Book Review: The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks

                To tell you the truth, I've come across this book so many times during my trips to our local bookstores and I haven't ever really considered reading this book. Well, that was until my friend said that it was "the most underappreciated and overlooked book of Nicholas Sparks." From that statement alone, I definitely considered reading the book for myself.

               For those of you that haven't read the book yet, the story is about Wilson Lewis and his efforts to win back the love and affection of his wife, Jane, who is also the eldest daughter of The Notebook's Noah and Allie. Through the years they've been married, Wilson has noticed how he and Jane have somehow led their lives into a pattern, in which Jane has seemed to fall out of love with her husband. With the guidance of Noah Calhoun, Wilson attempts to make his wife fall in love with him all over again, and he attempts to get this done by their wedding anniversary. However, things go astray when Wilson and Jane's eldest daughter, Anna, plans to marry on the day of their wedding anniversary. With Jane helping with Anna's wedding, Wilson tries his best to do still do his plans to win back his wife while keeping up with the wedding arrangement. This book will ultimately end with a wedding you would not expect.

                One of the best parts of this book, in my opinion, would have to be the scenes of Wilson and Noah. I really enjoyed how Nicholas Sparks created their relationship with Noah not only as Wilson's guide to winning back his wife but also as a concerned friend to his son-in-law. It made it more enjoyable for me to keep reading the book. Moreover, I liked how it was in this book that you can see that Noah and Allie's relationship was not totally perfect. There was a part in the novel, about the roses in Noah's house that told so much of their hardships as parents and as a couple. This made it feel more realistic and relatable as no relationship is perfect; but they can always be improved and worked on.

             Another thing I liked about this book was that it made you anticipate something totally different from what was going to happen next. Now, I don't want to spoil it for all of you because I do encourage you to read it but it does kind of surprise you in the end. More than that, though, I really loved the romance that comes with this book. I really enjoyed Wilson's efforts in getting back his wife and the build up towards his grand gesture. There was even a part in which I cried because it was so sweet. You just really have to read it to know what I'm talking about so again I urge you again to read.

            Although there were definitely positives to this book, there was one thing that I didn't like about the story and it was the pacing. Unlike some of Spark's stories, which tackles the discovery of a new love ( like The Rescue, and A Walk to Remember, The Last Song), this one was all about rekindling a somewhat lost relationship, so, in my opinion, it shouldn't have taken Wilson that long to really express his feelings to his wife. With that said, that is the only negative I can truly say about the novel.

           So over-all, it was still a pretty good book and I really do encourage you to read it.

           Just like my other posts, I just had to create a cast list in the hopes that this will turn into a movie.
So here are my suggestions:

1. Noah Calhoun - James Garner

           I don't think any other actor can really replace James Garner for his role as an older and wiser version of Noah Calhoun, so it is just appropriate that he be playing Noah again in a movie adaptation of The Wedding.








2. Wilson Lewis - Aaron Eckhart

              Through his films, Aaron Eckhart continually proves to the world that he is indeed a diverse actor. He went from a fun loving chef in No Reservations to a crazy psychopath in The Dark Knight (Harvey "Two Face") and recently a compassionate president in Olympus Has Fallen. Just by these drastic character changes alone, you could indeed tell he is a serious actor.
            
             Though he is slightly younger than what Nicholas Sparks originally had written for the character to be, I believe he will successfully be able to play Wilson Lewis in the big screen. Not to mention, he has also had experience in the romantic genre as he starred in Love Happens (alongside the beautiful Jennifer Aniston) and No Reservations with the very talented Catherin Zeta Jones. So why shouldn't he play Wilson Lewis in a movie adaptation of The Wedding?




3. Jane Calhoun - Amanda Peet

                    In the novel, Wilson describes his wife to have a somewhat "childlike ease to her emotions." If you watched Amanda Peet's movie "A Lot Like Love," she does exhibit a somewhat childlike ease when she talks. Now, I know that she does that mainly for her character in that movie but it seemed to somehow fit how I imagined Jane to be (while reading the book). Like Aaron Eckhart, she is also younger than what Nicholas Sparks intended for the book but I think she would fit the part perfectly.







4. Anna Lewis - Rooney Mara/Jessica Lowndes/Michelle Tratchtenberg

                       Between these three actresses, I cannot decide which one I'd like to be Anna. In the novel, Anna was described to be sort of gothic yet still kind of look like her mother. These three actresses seem to pull off that gothic style of dressing and they also have a slight resemblance to Amanda Peet. So any of these 3 actresses, in my opinion, can play Anna in the big screen.



5. Joseph Lewis - Adam Gregory
 

                         Not much is described with this character other than he is taller and thinner than Wilson. I was just thinking that Adam Gregory would be a good Joseph because 1) he is very good looking and 2) I think he can pull it off the slightly snooty character (because in the book, Joseph kind of gives Wilson the "cold shoulder" after what Wilson has done to Jane) as this can be seen in some of the characters he played like his character Ty in 90210 and Dom in 17 Again.



6. Leslie Lewis - Erica Dasher



                   In the novel, Leslie was described to be the most endearing of the three. She was described to have a bubbly personality (won homecoming queen in her high school) and was the only child, who seemed to show affection towards her father. I think Erica Dasher can portray that sort of endearing quality to Leslie as well as her bubbly personality. I'm basing this on Erica Dasher's portrayal of Jane Quimby in Jane By Design. I really think she nailed her character there and so, she can most likely also do a great job as Leslie. Moreover, Leslie is still in college (according to the book) and Erica Dasher has such a youthful face that she even portrays a 16-year old girl in Jane By Design, so this role would be perfect for her.

               So that is my take on the book and my suggestions for a movie adaptation of the novel.