The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks



Countless times at the library, I would go to my friend Rachael and ask what I should read. Her response was, 90 percent of the time, “Read The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks! It is the best book ever!” However, the novel was always checked out, and I would end up reading another authors piece of work. The first day of my high school career, I went straight to the section of books in the library written by Nicholas Sparks. I checked out The Guardian without any hesitation. Although I have not yet finished The Guardian, my basic understanding of the novel has fully developed. Rachael was right—The Guardian is a fantastic novel and it should certainly be read.

The story takes place in a close-knit, rural North Carolina community. Julie's husband has died; he leaves her a parcel that contains a dog that she names Singer. Singer is to guard her and he symbolizes Jim, her diseased husband. Now that her husband has been gone for five years, she begins to date again. Ironically, the man she is drawn to most is her husband's brother, Mike. With her new love interest at hand, another problem arises—a stalker.

The novel includes two vital characters—Julie and Mike. Julie is a young widow that has found love once again. A deathly situation occurs when she begins to realize her ex-boyfriend is stalking her. Her dog, Singer, and boyfriend, Mike, helps her cope with the arousing problem. Mike, a beer-loving mechanic who is her departed
husbands brother, wants Julie to be apart of his life; Julie feels the same way.
Through the events in The Guardian, Julie and Mike begin to understand their feelings towards each other.

Why have I enjoyed The Guardian? The balance of a love story and the terrifying events that apply to Julie's stalker keep me interested instead of drooling over a gushy romance novel. The novel includes romance, but suspense is intensified when a mysterious man begins to stalk Julie. Rachael's suggestion to me has lead me to suggest this novel as well. When you are wandering through the library in search of a good book, certainly consider Nicholas Spark's The Guardian!