A walk to remember
2. 5. 2010
“A walk to remember” by Nicholas Sparks
The story is told by fifty-seven years old Landon Carter. He was walking down the street and remembering his childhood. Suddenly, the wind cooled his face and in his mind he returned 40 years back, when he was 17 years old a boy.
At that time, he lived in Beauford only with his mother. His dad was a congressman and he has almost never stayed at home. Landon´s family was rich, but he missed his father a lot. Perhaps because of that he was a kind of rebel. At school Landon was one of the most popular students. Before a school dance prom was opened, his girlfriend had broken up with him, so he didn´t have a date for the prom. It wasn’t good for him, because everybody had the arranged date at school and he didn´t want to be embarrassed. A few days before the school’s dance started he had been looking through the yearbook where he saw an image of Jamie Sulivan, who hasn’t had a date yet. She was a daughter of Hegbert Sulivan, the church minister, who hated Landon because of his behaviour. Jamie was too much faithful and wherever she went, she didn´t forget her bible. Everybody thought that she was strange. When people were near to her, a lot of them felt guilty of their behaviour because Jamie was the greatest person in the whole world. She helped to anyone, who needed her help. And Landon Carter needed her help. So he went to her house for asking her if she would go to the prom with him. She was very surprised but she agreed. Landon admitted that it was the best date in his life. A few days later Jamie asked him to participate in a school play “The Christmas Angel”, written by her father. It was very important for Jamie because of her father. Jamie played an angel, which reminded him his wife, who died when Jamie was born. Hegbert Sulivan brought up his daughter on his own. Landon agreed, because he wanted to make Jamie happy. He didn’t know why but his friends didn’t like that change. They didn´t understand why he was spending time with the minister´s daughter, who always wore the same sweater and who was so faithful. Every night after the rehearsal, he walked to Jamie’s house to see her off. He found out why she was always taking her bible everywhere. It was her mother´s bible. He liked walking with her, but once his friends saw them on the road, when Jamie was talking to Landon about her dream. She wanted to get married, but her face was sad, as if she thought it would never come true. Landon´s friends came closer and started kidding about Jamie and him. Later, Landon said to Jamie, that they couldn’t be friends, because of their different lives. If true is told, he was afraid of what his friends would talk about him. She was upset and he again felt guilty, as always. The next day they were playing the play “The Christmas angel”. He was astonished when Jamie entered the stage. She was different. Everyone in the room calmed down. Landon realized how beautiful she was. After the play he apologized to her because of his behaviour last night. The following day, Jamie asked him if he would go around the town and raise money in boxes for orphans. He did it for her, but when he was counting the money, he realized that it wasn´t too much. It was just about 55 dollars. He wanted to make Jamie and the orphans happy, so he gave all his money there, without telling Jamie the truth. She thought that it was a miracle, because she didn´t know what Landon had done. He was happy to see Jamie so cheerful. At Christmas Eve they went together to visit the orphans and to give them their present. It was the first time, when every kid had his own present. Landon bought Jamie a new sweater. She gave him her bible, which meant so much for her. She gave him a part of herself. And he didn’t understand how he could fall in love with girl like Jamie Sulivan. The following day he took Jamie for her first date. A few weeks later Landon told Jamie, that he loved her. But she said he couldn’t. He didn´t understand why. Landon wanted to know the reason. Jamie got the leukaemia, she was dying. It was the biggest shock in his whole life. Jamie didn’t return to the school following Monday because of her deteriorating health. Jamie refused to stay at the hospital because she wanted to die at home. Landon visited her every day and he was really scared. He was afraid of her illness. Every night he was praying for a miracle. One day he asked her if she would marry him. Landon and Jamie got married in the Beauford’s church full of people. At the end of the book, fifty-seven years old Landon Carter said that he had never removed his ring and he still loves her. He believes that miracles can happen. So I wasn´t sure if she died. I hope she didn’t. It was the best book, which I have ever read, even though it was so sad.
jáááááj
(Adam, 3. 5. 2010 19:48)