TRUE BELIEVER by Nicholas Sparks
Nicholas Sparks is the male version of Danielle Steel. He turns out book after book of stories that strike sparks in the hearts of readers across the country and around the world. From the time THE NOTEBOOK first appeared in bookstores Sparks had won the heart of every sentimental person, every dreamer of lost dreams. Now he continues to mine that mother lode in TRUE BELIEVER.
TRUE BELIEVER is the most totally romantic story Sparks has written. It has no pretensions other than to be the tale of two attractive people falling in love. Jeremy Marsh arrives in Boone Creek, North Carolina searching for a story. He has come here because he has been told there are "ghosts" who haunt the local cemetery. They are seen as lights in the fog that swirl and turn.
Immediately upon arriving in Boone Creek he meets Lexie the local librarian. They are instantly attracted to each other but Lexie knows Jeremy is a big city type of guy and she does not want to lose her heart to a man who will leave her small town and not look back.
The whole book is spent watching their romance blossom, flower and then possibly fade. This simplicity is off putting and at times you feel you are reading the plot of "The Music Man" but the lead characters have been reversed. In TRUE BELIEVER the librarian may be the "con artist" and the out of town guy may be the one seeking true love.
Very little happens in the book other than setting up the love story, and that is not the most compelling way to hold the readers' interest. Then, in true Sparks fashion, he wraps it all up in an ending that makes you smile. The last page, maybe even the last words in the book, save the day and make this another Sparks' tale that sends you away with a good feeling in your heart.
Reading through the early part of the story may be a little dull but always keep that ending in sight. It will make the effort to get there worthwhile.
TRUE BELIEVER is published by Warner Books. It contains 336 pages and sells for $24.95.