Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas

Great Book!

Suzanne's' Dairy to Nicholas is the first novel I have read from James Patterson's collection and I have to say it won't be the last I read. Not only is this a compelling story of love and romance, but it's pages are full of suspense that keeps you reading on until the very end. Patterson tells the story of a young woman named Katie who finds herself deeply in love with a man named Matt. Everything is going great for the two of them when out of the blue Matt ends their two-year relationship without even explaining himself. Katie is given an old diary from Matt, which he uses to explain his poor actions. As Katie reads through the pages she discovers many of Matt's hidden secrets, which includes a wife, and son Katie never knew about. After finishing the dairy Katie realizes she had been wrong for assuming the worst out of Matt and she finds their relationship has grown even stronger after reading this diary. This story had very few weak points except for the occasional sad moments. I highly recommend this book to any audience, male or female, who is in the mood for a great read and has time to sit and read. Once you start this book you won't be able to put it down.

12 out of 13 people found this review helpful.

Great book

I loved this book. Beautiful and sad. But a great read for the afternoon.

5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas

I enjoyed this book. It wasn't what I expected when I began reading it. It was a pleasant surprise and I enjoyed it.

4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Very touching

This was a a great book. It was very touching. I finished it in a day.

4 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

What's the worst you can say?

I am a big fan of James Patterson. I've probably read at least a dozen of his books including '1st to Die' and '2nd Chance,' where he essentially writes from a female perspecitive. Except for an occasional gross-out scene, I have enjoyed his books. So, why didn't I like this one? It's not that I have anything against romance. It's not even that I object to the three kleenex box routine. What bothered me about this book was that its characters were just too darn perfect. I mean, what's the worst you can say about Katie? She thinks she's gawky. What's the worst you can say about Suzanne? She's a recovering workaholic. What's the worst you can say about Matt? His dad died when he was young so he fears abandonment. And Nicholas...I'm a grandfather and I love my little grandchildren, but shoot me if I go on about them the way Suzanne goes on about Nicholas. I mean, seriously. As an earlier reader said about this book, it's redundant. It's a short book that's too long. I don't know anyone that is as perfect as these three. I'm certainly not. This book was just too pat. How about some people I can identify with and really care about?

3 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

Wow

Wonderful best book ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

I LOVE THIS BOOK! James Patterson is one of the best writers I've ever read and I'm only on page THIRTY!...

Reading this on the paperback version. This is the first James Patterson book I've ever read. I'm on page 30 right now, an dI feel like I'm a character! I feel as if I myself am in the book. When he rights, it's so powerful! He makes it feel like home!

This may be my first James Patterson book I've ever read, But I can tell you one thing. It won't be my last!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I had just moved back to New Jersey from North Carolina and I wa

I had just moved back to New Jersey from North Carolina and I was cleaning up the attic of the house I had just bought. As I was sorting through the things left behind by the previous owner I saw a book propped up against one of the posts. I picked it up and began to read the first page. I saw the words New York and North Carolina and immediately became intrigued. Already the setting was relating to my own life. The book was Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson, published in 2001. I had never read James Patterson before but I had heard of his books. This did not seem to fit his usual genre. He is best known for his mystery thriller books such as Roses Are Red and Kiss the Girls. James Patterson’s Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas is instead a powerful love story, with of course a bit of suspense. The story is about Katie Wilkinson a New York writer whose boyfriend Matt has just broken up with her. Instead of the wedding proposal she was hoping for he mails her a diary, written by his former wife to their son Nicholas. Katie is heartbroken and cannot imagine that Matt was cheating on his wife. Although unsure of what she is about to find out, she begins reading the diary. This story is about Katie, Matt, Suzanne and Nicholas and how their lives are joined through love, loss and the hope of finding love again.
The book begins with Katie Wilkinson. The man she had been seeing for a year, Matt has just broken up with her. He sent her a package and in it was a diary, Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas. A note from Matt read, “Maybe this diary will explain things better than I ever could. If you have the heart, read it.” With that, the mystery began.
The main events of this book were excerpts from the diary left by Suzanne to her son Nicholas. James Patterson uses both first and third person narrative through the book. The majority of the book is in third person as Katie reads the diary, which is set in Suzanne and Matt’s hometown in Martha’s Vineyard. It then changes to first person as Katie reacts to what she is reading. The diary describes Suzanne’s life after suffering a life threatening heart attack and makes a major life change where she leaves New York to become a country physician in Martha’s Vineyard. It is hear that she meets Matt a painter and inspiring writer. The two fell in love and Katie has to push through the pages of details of their relationship, not knowing how this will change her life, if at all in the end. I became completely engulfed in the lives of these four people and how they were intertwined and couldn’t wait to solve the mystery behind the diary.
The characters are all very likeable and at times it feels as this family is meeting and coming together like they are part of our own. One of my favorite quotes used several times is, “Isn’t it lucky?” It is a statement they created after Matt learned Suzanne had survived a life threatening heart attack. As I read this line on several occasions throughout the book, I couldn’t help but feel the sense of love and gratitude in the situations in my own life, like when my own son was born with a heart condition.
As Katie finishes the diary to its poignant end, she realizes why Matt had been struggling. She learns the truth and the mystery was revealed. She realizes there may be hope for them after all. This book is definitely a page turner and I strongly recommend it to anyone who loves a feel good easy read. It is one that keeps you routing for the good guys and the promise of love, hope and family. After reading this book I felt there was definitely hope for love, even after love had been lost. I felt so grateful for my health and the health and love of my family. I find myself on a daily basis saying, “Isn’t it lucky?”

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Excellent Book!

My first James Patterson book. I couldn't put it down!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The worst book I have ever read

My co-workers were passing this book around, praising it as the sweetest, saddest story ever and told me I just had to read it... What a trite piece of junk. A good writer will describe how a song sounds, how it makes the character feel to hear it; Patterson just names a modern singer -- over and over. I can't believe that he spent more than a day writing this story. Please don't waste your time or money on this book. There are so many good books in the world; this is not one of them.

1 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Maybe we, avid readers, should start WRITING GOOD BOOKS !!!

This is the sort of book that Virginia Woolf used to call a 'beauty-parlor' book. Don't get me wrong : the story line is fairly good and the book is certainly a page-turner, for the simple fact that Mr. Patterson is good at holding important information, maybe just enough for the reader to keep reading avidly in order to know what happens next or to confirm his or her suspicions. What a WASTE, though ! The story is entirely told in such a shallow , superficial manner and is so filled with repetitive ideas, that one soon starts skipping whole paragraphs. NOT to mention the fact that writing from a female perspective is way beyond Mr. Patterson's capacity. If you belong to that group of people who think that 'books are made to help you escape reality', this book is for you. If you, INSTEAD, think that books are made to help you UNDERSTAND reality and / or are looking for new, intelligent and sound perspectives on matters that really count in life, DO NOT WASTE YOUR PRECIOUS TIME and money on this book, when there are so many incredibly rewarding reading experiences waiting for you out there and YOU KNOW IT !

1 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

disgustingly cheesy

this book was so sappy and cheesy i couldn't believe it. it was a very short book but it had too many words so i constantly found myself skipping complete sentences because he just kept repeating himself. he kept saying the same things as if he thought we wouldn't understand what he was trying to say the first time so he would dummy it down the second time to make sure what he was trying to say. i found myself always saying to myself, 'alright already, we get the point so move on!' the book was very short and it had large print so i was able to finish it in one day although i found myself taking lots of breaks just to get away from the monotony of the book. anyway, i hate it when male authors write from a woman's point of view. they just don't get it!!!!!!!

1 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Suzanne's Vomit Inducing Diary

OK, first of all the couple met at a Kennedy wedding? That was my first clue. If Patterson wanted to get across that the herione led a charmed life, connecting her to the Kennedys is not the way to go about it. And then, she meets the Man Of Her Dreams and lo and behold, he has NO FAULTS. Is this how contemporary fiction develops characters? I'm supposed to believe that her entire life was spent with breakfast in bed, snuggles with an brawny tanned husband and ahh, the perfect baby boy. Gross. Give me some burnt breakfasts at least. And then the ending. I mean really, it was so contrived it was nothing more than Patterson's attempt to solicit Hollywood agents for a Made For TV Screenplay deal. Please, spare yourself the agony of reading this infuriating drivvle and go read something good, like James Thomas Flexner's biography of George Washington.

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

What a waste of my money

I knew from the title that something was aloof with Patterson's book, but, alas, I had to see for myself. I skipped pages. Read the ending, and dumped it into the donation box at the Salvation Army. I think Patterson is looking for an Oprah endorsement here. This is the most sickeningly sweet, sentimental piece of pap I've ever read. I have to compare it to a diet of cotton candy and marshmallows, follwed by a sniffer of brandy. And this from an author with such a strong reputation and devout following as Patterson. The shelf life of this folly, hopefully, will be brief, as will Patterson's journey to the dark side. Let's hope for a speedy recovery.

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Great Audio-Cassette Experience with Motherly Love!

Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas is a story within a story. The bulk of the book is a diary written by a mother for her new-born son. She explains how she met her husband, how they fell in love, what the pregnancy was like, and recounts her reactions to the life of young Nicholas. This part of the book works beautifully. I think the concept is a brilliant one, and I hope that parents who read this book will create such diaries for their children. The reading by Becky Ann Baker is moving, and brings these experiences to life in a wonderful way! The external story doesn't work nearly as well. Katie Wilkinson has fallen in love and is pregnant by a mysterious poet from Martha's Vineyard. Just when it looks like marriage is in the cards, he flees. The next morning, she finds the diary along with a note that it may be hurtful to read the diary. She cannot figure out what the message of the diary is until the very end. This story's superstructure just dilutes the beauty of the story in the diary. Mr. Patterson does one thing that I consider unforgiveable in a novelist: He deliberately shows off how easily he can mislead the reader . . . to me it felt sort of like him sticking his tongue out at you to establish his superiority over you. As one of several examples I could cite, Suzanne comes to Martha's Vineyard and runs into an old friend, Matt. In other places, she describes the baby's father as Matt. Naturally, many would assume that it is this old friend. No, it is someone else. The first Matt is in the story only for that purpose. Now, really! The most annoying example of this showing off was giving Suzanne a very extreme and unusual heart condition just so Mr. Patterson could create a tricky ending in the diary. I would not normally complain so much about this sort of flaw, but these sleight-of-hand sections seriously degrade what is otherwise a very lyrical and well-written book. After you finish reading this book, think about who else you could write a diary for . . . and then do it! Gently share your feelings with those you care about. Donald Mitchell, co-author of The Irresistible Growth Enterprise and The 2,000 Percent Solution

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Insightful yet teary look at loss

New York book editor Katie Wilkinson believed that she found her soul mate in poet-house painter Matt Harrison. However, instead of a lifetime together, they share a year before Matt vanishes. After disappearing from her life, Matt mails Katie a diary written by his wife Suzanne. Katie cannot help but read the journal that Suzanne has written to her and Matt¿s son. She explains how she was a yuppie doctor in Boston until she suffered a heart attack in her mid thirties. Knowing she needed a lifestyle change, Suzanne fled to Martha¿s Vinyard where she falls in love with Matt. They marry and have a child. As she reads, Katie begins to feel she knows Suzanne and Nicholas as old friends. Still even she wonders if she should try to see Matt one last time once she finishes the cherished diary lovingly written by a mother to a son? <P> Fans of James Patterson¿s powerful Cross mysteries will find SUZANNE¿S DIARY FOR NICHOLAS quite a departure for the popular author. There is a mystery of sorts and plenty of suspense but in a different manner than usual for a James Patterson novel, but no murders or crimes are committed. Still, the writer flexes his muscles as he provides a strong, insightful, yet teary character study that looks closely at loss through the souls of Suzanne and Matt and the reactions of Katie. Using his usual switching from first to third and back to first case, Mr. Patterson provides a warm, somewhat overly maudlin tale that will stir the audience to want more dramas of this sort from a talented scribe. <P>Harriet Klausner

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A Tearjerker

I read this book in one night. It was very good and extremely moving. I certainly belive that James Patterson can write books for all types of genre after this!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Finding Love

I am a suspense/thriller novel reader. I dont read love stories but this book is great! I am a die heart James Patterson fan and will read anything that he writes. this book is definitely a deviation from Jame Patterson's thrillers, yet it is as suspenseful as the thrillers. I bought the book at his book signing on July 18th. I begin reading it that night, at lunch at work the next day and finished that night (24 hrs). I couldnt put it down! It makes you long for the love displayed in the book. To love and lose, and then love again...That's excellent! Once you become a James Patterson fan, you are hooked for life. He's incredible. Go get the book; you wont be sorry.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Just one more reason to LOVE James Pattersons work!

I bought and finished this book the same day I bought it. I litterally could not put it down. I read and read till I was finished and once I was done, with tears in my eyes and my heart aching for Matt and Katie I was sad to have finished it so quickly. This book is great. I am an avid reader of James Patterson's novels and to date have read and collected all of them. I must admit, as were some other James Patterson 'suspense thriller' fans, that I was a little shaky about a 'love story'. I am sorry Mr. Patterson for any doubts I had. Like the insert in the books jacket says, this book is for anyone that has every loved. I highly recomend.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Enjoyed this book extremely.

Held my attention. Tearful at times. I would reread this book. Definitely recommend. I love the romantic side of James Patterson and would love to meet him.