More Than Words Can Say LP: A Novel (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
I had such high hopes for this novel, but it failed to deliver on many levels. The plot was predictable, the pace rather plodding, and the characters static and relatively uninteresting. I really wanted to like this book. Wanted it to be among the better of the Nicholas Sparks novels. Mr. Barclay tried to create sympathetic characters, but they were relatively mundane and boring.Chelsea inherits her grandmother's cottage following grandmother's death. The terms are that she must go to the cottage and she must read the hidden journal that Brooke had left behind when she left Lake Evergreen for the last time. Along the way, Chelsea meets and falls in love with the doctor in the neighboring cabin, learns about her grandmother's past at the cottage, and learns a little about herself in the process. In the end, though, the intrigue of reading someone else's journal wasn't enough to make this book engaging. I nearly gave up on it numerous times. If the author had removed some of the redundancy and boring, meaningless passages, this book could easily have been much shorter.I hoped for so much more. I hope this is not considered cheating, but I like to read the other reviews after I have finished a book to see if I agree with the other comments. So this time I found some reviews that gave the book a very low rating - one said the book was "barfy" and other ones said the book was great. Well - this book was not a WOW! for me but it surely did not make me nauseous either. It was an enjoyable read - it did not advance my IQ nor did it put me to sleep. The characters were interesting - but I could identify much more with Chelsea than I could with Brooke. Chelsea was the girl who inherited her grandmother's lake house; Brooke was the grandmother. I don't think my favoring Chelsea was a generational thing - I am 79, not quite as old as Brooke would be today but not part of Chelsea's generation either. If I had been Brooke, after being so torn up over her simultaneous love for two men, I think I would have fairly quickly run back to the lake after receiving the news that she received. I don't know whether that shows a weakness on my part that I should be ashamed of or not. Like one of the other reviewers - I bought the book because of the mention of WWII diaries - thinking something war-related (and probably of historical significance) would be included. I particularly like historical novels. The only aspect in this book that I recall as having a WWII relation was the occasional mention of rationing (which I do remember and which could be called of historical significance) and the slowness of communications. Except for that it could well have taken place during the Korean or Viet Nam battles.
What do You think about More Than Words Can Say LP: A Novel (2011)?
If you love goofy implausible store like the ones written by Nicholas Sparks this is for you!
—Ameena12
Very good book! Loved it! The characters were great and the love story told was amazing. :)
—reshma
