Poignant, but not mushy | Three Weeks with My Brother

Compelling, touching, and hilarious | Three Weeks with My Brother | Nicholas Sparks, Micah Sparks

books:


	• Three Weeks with My Brother Nicholas Sparks, Micah Sparks Grand Central Publishing, 2006 - 368 pages average customer review:based on 181 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

Heartwarming!

This was the first Sparks book I have read; it will not be the last! This memoir had me in tears of laugher on one page and tears of sorrow on the next. It is truly a heartwarming and moving book. I recommend it to all.

Poignant, but not mushy

I'm not quite sure why the two Sparks brothers share a byline for this book. To see it would make a person think they co-wrote it. But no -- it was Nicholas Sparks who did all the writing, whereas Micah merely accompanied him on the trip. Go figure.

Overall, the book was poignant, although not mushy in the least. The thirty-something Sparks brothers, living on opposite coasts with their own busy schedules, decide to embark on a three-week journey across the world. Their tour encompasses places like Machu Pichu and Easter Island -- opportunities which seem like a crime to pass up. When else in their lives will they ever see such mythical places?

As their trip begins, the brothers also begin to reminisce about their lives up til that point. Growing up in poverty, with unusual parents, life was nonetheless pretty good until the untimely deaths of their mother and younger sister Dana. These events caused Nicholas to bury himself in work and family, whereas Micah simply lost all faith in religion, despite his wife's urging. Nicholas took the first step toward recovering his old sense of self by embarking on the trip; now, he feels, Micah must also make an effort toward filling in his own missing pieces.

I've never read a Sparks novel, although I'm well familiar with the name. The story of his life has made me emphathize with his persona, and I will certainly look for other works in the future.

for more information click here

Compelling, touching, and hilarious

Now I see where Nicholas Sparks gets such compelling characters who live through tragedy yet continue to face life with hope and a sense of humor--because many of the themes from his books come from his own life. His real life story is one that would be hard to believe if it didn't actually happen. This is definitely a Sparks title you don't want to miss.

for more information click here

One of the best books I have ever read

I absolutely loved this book. It was an amazing memoir. I liked getting to know Nicholas Sparks personally. It gave so much insight to his writings. I love his perception of family, how it could and should be. He and his brother live on opposite sides of he continent, but family knows no boundaries. It is heartwarming, enlightening and full of love. He is a wonderful writer and really touches on many emotions in this book. A great read. All siblings should embrace this book.

for more information click here

Great story-Gives a great insight to Nicholas Sparks's Writing

This was a wonderful biography written very well. Author Nicholas Sparks and his brother Micah share a trip around the world in three weeks. As they travel beginning at Fort Lauderdale Florida, all the way through Yaxha and Tikal, Guatemala, and going way across the globe, through India and beyond, the two brothers take a trip down memory lane.

Nicholas and his brother, along with their sister Dana grew up poor most of the time. Their father struggled to get through his college degree so he could start a business of his own. Their mother didn't work, and most of the time the family struggled to even put a meal on the table. They rented houses for years until their father was finally settled in work. By the time the kids were nearly grown up, they were able to have a house of their own.

A lot of tragedy happened in the Sparks family. They lost their mother when she was only 47 years of age after falling off a horse. Their father really never got over her death and died a few years later after not getting to the doctor in time with a heart problem.

Nicholas married his high school sweetheart Cathy, and they married, having their firstborn child shortly thereafter. Four more children followed. Nicholas had another tragedy, his son, Ryan, of whom had a mental disorder where he was not aware of people or places around him. It was never really diagnosed as autism, and they went from doctor to doctor for answers, never finding any. And one of the saddest things for Nicholas and Cathy both was that no one acknowledged their special boy, but ignored him, paying attention to the other ones instead.

In another tragedy-Dana, their sister came ill with a very odd type of brain tumor. This tumor had dangers of spreading and was cancerous. The medical staff was able to medicate it with chemo and radiation, along with some successful surgery for awhile. And it went away-but not forever. Dana was a very optimistic person and held onto hope as long as she was able to. She had two twin boys that would probably lose their mother. Nicholas and Micah were in total despair over this unfortunate happening.

In the book, Nicholas speaks of the first book which he ever wrote, "The Notebook." He received a million dollar promotion over that title from this publisher. After that, he continued writing more books in between all this tragedy in his life. Some of his books, namely "A Walk to Remember," was based on what happened with his sister Dana, and "The Rescue was really written from his heart when the boy in that story is disabled psychologically like his own son Ryan.

Very good reading, and Sparks gives interesting history throughout about the places he and Micah visited.

for more information click here