Quotes from Nicholas Sparks' True Believer

Bookish Mardi:  Nicholas Sparks' True Believer

“When people cared about each other, they always found a way to make it work.”
― Nicholas Sparks

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Book Summary

In TRUE BELIEVER, journalist Jeremy Marsh spends his time debunking the supernatural. He has just finished exposing a fake television psychic, proving that the man was not able to read people's minds or see into their pasts. When he hears about a phenomenon happening in the small town of Boone Creek in North Carolina, where ghosts are seen inhabiting a local cemetery, Jeremy knows he will be able to find the truth behind the lights that are seen glimmering on certain nights above the cemetery grounds. He knows that ghosts do not truly exist.

When Jeremy arrives in Boone Creek, he experiences what small town life is all about. He's from the big city and feels like he's walked into a time warp. Everyone knows everyone, and gossip spreads like wildfire. His "hotel" is a hole-in-the-wall motel, filled with dead animals ranging from a bear to snakes and all sorts of wonderful critters that can be found in the wild. He's as far from New York as he can get, and he's not sure he likes it.

The very day he arrives in town, Jeremy makes a quick visit to Cedar Creek Cemetery, where the ghosts are reported to have been seen, when he notices a young woman there who catches his eye. He later finds out that her name is Lexie Darnell. Neither of them knows it but soon their lives will be changed forever. Lexie is the granddaughter of the woman who had invited him to visit the town. Doris Marsh is the town psychic.

As Jeremy slowly does his research in the library where Lexie happens to work, he gets to know her. Despite what he feels about the town, he finds himself interested in this woman who doesn't seem to want anything to do with him.

Having read nearly every Nicholas Sparks book that has been written, it is safe to say that TRUE BELIEVER is quite the departure from his previous works. While Sparks tends to write tragedies as opposed to true romances, this novel is far from the tragedy that some of his other fiction books have been.

This is not to say that TRUE BELIEVER wasn't enjoyable. But fans who are looking for the typical Nicholas Sparks book will not find it here. Instead of concentrating on the romance, this reviewer found the focus of the novel to be on the mystery behind the cemetery, and the high point of the plot was Jeremy's answer to the story behind the ghosts. The fact that Jeremy is dating a woman who believes her parents' ghosts have come to her in the cemetery makes the reader anxious to know what he finds, realizing that the answer will greatly impact the relationship that is central to the love story.

One aspect of storytelling in which Sparks excels is his ability to create the characters who populate his books. His capacity to bring into being likeable, everyday people helps make this novel readable. The strength of the story isn't necessarily the plot, and the romance that is found here is not one that a typical romance reader might expect. For this reader, the characters were the highlight of the novel, and the process of getting to know some of the more prominent ones was a delight. One will find oneself chuckling over some of the antics of the townspeople. The brouhaha that the people make over Jeremy's celebrity is very cute, if not humorous.

Overall, the plot lines are balanced between the mystery of the cemetery, Jeremy and Lexie's relationship, the aspect of small-town living, and the individual life stories of the two protagonists. Focusing on the individual characters is just one way of truly enjoying this book. It's a soothing type of read, and readers will feel comfortable with these characters.

Remarkable Quotes from the Book 

". . . true love could not blossom overnight." -  Jeremy Marsh

". . . love wasn't possible in just a couple of days." - Jeremy Marsh
 
"Love could be set in motion quickly, but true love needed time to grow into something strong and enduring." - Jeremy Marsh

"Love was, above all, about commitment and dedication and a belief that spending years with a person would create something greater than the sum of what the two could accomplish separately."  - Jeremy Marsh

". . . the description of lust was simple: two people learn they're compatible, attraction grows, and the ancient insticnt to preserve the species kicks in." - Jeremy Marsh

"Life never cease to amaze me." - Jeremy Marsh

"Maturity meant thinking about risk long before you pondered the reward, and that success and happiness in life were as much about avoiding mistakes as making your mark in the world." - Doris

"Premonitions:  while they might be accurate in the short term, anything beyond that was impossible to know." - Doris

"Jitters were just another word for panic." - Lexie

"Once in a while, everyone was entitle to be a bit flaky." - Jeremy Marsh

 "Men seemed immune to some sort of insecurities. Even if they weren't, they'd learned to either disguise their feelings or bury them deep enough so as not to be crippled by them." - Jeremy

"Men like women who know how to subtle." - Jeremy Marsh

". . .people are people. While I'm not an expert in psychology, I'm of the opinion that anyone - even strangers- can sense the urgency of a request, and most people will usually do the right thing."   - Jeremy Marsh

"Eveeryone has dreams that don't come true."  - Lexie

"When people cared for each other, they always found a way to make it work." - Jeremy Marsh

"Life was about spending time together, about having time to walk together holding hands, talking quietly as they watched the sun go down. It wasn't glamorous, but it was, in many ways, the best that life had offer." - Jeremy Marsh

". . . modern culture has its own seductions." - Jeremy Marsh

". . . accept the reality of what had happened and find a way to move on."  - Doris

"Television audiences love mysteries." - Alvin

"Was it really possible for so much to have happened in only a couple of days." - Lexie

"Every town needs something to call its own, something to remind the folks that their home is special." -  Mayor Gherkin

"Legends . . .well, they're just relics from the past, and the town needs more than  that to survive." - Mayor Gherkins

"Express your feelings, purge your guilt, seek and ye shall find."  - Alvin

"Am I right or am I right? Of course I'm right" - Alvin

“Love is always bestowed as a gift!
freely, willingly, and without expectation....
We don't love to be loved, we love to love”

“A good marriage, like any partnership, meant subordinating one's own needs to that of the others', in the expectation that the other will do the same.”

“You found out who you are and what you want and then you realized that people you've known forever don't see things the way you do. And so you keep the wonderful memories, but find yourself moving on.”

"Women want a fairy tale . . . most women grew up dreaming about the kind of man who would risk everything for them, even knowing they might get hurt." - Lexie

"Women like a man who know how to be subtle." -  Lexie

"Women like a man who will follow them to the ends of the earth." - Jeremy Marsh

"Love does funny things to people."  - Jeremy  Marsh