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Message in a Bottle

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Shimmering with suspense and emotional intensity - takes readers on a hunt for the truth about a man and his memories, and about both the heartbreaking fragility and enormous strength of love.

Nicholas Sparks is our very best chronicler of the human heart. His stunning first novel, The Notebook, has been given by friend to friend and lover to lover all over the world as a testament to the timeless power of love. But if we thought he could never again move us so deeply, he now shows us he can-in a story that renews our faith in destiny...in the ability of true lovers to find each other no matter where, no matter when... Message In A Bottle

Thrown to the waves, and to fate, the bottle could have ended up anywhere. Instead, it is found just three weeks after it begins its journey. Theresa Osborne, divorced and the mother of a twelve-year-old son, picks it up during a seaside vacation from her job as a Boston newspaper columnist. Inside is a letter that opens with:

My Dearest Catherine, I miss you my darling, as I always do, but today is particularly hard because the ocean has been singing to me, and the song is that of our life together...

For "Garrett," the man who signs the letter, the message is the only way he knows to express his undying love for a woman he has lost. For Theresa, wary of romance since her husband shattered her trust, the message raises questions that intrigue her. Who are Garrett and Catherine? Where is he now? What is his story?

Challenged by the mystery, and pulled to find Garrett by emotions she does not fully understand, Theresa begins a search that takes her to a sunlit coastal town and an unexpected confrontation. Brought together by chance-or something more powerful-Theresa and Garrett are people whose lives are about to touch for a purpose, in a tale that resonates with our deepest hopes for finding that special someone and everlasting love.

Shimmering with suspense and emotional intensity, Message in a Bottle takes readers on a hunt for the truth about a man and his memories, and about both the heartbreaking fragility and enormous strength of love. For those who cherished The Notebook and readers waiting to discover the magic of Nicholas Sparks's storytelling, here is his new, achingly lovely novel of happenstance, desire, and the choices that matter most...

342 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1998

About the author

Nicholas Sparks is one of the world’s most beloved storytellers. All of his books have been New York Times bestsellers, with over 130 million copies sold worldwide, in more than 50 languages, including over 92 million copies in the United States alone.

Sparks wrote one of his best-known stories, The Notebook, over a period of six months at age 28. It was published in 1996 and he followed with the novels Message in a Bottle (1998), A Walk to Remember (1999), The Rescue (2000), A Bend in the Road (2001), Nights in Rodanthe (2002), The Guardian (2003), The Wedding (2003), True Believer (2005) and its sequel, At First Sight (2005), Dear John (2006), The Choice (2007), The Lucky One (2008), The Last Song (2009), Safe Haven (2010), The Best of Me (2011), The Longest Ride (2013), See Me (2015), Two by Two (2016), Every Breath (2018), The Return (2020), The Wish (2021), and Dreamland (2022), as well as the 2004 non-fiction memoir Three Weeks With My Brother, co-written with his brother Micah. His twenty-fourth novel, Counting Miracles, will be published on September 24, 2024.

Film adaptations of Nicholas Sparks novels, including The Choice, The Longest Ride, The Best of Me, Safe Haven (on all of which he served as a producer), The Lucky One, Message in a Bottle, A Walk to Remember, The Notebook, Nights in Rodanthe, Dear John and The Last Song, have had a cumulative worldwide gross of over three-quarters of a billion dollars. The Notebook has also been adapted into a Broadway musical, featuring music and lyrics by Ingrid Michaelson.

Sparks lives in North Carolina. He contributes to a variety of local and national charities, and is a major contributor to the Creative Writing Program (MFA) at the University of Notre Dame, where he provides scholarships, internships, and a fellowship annually. He co-founded The Epiphany School in New Bern, North Carolina in 2006. As a former full scholarship athlete (he still holds a track and field record at the University of Notre Dame) he also spent four years coaching track and field athletes at the local public high school. In 2009, the team he coached at New Bern High School set a World Junior Indoor Record in the 4×400 meters, as well as US High School National Records in the 800 Medley and 1600 Medley. Click to watch the Runner’s World video with Nicholas.

The Nicholas Sparks Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, was founded in 2011, to provide scholarships and fund educational programs for underprivileged and disadvantaged youth. Between the foundation, and the personal gifts of the Sparks family, more than $15 million dollars have been distributed to deserving charities, scholarship programs, and projects. Because the Sparks family covers all operational expenses of the foundation, 100% of donations are devoted to programs.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 5,194 reviews
Profile Image for Annie.
Author 2 books111 followers
October 25, 2020
For those of you (like me) who have seen the movie of the same name starring Kevin Costner, the end of this novel will come as no surprise. I knew what I was getting in for when I started this book and kept the tissues well-stocked. In fact, I had to stop reading it on the bus for fear of crying in public.

Instead of going into a detailed review, I'd like to share with you an excerpt of an interview Nicholas Sparks did with the NY Times after writing this novel. He shares his inspiration but I have to warn you, it is gut wrenching...

"Message in a Bottle was inspired by my father after the death of my mother. In 1989, six weeks after I was married, my mother and father went horseback riding. They were avid riders and very comfortable on horses, and were simply walking the horses along a scenic trail. For a reason that no one can explain -- we assume it was the horse, a rather skittish Arabian -- my mom fell out of the saddle, off the horse, hit her head on a rock, had a cerebral hemorrhage and died.

My mother and father had married at the age of twenty-one and my father was absolutely crushed by her death. They'd been married twenty-seven years and my father didn't have the slightest idea of what it meant to be a grown-up without my mom. A lot of people wear black to a funeral. My father wore black every day for four years. He pretty much became a recluse. He pulled away from his family and friends, he stopped going out, he stopped doing pretty much
everything. All he did was go to work and back home again. It was heart-breaking to watch.

After four long years of worrying about him, my father finally
started taking baby steps out in the world again. He started reconnecting with family and friends, eventually he started to date again -- think more years passing -- eventually he met someone in particular, eventually he fell in love again. And then one day, about seven years after my mom had died, I got a call from my father. "I'm engaged," he said.

Now, I was happy about that, not because I didn't care about my mom -- I adored her -- but because I'd been so worried about my father. Kids worry about their parents the same way parents worry about their kids, and I was glad that he'd finally found someone.

Two days after that phone call, my father was driving home late one night, fell asleep at the wheel of his car, crashed, and died . . ."

Is it better to have loved and lost then never loved at all? Nicholas Sparks says yes and after reading Message in a Bottle, I'm inclined to agree.

PS It's 100% just as good as the movie. Promise.

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Profile Image for Ahmad Sharabiani.
9,563 reviews371 followers
March 12, 2022
Message in a Bottle, Nicholas Sparks

Message in a Bottle is the second romance novel written by American author Nicholas Sparks. The story, which explores the romance theme of love after grief, is set in the mid-late 1990's, then-contemporary Wilmington, North Carolina. The 1999 film Message in a Bottle produced by and starring Kevin Costner, is based on this novel.

عنوانهای چاپ شده در ایران: «پیامی در بطری»؛ «پیغام اقیانوس»؛ «نامه ای در بطری»؛ نویسنده: نیکولاس اسپارکس؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز ششم ماه نوامبر سال2015میلادی

عنوان: پیامی در بطری؛ نویسنده: نیکولاس اسپارکس؛ برگردان ارمغان جزایری؛ نشر تهران، البرز، سال1378، در317ص، شابک9644422295؛ چاپ پیشین این کتاب با ترجمه سرکار خانم نفیسه معتکف در390ص، توسط انتشارت لیوسا، سال1378، در390ص؛ با شابک9645634083؛ چاپ دوم سال1380؛ چاپ سوم سال1387؛ چاپ چهارم سال1395، در392ص؛ شابک9789645634085؛ منتشر شده است؛ با عنوان: پیغام اقیانوس، مترجم البرز آذرکیوان؛ تهران، سوگند، سال1386، در323ص؛ شابک9789647532655؛ و با عنوان نامه ای در بطری؛ مترجم چکامه چاوشی، ویراستار بهاره شیرازی؛ تهران، آوای چکامه، سال1399؛ در303ص؛ شابک9786008173700؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده20م

پیامی در بطری؛ حدیث جدال، با سرنوشت دو انسان سرگشته است؛ «گارت» غمگنانه، پیام عشق و دلدادگی جاودانه ی خود، به همسرش «کاترین» را، در بطری‌هایی به آب می‌سپارد؛ همسرش سه سال پیشتر، در تصادفی جان باخته است؛ فرسنگ‌ها آنسوتر، «ترزا» زنی که می‌کوشد، زندگی خویش را، وقف تنها فرزندش نماید؛ یکی از بطری‌ها را می‌یابد؛ «ترزا» مقاله‌ نویس است، و خیانت همسرش، سبب جدایی از او شده است؛ «ترزا» پس از خوانش نامه، و پی بردن به عشق بی‌آلایش نویسنده‌ اش، آن را در روزنامه چاپ می‌کند؛ عده‌ ای از خوانشگران؛ طی تماس با دفتر روزنامه، می‌گویند، آنها نیز، نامه‌ هایی همانند و با همان مضمون، پیدا کرده‌ اند...؛ و؛

تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 02/02/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ 20/12/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
Profile Image for Abby.
387 reviews65 followers
March 15, 2010
Okay, so it's been years since I read this book. I read it based on people telling me Nicholas Sparks was this amazing author. AND, I knew they had made a movie off of the book, and any time they do that, the book is always super good, right? TOTALLY WRONG! I remember it was one of the dumbest books ever. None of the storyline was very logical, and at the end, the main character dies, leaving you saying, "WHAT THE CRAPPITY CRAP?! HOW CAN YOU KILL OFF THE LOVER IN A LOVE STORY?" I suppose that was supposed to make it even more deep or something, but it just bugged me. I want a happily ever after, dang it! My eyeballs feel they wasted precious minutes of their life being forced to read this book. I had to apologize to them many times afterwards.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Erin.
30 reviews
April 8, 2008
I bought this book used for fifty cents at a book sale.

I'm glad I didn't spend more money on it. What a disappointment. It dragged pretty much through the entire book & then BLAM, the end SUCKED so hard it just pissed me off & any good feelings I'd had from this book were quickly forgotten.
Profile Image for Nayra.Hassan.
1,259 reviews6,177 followers
May 25, 2022
الا نتمني جميعا ان تعثر علينا تلك الزجاجة الغامضة التي تجرفها الأمواج؛ من الماضي و هي تحمل رسالة من مجهول لمجهول
giphy-2
زجاجة محكمة تقطع مئات او الاف الأميال و السنوات احيانا ؛و بداخلها كلمات
فما بالك لو أرسلتها و عادت اليك؟
Profile Image for Poetic cell.
26 reviews5 followers
April 6, 2018
4.5/5

I was looking for a good book to bring on my summer vacation about a week ago and staring at my book shelves for more than thirty minutes, I had no clue what to do. I usually pick a few books that catch my eye and suit my mood and I guess I just get a feeling for the right one. But this time, I was very uncertain just like I had been about everything that day. Eager to suppress these emotions, I decided to bring a random book. Something I would never do, that's for sure, but hey, never say never!
Anyway, I landed my eyes on this gem without knowing what I was getting myself into. This is the story about pure love from a realistic point of view, I'd say. Not many things in life turn out the way we want, but that's the beauty of it. Actually, what an extraordinary story! Perfect amount of sensuality, humor, events, descriptions and it's definitely not predictable. So easy to read, yet so thought provoking.
At one point, I had to close the book and just, think. Think about what love means to me, my expectations, past experiences and how it constantly challenges and changes us. Needless to say, I found myself connected to the pain this author wanted to portray. I usually don't cry, but I was so touched that the tears kept rolling down my cheeks long after I had finished reading the last page. Overall, a great book! Turned out to be the perfect choice for me.
Profile Image for Aishu Rehman.
981 reviews946 followers
August 14, 2018
Second chances,
Sometimes you never know if your given the blessing of having love a 2nd time only to loose it again.
This book inspires you to look at life differently and appreciate what you have before it is taken away from you!
The small things become those that you treasure the most. I finished this the night.
Thank you for this emotional loving book!
Profile Image for Mahdi Lotfi.
447 reviews122 followers
September 13, 2017
پیامی در بطری داستانی است که باور ما را در مورد سرنوشت تقویت می‌کند که عاشقان راستین بی‌توجه به زمان و مکان می‌توانند یکدیگر را بیابند. ترزا، روزنامه نگار، بطری دربسته ای حاوی نامه ای عاشقانه در ساحل پیدا می کند که باعث می شود مسیر زندگی اش به کلی تغییر کند. او نامه را می خواند:
کاترین عزیزم، دلم برایت تنگ است. همیشه دلتنگم، اما امروز از همیشه بدترم؛ زیرا دریا نغمه سرایی می کند و آواز سر می دهد که زندگی من به تو بسته است...
Profile Image for Vikas.
Author 3 books180 followers
April 18, 2020
I read this immediately after A Bend in the Road so Garrett's wife's death is very similar to Miles' wife but here there was no mystery but lot of love and sadness. The story starts while a success columnist who at 36 is divorced with a 12 years old son is vacationing and comes across a message in a bottle and the content is so full of raw emotions that she can't help but cry. And soon somehow it finds way to her column and soon she finds there are other letters which people found similarly to her and curious she wants to meet the guy who has so much love in his heart. So she finds the guy Garrett with the help of her Boss/Friend Diane who was a kick-ass character whom I liked a lot, Theresa not so much.

This book is seeped in emotions and like most/all of Sparks's books in set somewhere around North Carolina there are sea, beaches, boats and vacations and flings and romances along the way but like so often happen the reality and egos soon come between them and then there are the understanding and misunderstandings they have to go through all in all it was a typical Sparks book which is also tinged by tragedy here and there and I am already kinda getting over it but when I have promised myself to go through as many of these books as possible then I shall do so.

May be if you are still missing the Sparks in your lives then pick one of these books maybe you will find something to love so love and read and love and enjoy and just keep on reading.

People who don't read generally ask me my reasons for reading. Simply put I just love reading and so to that end I have made it my motto to just Keep on Reading. I love to read everything except for Self Help books but even those once in a while. I read almost all the genre but YA, Fantasy, Biographies are the most. My favorite series is, of course, Harry Potter but then there are many more books that I just adore. I have bookcases filled with books which are waiting to be read so can't stay and spend more time in this review, so remember I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and then just Keep on Reading.
Profile Image for Veronica Alvarez.
337 reviews20 followers
October 3, 2021
Another books from Nicholas, and another of the same type

At this point, I don’t feel the need of keep reading his books, I’m pretty sure its just the same book over and over again.

This is his first novel and it shows, because:

1) The way its written

2) One of the worse books I’ve read by him

I don’t even know where to start with this book.

The plot of this book, its very not realistic, and sometimes I have problem with it, because at the end of the day it’s a romance and it should be realistic, but in another times, I get it because it’s fiction and it’s supposed to give you this kind of unrealistic love story but if you’re going to do that, please do it right, but of course this wasn’t the case.

I get that Theresa wants to know about the person who wrote the letters, but she was beyond obsessed, not just this but she implies multiples times, that she’s in love or what about he’s an old man? He’s married? Etc. And I’m just here like…

Her fried is the one pushing her, which that’s weird, like you can be girl go find him or something like that, but she was also implying that she could fall in love with him and I’m like no, friend no, friend.

Before reading this book, someone mentioned that all Nicolas Sparks books are set in NC, which I never noticed that, and I was reading this book, and at the beginning I was really excited that we get a new state, but then, of course, the person who she’s looking lives there and she has to go, therefore this book is set there, so we have the same “ambience” as the other books.

The love of course it came pretty fast as the other books.

The writing, omg, the writing, I always have seen this white man writing women, but I never actually re called a book like that or an author, but let me present you this one:

"Her breasts had always been smallish, and though it had bothered her when she was younger, she was glad now because they hadn’t started to sag or droop like those of other women her age”
“Her stomach was flat, and her legs were long and lean from all the exercise”

And multiple characteristics about her body and how hot she is in comparison of other women.
It does have its good moments and sometimes cute, like in the unrealistic way, but just that one part good.
Profile Image for Megan Mweemba.
505 reviews
January 19, 2010
Since I don't really have time and don't want to write a detailed review, I'll just say a few things...

1. I didn't really like this book as much as some of Sparks' other novels. I'm not sure why...

2. I would give this book three and a half stars, still, because it was still good.

3. One thing that really bugs me is that i almost feel like Sparks thinks he needs to write an explicit sex scene to sell something. Out of all his books that I know of, A Walk To Remember is his only one thr doesn't. You don't need sex to be in love. And especially not in such detail. But I guess some people like it.

4. Another thing I'm rather tired of is that his characters seem to fall in love after only a few days! That'd not enough to build a relationship on! Don't get me wrong, I still love his novels. That's just not realistic.

Well, that's just in my humble opinion, which everyone is entitled to. I'm sure that some of you have different opinions, and I'd love to hear how you feel!

Oh, a P.S. to those of you who dislike Sparks' books because they don't have "happy endings": get over it. It's life. Not everything is always roses and weddings, okay?
Profile Image for Henry.
770 reviews40 followers
May 1, 2020
Nicholas Sparks' second novel (after the Notebook). A classic love story.
Profile Image for PurplyCookie.
942 reviews209 followers
April 15, 2010
If you thought "The Notebook" was a tearjerker, then get ready to have a hanky on hand and be on an emotional rollercoaster ride with Sparks's second star-crossed love story, "Message in a Bottle".

When Theresa Osborne takes a much-needed summer holiday at Cape Cod, she finds a lot more than a break from the hustle and bustle. On an early-morning jog along Cape Cod Bay, she comes across a corked bottle with a scrolled-up message inside that reads, "My Dearest Catherine, I miss you." Subsequent publication of the poignant missive in her column turns up two more letters, found by others, from the same mysterious writer, Garrett Blake.

Piqued, Theresa follows the trail to North Carolina, where she discovers that Garrett has been mourning his late wife for three years; writing the sea-borne messages is his only solace. Theresa also finds that Garrett just might be ready to love again and that she might be the woman for him. There are few surprises here as we watch the couple learn to love in Catherine's slowly waning shadow. "Someday you'll find someone special again. People who've been in love once usually do. It's in their nature."

The struggle Garrett has to forget his past and look at the future allows many readers to relate to Garrett. The fact that Garrett conquers himself may give people hope to win their own battles. "Do you really think it's possible if we don't see each other very much? When would I get to hold you? When would I be able to see your face? If we only see each other once in a while, we won't be able to do the things that we need to... to continue feeling the way we do. Every time we saw each other, we'd know it's only for a couple of days. There wouldn't be time for anything to grow."

The story relates to the inner romantic in us--whether you choose to admit it or not. It's a real tearjerker--you can't help but wish you'd also be swept up in a love like this. On the whole, it's a compassionate story of a person looking for love, meeting a person who never thought he would find love again. The relationship between Theresa and Garrett is natural and relatable; just get ready for the tears to flow when you read the ending.


Book Details:

Title Message in a Bottle
Author Nicholas Sparks
Reviewed By Purplycookie
Profile Image for Tạ Hương.
4 reviews
February 4, 2014
Two questions:

Why does an experienced, professional diver neglect to wear his effing life jacket on a journey that is known to be later than usual, with a storm that is known to be approaching?

and,

How can Garrett write Catherine a line such as, "Before we came together, I moved through life without meaning, without reason. I know that somehow, every step I took since the moment I could walk was a step toward finding you." when they have known and loved each other since (at least) third grade?

Those are not irrelevant trivialities, but typical illustrations as to why I don't read romances which are mere romances with clichéd and unrealistic turns of phrases and events lazily thrown together in an attempt to push as many tear-jerking buttons as possible.

On a really irrelevant note, I finished the book and turned to the dedication to see that "Catherine" and "Theresa" are the names of Sparks' wife and agent. Ew.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Anne Dragovcic.
252 reviews73 followers
October 4, 2023
Is it better to have love & lost or better to never have loved at all …?

Not my favorite Sparks novel but I connected with the main character Theresa and felt everything she went through.

Pass the Kleenex please.
Profile Image for Chana.
1,610 reviews147 followers
January 25, 2009
Written in a very simplistic way, one story line, nothing going on but the conversation or action currently on the page. I can see how it could easily be made into a movie as it is very low on content and high in maudlin emotion. Being a romance it has to have some silly language, in this case the overuse of the word "tightening". Take this line, "The breeze was blowing through her hair, and the sight of it made something tighten in his stomach." If that isn't enough to get you giggling, take these lines, "There was something mysterious and different about the way he acted, something masculine. And that made him unlike anyone she'd ever met before." Am I the only one who thinks this is funny? Despite myself, I've been eyeing corked bottles. Should I send a message in a bottle?
Profile Image for DJ.
97 reviews3 followers
February 15, 2010
Read this book while vacationing in Cancun in 1998. Read the final page watching the dawn on the beach. Perfect experience!

If I remember correctly, it was one of my favorite books during that time. The book made me compelled to write a letter and throw it out to sea, which I never did.

It's a heartfelt story that should be read. However, it's not memorable because after all of these years, I am not interested in reading it again. It's a one-time-good-book read. If you like Sparks's writing, then I highly recommend this book. If you enjoy stories about how two people don't know about each other, but it's fate that they should be together, get this book. If you're into sappy love stories, get this book. Otherwise, don't. :-)
Profile Image for Sherri Thacker.
1,481 reviews324 followers
October 31, 2022
Theresa finds a bottle with a message in it washed up on the beach. She’s determined to find the man Garrett who wrote it. A love story begins between the 2 of them and wow! I loved this book and just didn’t want it to end. I appear to be the ONLY person who has not read this book yet with over 200,000 reviews. Loved it!
19 reviews10 followers
June 16, 2012
The plot was good I think but the book in totality lacked the cohesion or fluidity. I am no fan of his way of writing, but if you've got it, you can read it in a stretch lying down, under a table-lamp before going to sleep.
The novel starts as it does, but the urgency in Deanna’s character forcing Theresa to go meet Garrett and see if he is the love of her life looks sad and bad. The Garrett person is already in pains and to go down there, meet him for your own gains is very selfish.
Then, their experiences together, their so immediately falling in love with each other felt unreal because it appeared that the chances of everything falling in place so soon does not happen so easily in real lives. Garrett who couldn’t think of anything without Catherine in his minds suddenly steered in path of finding of love again in his life is just fictitious. I don’t deny the possibility but it was a bit tacky. Rather, the inabilities of Garrett fighting his feelings for Catherine and Theresa simultaneously later have been displayed aggressively.
I got bored with it while Garrett and Theresa were trying to figure out their lives together, how they wanted to live their lives. It got way too descriptive and even then Garrett was showed to have not thought of everything in anticipation when he asked Theresa to move to Wilmington.
Frankly, I was worried I was not getting tears in my eyes until the last. Yeah, this novel will bring tears in your eyes. I didn’t like the climax. It felt like even God was willing to skip on dealing with the complications in people’s lives and it was easier to remove him from her life. But, the sequences of actions enveloping the climax were adequately written. The last letter to Catherine to make it reach Europe made it a bit cheesy but okay, another for Theresa to forgive him. Truthfully, the letter he wrote to Theresa sounded the best of all and what she had written to him in the last owing to moving on welled up my eyes.
I don’t know if it was intentional but I liked the way she signed her letter ‘T’ and not Theresa so that even if anyone found out about it, they wouldn’t know who the sender was and she wouldn’t be caught in the vicious circle of what she had created when she went to contact him.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Em.
47 reviews
August 9, 2018
Message in a Bottle is the first Nicholas Sparks novel that I have read. I was in high school back then and my mum received a copy of it few years after it was released. I read it for myself and instantly fell in love with the story. Until today, I consider it as one of the best novels of Sparks.

I can still remember how I passionately copy by hand and read over and over again the letters of Garrett to Catherine. As young as 13, I discovered my love of the written language through this unforgettable tale.

Garrett grieved over the death of his wife, Catherine. As a way of release, he put into words his sadness by writing love letters addressed to his late wife, place them in a bottle and throw them to drift out in the sea.

The love letter traveled from North Carolina to the shore of Boston, where Theresa, a divorcée, found it and instantly got interested to find out who Garrett and Catherine are, guided by the feelings that she could not explain.

Her determination to find the details brought her to North Carolina where she and Garrett met, and eventually fell in love, the latter unaware of Theresa’s knowledge of the letters.

The day came when Garrett discovered the letters in Theresa’s possession. Confrontations and doubts arose and eventually their love was tested.

However, everything was resolved and fell into place. They decided that what they have spells forever.

Unfortunately, the story had a tragic ending. They decided to be together, but the heavens tore them apart.

Tragic as it is, Message in a Bottle remains to be one of the best loved creations of Nicholas Sparks.

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Profile Image for Laurelina.
54 reviews5 followers
April 18, 2008
Just like many, if not most, the movie did NOT do justice to this book. Nicholas Sparks wrote a very detailed, vivid story of Theresa and how she found Garrett through clues in the letters that eventually were found offshore. The difference lies in that the characters described in the book were more human, they were much more flawed, but definitely real. The movie portraied Garrett as a victim of the circumstances that was lied to and that somehow did not have any say in what occurred. It also projected Theresa as someone that was easily thrown into searching for Garrett for the purpose of "knowing what kind of person would right romantic letters," which seems like a lame excuse. I mean, realistically speaking, how many people would go out of their way to seek, find and become intimate with, the author of a romantic letter?
One of the most interesting descriptions is that Theresa later finds herself in the same situation she found Garrett in when they first met, and did not understand.... a lesson embeded everyday life.
Profile Image for Nicole.
833 reviews280 followers
August 7, 2023
Message in a Bottle

This book is amazingly romantic and emotion wrecked. It poor my heart out. A great book to read when life is against you, when you've lost someone very dear. It will make you cry and give you hope at the same time.


"The bottle was dropped overboard on a warm summer evening, a few hours before the rain began to fall. Like all bottles, it was fragile ans would break if dropped a few feet from the ground. But when sealed properly and sent to sea, as this one was, it became one of the most seaworthy objects known to man. It could float safety through hurricanes or tropical storms, it could bob atop the most dangerous of riptides. It was, in a way, the ideal home for the message it carried inside, a message that had been sent to fulfill a promise."




Personal note:
I found very old a copy of this book. The cover is folded, the pages are colored in time and bend a lot. You can see this book is read by many. The book came all the way from USA and ended up in a Dutch Free Little Library. I cherrisch this book with my whole heart. My little gem.
Profile Image for Michael .
283 reviews26 followers
April 22, 2012
I resisted reading this book for a long time because the movie is one of my favorites. There were differences that, at first, I found difficult, but I got over that without much effort. Having just struggled through a long difficult read of David Copperfield, this read was smooth and easy and fast.

I am a very emotional person and that emotion seems to be more readily let loose now that I admit to getting old. I have always been emotional and have never been shamed by letting others see that emotion. This book caused the tears to flow more than once.

Many who read much also write, and I am no exception. I may never get published, because I'm beginning to realize that I really have no burning desire. I write because I enjoy writing. As I read this book, it became clear to me that as I read Nicholas Sparks' words that his style is quite similar to mine. Unless you are one of a handful who have read my story Beach Week.....you'll just have to take my word for that.......mgc
Profile Image for Grecia Robles.
1,629 reviews426 followers
March 22, 2018
Hace mucho que leí este libro que digo mucho muchísimo era de mis primeros libros de romántica que leía y no recuerdo mucho sólo lo de la botella y el mensaje que me gustó pero el final fue horrible me dejó con una sensación horrible de vacío por eso JAMÁS le volví a dar otra oportunidad a Nicholas Sparks, sólo a sus adaptaciones de las películas que me parecen mejores que sus libros jajaja
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