Message in a Bottle - A Book and a Movie

Message in a Bottle - The Book

Thrown to the waves, and to fate, the bottle could have ended up anywhere. Instead, it is found just three weeks after it begins its journey. Theresa Osborne, divorced and the mother of a twelve-year-old son, discovers it during a seaside vacation from her job as a Boston newspaper columnist. Inside is a letter that opens with, "My Dearest Catherine, I miss you my darling, as I always do, but today is particularly hard because the ocean has been singing to me, and the song is that of our life together." For Garrett, the message is the only way he knows to express his undying love for a woman he has lost. For Theresa, wary of romance since her husband shattered her trust, the message raises questions that intrigue her. Challenged by the mystery, and driven to find Garrett by emotions she does not fully understand, Theresa begins a search that takes her to a sunlit coastal town and an unexpected confrontation. Brought together either by chance or something more powerful, Theresa and Garrett's lives come together in a tale that resonates with our deepest hopes for finding everlasting love. Shimmering with suspense and emotional intensity, Message in a Bottle takes readers on a hunt for the truth about a man and his memories, and about both the heartbreaking fragility and enormous strength of love. For those who cherished The Notebook and readers waiting to discover the magic of Nicholas Sparks's storytelling, here is an achingly lovely novel of happenstance, desire, and the choices that matter most.

Message in a Bottle - The Movie

A woman discovers a tragic love letter in a bottle on a beach, and is determined to track down its author.

My Thoughts:

Despite razzing from some of my book loving friends, up until last month, I had never read a Nicholas Sparks book. Shocking, I know! I think I had been putting it off because…well because I didn't want to cry lol! Is that a crazy reason to avoid reading a book? Maybe. But it’s not hard to guess that Nicholas Sparks’ books are very emotional.

Then this past weekend I was meandering around a local used book store and found a nicely loved copy of Message in a Bottle. Although it has been quite a while, I have seen the movie with Kevin Costner and Robin Wright at least twice. Since I had an idea of what to expect I decided to give the book a whirl.

I know there is always the debate on which is better, book or movie, but in this case I love both. Having seen the movie first, I found that reading the book added to that experience. But at the same time I felt it also took away from the reading experience. I couldn’t read it objectively because I thought about the movie with every turn of the page. And I wanted to watch the movie every time I picked up the book.

Both book and movie are emotional. The characters and their stories will creep into your heart and remain there long after reading/watching. And yes, I’ll admit that both made me cry.

Now for the question you’re all dying mildly curious to know the answer to....am I a new die hard Sparks fan after confessing my love for Message in a Bottle? Did I rush out to buy more of his books after reading one? Well, no. I really did enjoy the book but overall, I still don’t see myself reaching for the overly emotional books when deciding what my next read will be. I’m sure I will read other Sparks books…eventually, but they will be few and far between.