side actually rubs off on me. I never believed that I could make anything happen, and sometimes it really made me see life an obstacle that I could never sustain. But Landon; he believes more and more in himself, in miracles, and in all the possibilities in the world and he does it for Jamie. He changes his views and perspective on life and it helps him live through everything- even 40 years later.

     So when reading this book, just remember to believe. Anything, no matter what, can happen. This book had taught me a lesson no person, much less a book, could've taught me. This book is amazing and it's going to change you- you've been warned.