here's an alternative cover 
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Nicholas Sparks comes a tender story of hope and joy; of sacrifice and forgiveness—a moving reminder that love is possible at any age, at any time, and often comes when we least expect it. At forty-five, Adrienne Willis must rethink her entire life when her husband abandons her for a younger woman. Reeling with heartache and in search of a respite, she flees to the small coastal town of Rodanthe, North Carolina to tend to a friend’s inn for the weekend. But when a major storm starts moving in, it appears that Adrienne’s perfect getaway will be ruined—until a guest named Paul Flanner arrives. At fifty-four, Paul has just sold his medical practice and come to Rodanthe to escape his own shattered past. Now, with the storm closing in, two wounded people will turn to each other for comfort—and in one weekend set in motion feelings that will resonate throughout the rest of their lives. (from nicholassparks.com)
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH Nicholas Sparks has done it again! Another deep, moving, passionate, broken and beautiful love story. It's so so so beautiful. I don't have any other word to sum it up. I love how it's written in 3rd person perspective, how it's set during a storm by the beach, and how mysterious and intriguing Rodanthe is. Even just it's name.
I love that Adrienne is such a strong mother--and woman and that she is there for her children. I love that Paul is willing to give up everything to get to know his son. Paul and Adrienne both make tremendous sacrifices for their children. Paul's story is sad. Stories of striving people often are. Striving never gets us anywhere, does it? But yet we have to work, we have to accomplish something. But even at a personal cost? Although isn't everything in life about weighing the personal costs, which ultimately is our Time? Just thoughts. I have a whole philosophy about striving and time and how they relate, but I want to focus on NIR.
This novel is so sweet and tender. And it's sad. When Adrienne whispered the words, "Don't you know?" I knew. Because ultimately this story is about taking life one day at a time even when it's hard, about loving life despite death, caring for one's children (the greatest love story ever is that of a mother's love, someone once said), the sacrifices and decisions we make, the influence we can have on each other, the indifferent universe and how painful it is to live inside.
I would recommend this book to everybody and am giving it a 5 star rating. It's such a beautiful story. It will change the way your think about life and love (it did for me) Read it.
I honestly do not believe that I have done NIR justice with this review. But this is one of those books that is too beautiful for words. So I leave you with a quote from Nights in Rodanthe:
“The greater the love, the greater the tragedy when it’s over. Those two elements always go together.”
