This summary provides the key details about the Nicholas Sparks novel "Dear John" in 3 sentences: The novel tells the story of John Tyree, a young man in the army who falls in love with Savannah Curtis during his leave. Their intense summer romance is cut short when John has to return to the military. Several years later, John discovers through a letter that Savannah has fallen in love with someone else while waiting for his return.

1. Dear John by Nicholas Sparks
(Book Review)
What does it mean to truly love another?
 What was the story all about?
Love, responsibility, and sacrifice—these three words best describe the whole story of the Dear John,
another remarkable work of Nicholas Sparks. It’s a story of a rebel guy named John Tyree. He dropped
out school and decided to enter the army. Well, he’s not certain of everything, I tell you, especially his
future. Until he met a 22-year-old-girl named Savannah Lynn Curtis, the girl who made him realized
that he is special and he has a worth. The story starts with John who is the narrator. It’s the present time
then, everything was all in the past, that’s why John takes the reader back in time and narrates every
detail of their story.
It was John’s leave at home when he first met this beautiful young lady, Savannah. It seems perfect
for both of them, it’s like everything was meant to be, was meant to happen. John’s courage was test
when he jumped off to save Savannah’s bag which accidentally fell on the water—remind you, there
were waves, big waves. Well, that was their first talk until yes, they started to see each other, everyday.
Strange? Maybe. Wonderful? Definitely. For the days they have been seeing each other, they have
found this intense-feeling-of-deep-affection called LOVE. They both enjoyed every single moment they
had. Savannah played a big role to John’s life. She twisted his path and made him realized that he can
be a better person.
Two weeks of love and beauty came to an end. John must go back to the military for another year
duty. Since Savannah was deeply in love with John, she waited. The title Dear John came from the
letters of Savannah to John. They promised each other that they will exchange letters until John’s next
leave. They both agreed not to hide secrets and answer every question they want to ask, promised to
keep in touch.
But the 9/11 bombing changes everything. John went back home to settle down things, especially
with Savannah. It’s a choice between love and responsibility. You would not believe this but John
decided to re-enlist to the army. The long wait made Savannah fall in love to someone else. It’s been a
long time since Savannah sent a letter to John and this time, her letter confessed everything. It’s hard to
imagine, but it happened, it really happens.
 Who were the main characters?
One of the main characters is the 23-year-old guy John Tyree. He lives his own life—making own
decisions. Rebelled? Yes, but that was before when he decided to dropped out school and enter the
military. Tyree grew up with his dad in Wilmington, North Carolina. He has a brown hair and eyes
unlike to his dad who has sandy hair and hazel eyes. Okay, that’s enough for Tyree.
Another main character is of course, the beautiful and very passionate young lady, Savannah
Lynn Curtis. She is fond of talking and talking and talking, believe me. She spends her summer

2. volunteering and she also admires people who have mental disabilities. Don’t get me wrong with this,
Savannah has the intimate sympathy for these people. She wants to help them and make them realize
that they are different because they are special and unique. She also likes horses, that’s why she
dreamt to have her own pasture land, a stable and a barn someday. That is Savannah, someone who
wants to live her life the simplest way it can be.
 What did the main characters do in the story?
The characters are flexible. John was a rebelled guy. He used to smoke, hit a person, ruin things,
and do other crazy stuffs. Years passed by, when everything is mess, he decided to enter the army. He
changed, a bit. He doesn’t usually talk to his father. When he’s on leave, he met Savannah at the
beach and time goes on, they get along and fell in love with each other.
Savannah was a junior college student majoring in special education. She used to volunteer
when on vacation. She fell in love with John in just a short period of time. When John was re-enlisted to
the army, Savannah fell in love with someone else because of the long wait.
 Did the main characters run into any problem?
Yes, of course. For me, a good story must require a conflict or a problem between the characters. In
this novel, the main characters faced hardships and trials. For John, he never really got along with his
father. It’s like there is this huge barrier between them. His father got obsessed to coins, well yes, he
collects coins, lots of coins which lead him not talking too much. His father focused his attention to his
obsession. John thought that maybe that was his fault, because he rebelled. The worst thing—they
seldom see each other and they don’t talk too much when they were together. Another thing is when
John misinterprets Savannah’s closeness to his father. He thinks that his father was used as an
experiment for those who have disorders, but hell no, definitely not. Savannah is trying to get attach to
John’s father so that he’ll get back to normal—to talk again and bond with his son.
The main problem was the strong relationship that was built with love and affection came to an
end. Savannah fell in love with someone else while John was still on his duty. The long-distancerelationship made it to happen. It took a long time for John to move-on of course, but the thing is
Savannah herself assumes that she’s still in love with John. Crazy, isn’t it? She had no choice, she’s
married to someone. The best thing that they should do is to MOVE-ON—keep in mind that everything
was all in the past and will never be back.
 Did the main characters have any adventures?
Literally, they didn’t encounter adventure like you usually see in movies and other novels or
books which the characters fight against huge monsters or animals and travel to the center of the
earth. This novel is romance—a bittersweet story. But yes, I could probably say that the characters in
here walked in a one-of-a-kind adventure—the adventure of FATE. It’s a path where happiness, love,
tragedy and sacrifice take place. John and Savannah went through all these and made it until the end.

3.  Who was your favorite character? Why?
I like them both—both Savannah and John. But I could not help myself to like John more than
Savannah. Okay, I know he’s a guy and honestly and I admit, he’s handsome as what I imagine.
Imaginations are your limitations. But I’m not totally after his physical appearance. John was my
favorite character because I love the way he conquered everything. Even though nothing seems to be
perfect, like everything was ruined and everything gone wrong, the courage was there—still there. John
was calm and gentle all throughout the story, he used to control his temper and that’s a turn-on to a
girl.
Personal Experiences
 Could you relate to any of the characters in the story?
I’ve never been in this kind of relationship, but I could say that I fell in love before. Like
Savannah, I easily get in-touch to those people who make me special, in short, I easily fall in love. I hate
myself for that but, the good thing here is that I can easily forget someone, yes, I can and it is as easy as
A-B-C and 1-2-3. Okay, enough for that.
Honestly, I could relate myself to John’s personality. I’m a rebelled girl when I was in my
secondary. I lived at my grandparents’ house and I go home on weekends, and yes, to make it short, I
used to make my own decisions. I also quit school before and went back after a year. Another thing is
that I really don’t get along with my father, not because he doesn’t talk too much but because he talks
a lot, I mean a LOT. Behind those circumstances, I became stronger than ever and I believe that I could
be a better person more than I am now.
 Have you ever done some of the things or felt some of the same things that the
characters did?
I fell in love, I waited, I got hurt and hell yeah, I’m still resilient--unbreakable. These things are
the same things that the characters encountered throughout the story. Most of what John experienced
are the same with mine, yeah, maybe not the exact scenario but same problems.
Opinion
 Did you like the book?
Like? That would not be applicable for me because I love it, I really do. I have read different
books, different novels, but this is the most amazing one. That’s why I chose this novel for my book
review. You’ll get excited at the beginning and definitely get surprise to its ending. The story is easy
to understand and the characters are flexible. Everything from the story is beyond perfect.

4.  What was your favorite part of the book?
Actually, I have three favorite parts; one of them is when John met Savannah. I really love this
part, the rescue thing of Savannah’s bag, John’s courage, and the first talk. The second one is of course
the two-week-summer-love-affair of John and Savannah. Everything is perfect, romantic, sweet, and
real. The last one is the exchange of letters. They see each other like they were together when they read
the letters and I find it very sweet and authentic.
 Do you have a least favorite part of the book?
Yes, I have. This is when John found out that Savannah fell in love to someone, got engaged, and
will marry soon. The worst thing—he found it through letter. Honestly, I’m really disappointed in
this part. It’s like it’s the end of the world—damaged and hopeless. But yes, I believe in this
DESTINY—an inevitable and magical thing that exists in the world. Even though everything seems
to be perfect with John and Savannah, destiny took its place.
 If you could change something in the book, what would it be?(If you wish you
could change the ending, remember not to tell the ending to the story you read!)
Definitely none, I have nothing to change in this book. The book is awesome, the story was great.
Although it’s a romance-to-tragic story, I like it, a LOT. Okay, maybe some would that it should be
John-Savannah-love-story but for me, it’s okay because as what I have mentioned above, I believe in
destiny. Everything happens for a reason, nothing is accidental.
Recommendation
 Would you recommend this book to another person?
Actually, I was influenced to read this book and I’m very lucky to be one of the million people who
have read this story. Yes, I would definitely recommend this book to others. This story is not the
typical love story that we know. Sparks is known for his romance-tragic stories, but Dear John is
different. It can moved you to a different world and teach you many things.
 What type of person would like this book?
The type of person that would definitely like this book are those who have the same personalities
with John. For those who also have difficulties with accepting things—accepting the reality. People who
are fond of reading novels would also like this book.