I had to keep telling myself, “This isn’t real life. This isn’t real life. This isn’t real life!” But what I really mean is this isn’t MY life. I haven’t heard many stories where love happens like it does in Dreamland and I guess that’s OK because it’s a made-up story. I’ll just be totally honest and give you the full picture, part of my frustration with the book isn’t because of the way it portrays love, it’s from my own jealousy. What I’m about to say next is a spoiler so if you want to skip it, just go down to after the video and I’ll pick up there with no more spoilers.
In the book, the couple who fall in love go their separate ways because they both had lives and stuff going on before they met on their vacations. This is in the last few chapters. Life carries on and the two begin to live life without each other. But to tie the story up with a rose-colored bow, the woman (who had moved to Nashville to embark on a singing career) does a surprise visit to the guy (who works on a farm in North Carolina). Earlier, he was the one to initiate the breakup but when she came back to see him after awhile apart, she declared them “back together” and that they’ll give the long-distance relationship the old college try, as they say. That irks me because in my life, any woman I’ve broken up with has never come back and refused to stay apart. Not once. Jealousy. Exhaustion. Disappointment. I know deep down I want a love like Colby and Morgan have. Somewhere along the way I went from a hopeless romantic to just hopeless. I am aware that in this country (and maybe the whole world), romantic love is an idol. OK, that’s the only pity party I’m writing about today!
What can I say? It’s Nicholas Sparks. He has a way of weaving a story together that kept me interested. The twist at the end will stick with me because I didn’t see it coming. But still, nothing will top The Notebook for me. With that said, “Dreamland” should become a movie and when it does, I’ll watch.
-Out of the Wilderness
Out of the Wilderness 