I found this book at a yard sale near my mother's house last year. It has a different picture on the cover than the one shown here. I haven't seen the movie, but figured it would be well known enough to make a good release at some point.

My one major objection to this book is the message it sends about sex and one's true love. Allie never has a sexual relationship, although she is in her 30s, other than one night with the man she fell in love with as a teenager. There is this connotation that sex is to be saved for a "one true" love. While I agree as to the power and intensity of emotion that accompany sex, I find myself vaguely put off by that message. Granted that I am biased on this issue, but the this idea of a one true love strikes me as harmful more often than anything else. How often do we as a culture deny ourselves our feelings because we think that we can only have one love that is "real" ever in our lives? What kind of pressure does that put on us to have unreal expectations of our relationships and those we love? Although nice enough in concept, I think that this sort of idea causes great pain in many people's lives, while they are unaware why.

That having been said it is incredibly beautiful. One of the most positive emotional responses this nook drew from me was that it made me remember some advice given to me by mom several years ago. Always keep yout love letters. It doesn't matter how you feel about that person now, just put them away because someday you will want them. Already I have found that to be good advice.

going to be given to a friend