The Wedding Mass Market Paperback – August 1, 2005

I read this in 2005 and wanted to visit it again. It took my breath away like it did many years ago.

“The Wedding” - by, Nicholas SparksTo the gals, I say nothing, for nothing needs to be said, as the fairer sex does not lack for the finely tuned touchy-feely emotional sentiments normally required to thoroughly appreciate such a heart warming story of love re-kindled, long past its expiration date, due to various reasons … such as well intentioned, but ultimately ill-informed or misguided choices, for example.But to the guys, I present a good-natured challenge. First, I double-dog dare you to read this book, particularly since the subject matter is not normally a typical guy’s first choice of reading material (relationship issues, romance, etc.). Secondly, if you do decide to actually read it, I triple-dog dare you to do so without at least once tearing-up or getting emotional; because yes, it is that good, and will more than likely tear at your heart strings. But don’t worry if your eyes stay dry right up to the last page, as it’s somewhat unusual for the male gender to equal our female counterparts in outward emotional expressiveness. So if no tears flow, rest assured that you’re probably still a human being, and have not inadvertently morphed into the newest version of a modern robot or Artificial Intelligence - ‘Sir’ or ‘Alex’; the imaginary male version of Apple’s ‘Siri’ or Amazon’s ‘Alexa’.Accomplished author Nicholas Sparks, whose books are so good that they sometimes get converted into movies (‘The Longest Ride’, ‘The Choice’, ‘The Notebook’, etc.), are quite often much more than meets the eye. More than just a very good read, they can easily and often be a delightful and surprising mix of how things could and should be in a modern world of perplexing problems, particularly relational problems between adults, both young and old. His stories can be likened unto culinary delights, well seasoned with adventure, reality, hope, inspiration, lightheartedness (to name just a few) and the ongoing struggle to make things gone wrong … somehow right again; giving ample evidence that not only is he a gifted writer, but also experienced or sufficiently knowledgeable in the complexities of human relationships, as well as the credibly marvelous and miraculous unraveling of those all-too-often messy relational tangles which we unfortunately create for ourselves from time to time.To date, I’ve seen only three of his novels in movie format (the three listed above), and read only this (‘The Wedding’) novel. In all four titles (movies or novel), which is a rather small sampling of his prolific writing accomplishments, it would seem that there is a very subtle or underlying theme; a new or already established relationship which somehow had started off to be, or eventually became somewhat incompatible - threatening heartbreak - but eventually over time, patience, and sincere effort, marvelously transformed into a genuinely respectable relationship to be relished.It has been said countless times over, and in many ways, that there are two great needs/goals in life; 1) to be loved unconditionally, and 2) is to, in turn, love others unconditionally … an inspired sermon or intelligent lecture to properly validate such a claim is beyond the limited purpose of this book review. That being said, Nicholas Spark’s thoughtfully composed stories seem to contain the necessary ingredients to educate, encourage, and equip us to sufficiently prepare ourselves to be grateful recipients of such unconditional love, and to be worthy conduits to (in turn) unconditionally love others, despite the inevitable and disappointing struggles on our lifelong journey in achieving such needs, goals, or monumental milestones.Wow … What a Read!Thank you, Mr. Sparks; and please, don’t stop writing!

**Spoilers Ahead**This was my first Nicholas Sparks novel. I usually read thrillers and fantasy-based books, so this was new. The first part of the book started very slow. No build-up, no action, no nothing. There was no sense of urgency, so I found it a bit dragging.Wilson doesn’t think that he’s a romantic, but I say otherwise. He may not be grand in his actions when compared to Noah, but it’s the little things that he does for Jane that shows it. When he plans the first date with Jane and had a whole plan with how he was going to gift her an umbrella. An ode to the first time they walked together to her car. The proposal, how he planted the ring in a shell for her to find on their walk. Asking permission from Noah to marry his daughter. Though some of the events didn’t go according to plan, it was the thought that counts… and the thought was always of Jane.The status of their relationship I feel is common in many others. When you’re together for so long, people tend to become complacent. Where they just get into a rhythm of things. It doesn’t mean that they love each other less, just that they’re content. Sometimes though, content doesn’t always correlate to happiness.When Wilson begins to feel that their union is heading in a direction that may lead to Jane falling out of love, it scares him into action. All this time I thought Wilson was really lucky in getting everything that was asked of him. To the point that I didn’t even feel any pressure or sense of anxiety that one would typically feel in planning a last-minute event. That lead me to feeling that his story was boring.The second part of the book was what really got me surprised. When the wedding unfolds and you finally see that nothing was spontaneous and that everything was meticulously planned out, it was a wonderful love story. Wilson knew Jane’s favorite things, and used that knowledge to give her the wedding of her dreams. That screams romance to me. The thoughtfulness of the photo album is a sign of a true romantic.An easy read that reminds you that it’s never too late to rediscover what has been lost.