i think i'd do a 4.5 if i could. this was a very interesting and surprising read. i enjoyed the insight into the life of an author and tagging along on a trip around the world through his eyes too. there was a lot more to the book than i expected and i would definitely recommend it to anyone who already loves memoirs or who is just interested in finding out that many authors aren't really all that different from ourselves.

"Dreams are always crushing when they don't come true. But it's the simple dreams that are often the most painful, because they seem so personal, so attainable. You're always close enough to touch but never quite close enough to hold, and it always breaks your heart."

I loved this book. I felt like the content should've covered an entire lifespan and not half of one. The lessons and stories were inspiring and heartfelt. I found myself in tears at many parts, and I was fascinated by their travels. I also understand why Sparks writes novels the way he does.

I would recommend this to anyone, and I think it would make an excellent book club read.

لم انتهي من قراءة الكتاب
ولكنه مثير للخيال بدرجة كبيرة
يحكي واقعين مختلفين ، الأول والذي يحمل العنوان تفاصيل أو يوميات الكاتب في رحلته مع أخية ، والثاني ذكرياتهم معاً منذ الطفولة ...
تخيلت لو اتيحت لي الفرصة للسفر في رحلة مع صديقة مقربة جدا بالتأكيد ليست لنفس الأماكن التي سافر فيها الكاتب مع أخيه ولكن لمكان هادئ ولن أكون طماعة أرغب في أسبوع واحد فقط
تُرى من من الصديقات تختار صحبتي
أحبكن جميعاً

I am grateful to have selected this book during my 4 days of vacation. I just couldnt resist the book. With the pace I was reading, I knew it would be finishing in a day and it did.
The book starts off with Nicholas making plans to go on a trip with his brother and when they finally start out on the journey, its not only mesmerizing but also leads Nicholas to introspect on certain aspects of his life.

I have had the privilege to have the wonderful places described by my famous author in this book. At the same time was disappointed to know that Nicholas dint like India, though I must say he cannot know India by visiting just Jaipur and Agra. However, I must say that after reading this book, I would never miss a chance to visit Guatemala to see the Mayan civilization. And Cambodia with its Hindu temples at Angkorwat has also caught my attention, the way a visitor explained the meaning of what was depicted in the frescoes and paintings. It kept me wondering that what history we know may never be completely true, but it would definitely tell what the civilizations in that era did with their time, and they revealed to us what they wanted us to know.

This book has made me laugh, cry, remember my childhood days, and most important of all, I have known how my favorite author has grown up. And one interesting fact I found out is that he is the middle child of his parents just like I am. Some of the attention seeking moments from the author's life, were similar to that of mine. Trust me when I say, I also used to get A grades all through out my schooling, and used to do things to be that "not so troubling child" to my parents.
Some of the interesting facts like Nicholas has written two horror genre novels which never were meant for publishing, and that his first romantic novel has been "The Notebook" which changed his economic conditions too and this made me feel that this author, of all the authors I might know, has deserved this moment and much more than that.

I have always thought that the books a person writes reflects his personality and his perspective of life, and it is true in every sense when you get to read this book. Nicholas, nick named as Nicky, is a true romantic at heart. All the characters in his life are so understanding and he surely deserves them. The same reflects in all his books.

Knowing that the character of Jamie Sullivan(from the book "The Walk to Remember") has been based on the character of his little sister, "Dana", I was overwhelmed with that moment which is rare - tears and smile at the same time. If you people knew how much I adore this book and the movie, you would know how much I wished I met his sister if she was alive now.

As I write this review, I still have to read 4 more books of this author.
1. A Bend In The Road
2. The Rescue
3. The Best of Me
4. True Believer

After knowing that the book "The Rescue" is based on his kid, Ryan, this is the next book on my list and consecutively the other books. I dont want to leave any book unread written by this author. In some ways, I have learned and felt deeply about the one feeling that is important in everyone's life - and that is "LOVE".Three Weeks With My Brother

Oh I really liked this book! I thought I was going to take a trip around the world with Nicholas and his brother but the book turned out to be more about him, his brother, sister and their parents and about their relationships and experiences. As the brothers go to exotic places all around the globe, they reminise about their growing up years, their parents, their wives, children and even their religious beliefs. I don't know why I cared except it was so beautifully written and the stories touched my heart. I honestly felt like he and his brother were part of my family by the time I finished the book. I haven't read but a coule of his books and now I might read more of them. He talked about how experiences in his life inspired certain books and about his struggle getting started as a writer. He and his wife have a son with learning disorders that will break your heart, as will certain of his childhood memories. This book is about families, love, forgiveness and the question we all ask - why did this happen to me?

When I started reading this book I quickly came to the conclusion that I did not like it. The main reason being was that it seemed like there were two different story lines here that the author kept jumping back and forth between. It was if he couldn't make up his mind which story he wanted to tell. He starts out by telling about going on a trip around the world with his brother (and not the wife? come on!) and then just when they get to some exotic setting, and starts to describe what is there, he changes the subject and starts to reminisce about an early event in his life. So then I continued to read and say to myself, "Now that is interesting," but no sooner that I think that he then goes back to talking about the trip! And the story continues in this fashion for the first 300 or so pages. Like that one girl I knew in high school, it was one tease after another!

In all honesty I had to admit I was quite a bit jealous of this whole trip. I mean, he needs a break? Come on. I have worked since high school supporting my family and the first real vacation I took was with my wife on our 20th anniversary. I never took a sabbatical like some I knew. I didn't say, "I think I'll quit and go back to school." No, I worked at some crappy job for some jerk because I had bills to pay. On the other hand, I can see why men (and some women) would rather work than stay home and raise kids. A mother/wife 's job is 25 hours a day.

Luckily, there were more than 300 pages to this story. Had I not finished his story I would not have discovered how the two completely different stories came together.

Spoiler alert

To begin with, I didn't read the jacket to find out what the story was about. I rarely do with book club books for I find it more interesting that way. The story was not so much about the trip itself, but rather the events in their lives that brought them there. He ties it up beautifully, like a surgeon restoring an injured face. Boy was I wrong in my assessment of the man and his life! Not only having to deal with deaths in the family but having a child with a serious health issue are just some things I could not imagine, let alone possibly deal with. He deserved that break, and I can understand his wife's reason for letting him go. Her decision itself said a lot about her. And his parents, as cruel or as uncaring as they seemed to the reader, he saw them for what they were, on the inside, and how they raised their kids in their own unique way. I started out giving it 3 stars, but by the time I finished it I upgraded it to a 5, even without the sympathy points.

It was a great story, and even though it was sad at times, I found it remarkably inspirational.

I'm old enough now that I no longer apologize for anything that I read; I certainly no longer feel that I have to justify my reading selections to anyone or feel bad if I read popular fiction, etc. With that said, I read Sparks fiction regardless of the disdain I receive from some of my peers. I picked this book up expecting the same cliched, romantic, overdone plot of his fiction books. I was pleasantly surprised that this book was different. I have a complicated relationship with my family, and this book made me feel good and hopeful for reconciliation.

Boring... I thought Nicholas Sparks just liked to talk about himself, although he did have some pretty interesting life experiences. I just didn't like it.

I found this book very interesting. I love a great love story and will never forget the emotional impact "Message in a Bottle" had on me. I remember wondering, "what kind of author writes a heart-wrenching love tale like this?" Well after reading Nicholas Sparks personal memoir of his life, I understand the depth of feeling and emotions he creates in his novels. I can't begin to imagine the heartache and losses he and his family have experienced in real life, and all the while, he was writing these novels 'through the pain'! I wouldn't say I'm a big fan of his novels and have only read a few, but this book made his life and that of his brother very intriguing. It also made me think a lot about how we are raised by our parents and the lessons we learn growing up and how it shapes us into who we are. Nicholas and his brother and sister were definitely raised to be survivors. I also enjoyed the idea of going on a trip around the world for three weeks with a close sibling -- in my case it would be my sisters. I enjoyed and was touched by the experiences Nicholas and Micah had that changed them for the better when they returned. Very thought-provoking novel that I definitely recommend.

I really loved hearing a more personal story from the author.

I have been a fan of Nicholas Sparks since "The Notebook". He isn't my usually genre but sometimes a sappy , feel good novel is the perfect escape (or the only one I can do legally) and I find him work to be well-done and emotionally moving.

This book was actually two books, one about his growing up and the other about the trip he took with his brother around the world. I admit to being a bit disappointed with the around the world trip account because I was excitedly looking forward to hearing about the incredible adventures they would have but he seems almost apathetic about the vast majority of it.

However, the story of his childhood into his adulthood was brilliantly told, emotionally moving, inspiring and devastating. It very much made me admire his strength and resilience. I started out with a bit of an attitude because he was leaving his wife alone with 5 kids while he had a good old time and that rubbed me wrong but wow, did he change my attitude quickly.

3.5. I did not realize a walk to remember was inspired by his sister and now realize why the emotion put into that story set it apart from others . He had so much tragedy in his life He may have made a big name for himself but he worked toward and earned every bit of it. I listened to this and the narrator was extremely calm and soothing like a bedtime story and I often found it hard to stay tuned in. Had I read the actual book I may have given this a 4. It would make a great book club book with so many topics to discuss
Learning his love of horror films I would love to see him attempt a horror/thriller type novel someday for something different