Today the Book it Sisters reviewed Three Weeks With My Brother by Nicholas Sparks
(Published January 2006, 368 pages)
Book it Sisters’ Grade: B
The day the brochure came was a typical one. With a wife and five small children, a hectic schedule, and a new book due to his publishers, Nicholas Sparks was busy with his usual routine. The colorful mailer, however, described something very different: a tour to some of the most exotic places on Earth. Slowly, an idea took hold in Nicholas’s mind and heart. In January 2003, Nicholas Sparks and his brother, Micah, set off on a three-week trip around the globe. It was to mark a milestone in their lives, for at thirty-seven and thirty-eight respectively, they were now the only surviving members of their family. And as they voyaged to the lost city of Machu Picchu high in the Andes. . . to mysterious Easter Island. . . to Ayers Rock in the Australian outback. . . and across the vast Indian subcontinent, the ultimate story of their lives would unfold. Against the backdrop of the wonders of the world and often overtaken by their feelings, daredevil Micah and the more serious, introspective Nicholas recalled their rambunctious childhood adventures and the tragedies that tested their faith. And in the process, they discovered startling truths about loss, love and hope. Narrated with irrepressible humor and rare candor, and including personal photographs, Three Weeks with my Brother reminds us to embrace life with all its uncertainties. . . and most of all, to cherish the joyful times, both small and momentous, and the wonderful people who make them possible.
Our review:
| Samantha Harrison | B | I enjoyed hearing the family dynamics and the perspectives of the brothers growing up. I thought it was an easy enjoyable read. |
| Mary Halsey | B | I enjoyed the inside view of childhood freedom of the 60's and 70's...appreciated the bond of siblings...but question credibility in some of the memoirs... |
| Suzanne Rigby | B- | I enjoyed taking a peek behind the curtain of Nicholas Sparks' life. I didn't like the traveling part of the book, but waded through it to get to the personal history part of the book. I am not a big fan of his books, but I am better able to appreciate where his ideas came from based on his own past. |
| Cheryl Clowes | B | I liked the book. I liked to see inside the family's history. The story was very interesting and it was terrible how Nick lost his mother, father and sister so early. |
| Anna McDaniels | B | Good basic read. Interesting family memoir and story of brotherhood. |
| Judy Bush | B | Nicholas Sparks is the writer of schmalzy love stories, which make you cry, but also make you feel cheap for having been sucked into it. The autobiographical portion of this book gave some insight into Sparks, but while the travel portion was a clever literary juxtaposition, it fell flat because of the total lack of sympathy Nicholas and his brother exhibited towards other cultures. Their humor was so sophomoric that it felt crass. As they belittled their guides for their lack of English skills I wondered how he could have written that in a book. It would have been much better to focus on positive aspects of travel, and in describing the difficult parts not come across themselves as Ugly Americans. |
| Silke Elsner | B- | I didn't think his life story was special enough to be made into a book. His travel report confirmed prejudices that exists about traveling American: rude, obnoxious, Europe in seven days and claiming to have seen it all. His personal life description was partly not credible also due to the fact that he just brushed on topic without going deeper. I didn't expect more from Sparks though. |