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The Guardian

by Nicholas Sparks (Goodreads Author)

4.09 of 5 stars 4.09 · rating details · 74,631 ratings · 2,824 reviews

Julie Barenson’s young husband left her two unexpected gifts before he died – a puppy named Singer and the promise that he would always be watching over her. Now, four years later, twenty-nine year-old Julie is far too young to have given up on love. She may be ready to risk caring for someone again. But who? Should it be Richard Franklin, the sophisticated, handsome engin...more

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Published (first published January 1st 2003)

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May 08, 2013 Blythe rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: disappointments, 2012-reads, i-totally-saw-that-coming

Wasn't a huge fan of this one, but I am looking forward to Sparks' next novel:

71 likes · like · see review

Dec 24, 2012 Marwa A. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Romance fans

Shelves: wishlist, romance

I've never written a review before, but I thought that this book really qualifies for one.
Sometimes you just want something that you can indulge yourself into without the analysis and critical thinking, and this one was perfect for it.
I love the whole story between Mike and Julie and the slow realization of Julie as she comes to love Mike.
and of course I love Singer, The Guardian.
This book is full of twists that I didnt expect at all.
I was surprised by the ending, But I loved it.
This is the fir...more

15 likes · like · see review

Feb 18, 2008 Books Ring Mah Bell rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: poop

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

15 likes · like · see review

Mar 23, 2011 Rsoeffker rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I know what your thinking... How can Reed read a nicholas sparks book... very simple... I don't think you can bad mouth something until you have tried it. so I read a sparks novel. I have to admit it was entertaining. It was also very cheesy and the very end was about the biggest pile of tripe i have ever layed eyes on.

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Mar 15, 2012 إبراهيم عادل rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

رواية جميلة وشيقة ..
يبدو أني أدركت مبكرًا أن هذه الرواية ستعجبني
و يبدو أيضًا أني أحب قراءة الأفلام الأجنبية .. وليس مشاهدتها فحسب
.
على الرغم من أن "تيمة" الرواية تبدو معتادة .. إلا أن سباركس استطاع بلغته وتفاصيل روايته أن يجذبني إلأى عالم هذه الرواية الخاص، وإن بدا لي أن عنوان "الحارس" لم يكن هو الأنسب للرواية ..
.
هناك كوارث إنسانية قامت بها المترجمة دعد سيحاسبها عليها القانون
وإن كانت الترجمة جيدة، ولكن الأخطـاء مثيرة (أقصد كثيرة) وقابلة (قاتلة) ا
....
.

5 likes · like · see review

May 19, 2008 Cenoura do Lado rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2008, borrowed, all

Esta review (já sei) vai ser motivo de risota... (aviso já é que é longa só para eu esclarecer que não o li totalmente de livre vontade!!!!)
Primeiro porque é um autor que eu não gosto e segundo porque as minhas amigas, sabendo que eu o li, não vão deixar de me gozar...
Há muito tempo eu li o 1º livro deste senhor (Message in a Bottle) e, tendo gostado, 'caí na asneira' de comentar esse facto com uma cunhada. O que aconteceu foi que ela, a partir daí, resolveu começar a oferecer-mos TODOS e a verd...more

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Aug 08, 2009 Amanda rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance

One of my favorite Nicholas Sparks' books. The main character falls in love with her long time friend after losing her husband at a very young age. I love the romance concept of the book and the slow realization of Julie as she comes to love Mike. It is also a nice concept of her lost husband watching over her and letting go when he sees she is finally at peace without him. Romance stories are more fascinating to me when the main characters are already friends who fall in love.

13 likes · like · see review

Dec 03, 2008 Jen rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

10 likes · like · see review

Jan 14, 2011 Katherine rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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1 like · like · see review

Oct 20, 2008 Briley rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: q1-2008

September10, 2008
Edit: Septmeber 22, 2008-
The Gaurdian by Nicholas Sparks, is a touching love story of death and a leap a faith. Julie Barenson's husbands death left her with to unexpected gifts, a Great Dane puppy named Singer and the promise that he would be watching over her always. After, four years of mourning Julie is now finally emotionally ready to begin the journey of finding Mr. Right again. While working one day in the small hair salon of her mother-like friend Mable, Richard Frankli...more

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Oct 11, 2012 Angiee rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Speachless.. Literally speachless.. Nicholas Sparks is a natural!! Every time I finish a book of his, I keep on saying it's the best, but ALL OF THEM ARE BEAUTIFULY AMAZING!!!! Mike, Richard, singer, jim.. Everything was soo beautiful.. Richard was sexy, seductive,yet somehow pshycopathic. Mike such a darling sweetheart, every girl would die to have such a boyfriend who loves you so much to the extent that at the last second of his life, when he was one step away from death, he gathered himself...more

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Apr 20, 2010 Anna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The guardian is another great book by Nicholas Sparks. Though I must say he has done better work I still enjoyed reading this one. Like the majority of his books the sadness of death is expressed through his writing. I must say though, at the beginning of the book the story was pretty slow and didn't completely have my attention unlike say The Last Song or Dear John. But by the middle of the book it had me completely captivated! I just couldn't put it down. The whole mysterious Richard story and...more

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Dec 22, 2008 Jessica rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I wish that I could give this book 3 stars. I really wish that I could. I mean there are a lot of parts of the book that I really liked. But in general the story was a little familiar...I read a book earlier this year that was almost exactly the same plot line but of course was not as well put together as a Nicholas Sparks' book! And up until the last chapter and epilogue, I was going to give it 3 stars. But that last bit ruined it for me. Not to spoil anything for any readers, but seriously, th...more

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Nov 17, 2011 Karen & Gerard rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: death, relationships, romance, sparks-nicholas, suspense, thriller

The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks is a combination of a love story and a thriller with a dog thrown in. The main character is Julie, a young widow who works at a salon and finally decides to date four years after her husband died. Her husband, Jim, left her a letter and arranged for her to get a Great Dane puppy in the event of his death which I thought was a pretty neat idea. The dog was his way of watching out for her. After the Prologue, this book poked along for me until about half way through...more

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Jan 25, 2009 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The guardian by Nicholas Sparks is a compelling novel about a widow and her new beginning. Julie after losing her husband was left with nothing but her sorrow until Christmas day. Christmas day Julie was in for a surprise when she was gifted with a puppy. This was no ordinary puppy but it was a puppy from her deceased husband. Though he had passed on he left her one last thing, a great dane which he had specially delivered. Singer being the dogs name brought the feel of jim wherever he went. He...more The guardian by Nicholas Sparks is a compelling novel about a widow and her new beginning. Julie after losing her husband was left with nothing but her sorrow until Christmas day. Christmas day Julie was in for a surprise when she was gifted with a puppy. This was no ordinary puppy but it was a puppy from her deceased husband. Though he had passed on he left her one last thing, a great dane which he had specially delivered. Singer being the dogs name brought the feel of jim wherever he went. He brought a sense of calmness over her distress and confusion. Mike a family friend and reliable companion for Julie is madly in love with Julie. He was there when she needed a shoulder or just a person to watch a movie with. After years of being single Julie decides to get back in the dating game leaving mike behind. Mike being too fearful to tell Julie his feelings sits back and watches her go on date after date. After dating a few men she meets Richard. Richard being high class business man who only wishes to please her. but little does she know that Richard is obsessed with her. he pleases her to hide his obsession. Mike notices the weird attitude Richard has towards Julie and confronts her. she chooses to ignore him, being her biggest mistake. I don’t want to completely ruin the book so ill leave it at that.
I think you should read this book because it brings you through a series of surprises and an array of emotions. It is sort of like one of those movies you just want to yell at the screen for. I personally believe it was great. I myself was recommended this book by a friend who practically cried when describing it. It truly is a page turner forcing you to keep going just so you can see how things turn out. Its twist after twist leaving you in suspense up until the very end. While reading it of course you root for the good guy but you also applaud the bad guy for his clever tactics. I never stopped wondering where sparks got the inspiration for Richard but I never truly wanted to know for it had to be a dark place. Over all the book is well written and kind in a small town kind of way. It proves who is really there and forces you to open your eyes to the obvious.
If you like to read suspense novels you should definitely read this book. If you enjoy being jerked around within your own thoughts I recommend it. its a love story meets thriller. its entertaining and depressing. it ends with tears and a sense of sad anger, yet the readers understanding of what had to happen. if you liked the notebook and a walk to remember you might just enjoy another one of Sparks pieces that is less known but just as worthy. The guardian.(less)

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Dec 31, 2008 Antof9 rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2006-read, upsetting

Notes from BookCrossing: Just finished this one. I was going to clean in my office a bit and then finish it up tonight, but with the stalker in it, I decided to read it while it was light out, as my husband is out of town :)

I wasn't sure what to expect, as I saw the movie "Message in a Bottle" (hated it), the previews for "The Notebook" (but haven't read the book or seen the movie yet), saw "A Walk to Remember" (liked it, but it was slow and almost too sweet), and I have "Nights in Rodanthe" in...more Notes from BookCrossing: Just finished this one. I was going to clean in my office a bit and then finish it up tonight, but with the stalker in it, I decided to read it while it was light out, as my husband is out of town :)

I wasn't sure what to expect, as I saw the movie "Message in a Bottle" (hated it), the previews for "The Notebook" (but haven't read the book or seen the movie yet), saw "A Walk to Remember" (liked it, but it was slow and almost too sweet), and I have "Nights in Rodanthe" in the pile of books to be read.

I didn't have any pre-conceived notions about this one, so thought it might be a good light one to read while my book club is going through Catch-22. Problem is we just started that (read the first 10 chapters for yesterday's meeting), and I've already finished this. Guess I'll have to find something else. . .

Anyway, I liked this, in a odd romance/mystery novel sort of way. I actually liked it better when I read the author's notes at the end where he mentions having always wanted to write a book about a dog :)

The characters were pretty believable and I found myself really caring for them, even if the story was fairly predictable from almost the first chapter.

The best part was the description in the prologue, of how Julie felt after losing her husband. It was so totally accurate, I know the author has either lost someone close to him, or asked someone who has how it feels:

If people asked how she was doing, she simply shrrugged.  But sometimes, just sometimes, she had the urge to answer.  You want to know what it was like to lose my husband? she wanted to ask.  Here's what it's like.  Jim's dead, and now that he's gone, I feel like I'm dead, too.  Is that, Julie wondered, what people wanted to hear?  Or did they want platitudes?  I'll be okay.  It's hard, but I'll make it through this.  Thank you for asking.  She could do the brave soldier routine, she supposed, but she never had.  It was both easier and more honest to simply shrug and say nothing.

This is a good, quick read. (less)

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Jun 13, 2013 Carmela rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Alright. What can I say about this book?

~~Amazing~~ ~~Brilliant~~ Genius.

This book is pure genius

Why? Well, let's see.

It takes a break from all the lovey-dovey cr*p that Sparks usually does, which is good because I know he's a really good author and yet I haven't read a book of his without cringing at the onslaught of romance. According to Sparks, he has always wanted to do a Thriller-Romance. He says that he doesn't always hear about thrillers that have a focus on the romance. Boom. That's how 'The Gu...more

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Jun 01, 2013 Rebecca S rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In all of the books I have read, I found that The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks is one truly amazing find, and I will guarantee that whoever reads it will be on the edge of their seats for the whole entire novel. Nicholas Sparks presents obsession, love, and thrills with ease and presents characters who seem completely normal, but then have the readers gasping with shock or scared out of their mind every page. Through the novel it seems like friends are the only thing keeping Julie afloat.

After c...more In all of the books I have read, I found that The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks is one truly amazing find, and I will guarantee that whoever reads it will be on the edge of their seats for the whole entire novel. Nicholas Sparks presents obsession, love, and thrills with ease and presents characters who seem completely normal, but then have the readers gasping with shock or scared out of their mind every page. Through the novel it seems like friends are the only thing keeping Julie afloat.

After coping through the tragic loss of her husband Julie seemed to be starting over thanks to the help of her friends and beloved dog Singer . She lived with the saying of “If the highlights in her past set the tone, it was the day-by-day events that now defined who she was” (8). This means living a new life by going to her day job at the salon and having a social life full of dating and friends. To me Julie seems like a woman who is warm hearted and makes friends with almost everyone she see’s. As her friend Mike says “She’s a great lady.” (53). From there I continued reading I found that her personality attracted a lot of men too but they had many flaws that just didn't suit what Julie was looking for, until she met Richard. Richard is introduced in the novel as a rich man who met Julie at the salon for his haircut. From that point in the plot it seemed like Julie was having the time of her life and her friends were there to encourage her to keep going out with him as seen from their questions like “So how’d it go with Richard”(24) or the comments like “Honey, he looked like a sailor on shore leave, watching a girlie show.” (24). Whatever the case, Julie seem to always be happy and surrounded by love.

The second main character in the book is Mike, Julie’s best friend and handy man. Mike was introduced in the novel as a struggling musician who was trying to find a true career in life while working at his brother’s auto shop. Mike has a great sense of humor and is always looking forward to cracking jokes with people. However Mike has a crush on Julie he just can’t seem to shake off. Before long Julie caught on and she says that “ Mike wasn't exactly Mr. Mysterious when it came to how he felt about her.” (15). I feel bad for Mike because Julie doesn't feel the same way at first because she doesn't want the risk of their friendship ending if they date. At the same time it’s amusing to see how squeamish he gets around Julie and reading the “plans” he tries to make to impress her. Now the one huge obstacle Mike has in his way from having a relationship with Julie, is her new boyfriend Richard. In the novel when Richard starts acting different it sends not only the readers a bad vibe but it sends Mike a bad vibe too. As time goes on Mike can sense that this man isn't who he says he is and sets out to tell Julie the truth.

The conflict in the novel all begins when Julie finds that she and Richard don’t have a spark. She says “she wasn't so sure about Richard, other than that he seemed like a nice guy. . . the kind of guy that would be perfect for someone else.” (73). Julie decided from there that she would rather go out with Mike. This hurt Richard, so much so it became his obsession to win Julie back so he began to stalk her. As I was reading the feelings that Julie was feeling, the the late night phone calls, and the disappearing people, made me have the chills. The thought of coming home from a vacation and having your stalker leave you a message singing the song “American Pie” that was playing a restaurant you visited the week before was scary. Julie explained here that “she found herself looking over her shoulder and straining to hear anything out of the ordinary.” (211). I can’t imagine going through what Julie went through. Thinking every night before you go to bed that you have double check you locked all your doors and windows is ridiculous, it’s basically like Julie’s home was a jail that didn’t even keep the bad guys out.

Throughout the story there were times when friends were all Julie could trust. After Richard started stalking her Mike stayed with Julie at night to give her peace of mind and Jennifer, one of the Swansboro police involved in Julie’s case and a becoming friend, gave her the benefit of the doubt and believed her story when no one would. Then when the problem started to get more serious Henry and Emma, Julie’s two other close friends. gave her the beach house to hide in until the Richard was finally caught. If it wasn't for Julie’s friends, she would be on her own, lost and scared on what Richard would try to do to her. The quote “It’s too dangerous here... take Emma’s car and leave right away.” (295). Sends a message to the reader that Julie’s friends truly care about her and will try to reason with her in order to keep her safe. I found it interesting that they even offered Julie their own cars so that way she could escape and Richard know it was her.

In conclusion I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars. For me it was the first true thriller I have read that included a stalker and I thought the book was very well written by giving little bits of information at a time that left the readers wanting more. However with that said I have to say that I felt the ending was a little rushed and some parts were predictable. The predictable parts for me was how Julie chose Mike over Richard and some slivers of the ending. Otherwise this book was an awesome find! (less)

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May 29, 2013 Carson added it · review of another edition

The book The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks was one of my favorite novels written by him. Even though it was another cheesy love story, I loved it just as much as the rest. The book is about how a woman loses her husband to cancer and ends up falling in love with her best friend with a few plot twists to come before him. And of course I love her dog Singer who was easy to connect to because my dog acts like that too. This book was very realistic so it was easy to connect with. The story along the...more

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May 28, 2013 Micaela Jackson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"The Guardian" by Nicholas Sparks was first published in 2003. The novel takes place in a small town in North Carolina, Swansboro, which is on the coast. The setting of a small town in NC is a reoccurring theme in all of Sparks' novels. The book starts off with a prologue set on Christmas Eve of 1998, and then flashes forward to 2002.

The main character of this novel is a hairdresser named Julie. Julie's husband had died around four years prior, and had left her with a puppy named Singer and a no...more "The Guardian" by Nicholas Sparks was first published in 2003. The novel takes place in a small town in North Carolina, Swansboro, which is on the coast. The setting of a small town in NC is a reoccurring theme in all of Sparks' novels. The book starts off with a prologue set on Christmas Eve of 1998, and then flashes forward to 2002.

The main character of this novel is a hairdresser named Julie. Julie's husband had died around four years prior, and had left her with a puppy named Singer and a note that told her he would always be watching over her. Julie becomes very attached to Singer, as he has been her main source of company since her husbands death. However, Julie decides that she is ready to start seeing other people. Julie's deceased husband's best friend, Mike, is in love with Julie, and everyone in town wants them to be together. Unfortunately for Mike, a new mysterious man arrives in town and catches Julie's eye. This man is Richard, an engineer who was just contracted to work at a neighboring town. Julie goes on several dates with Richard, but eventually decides that there is not a spark and she falls for Mike. This rejection does not settle well with Richard, and very strange things start to happen to Julie. Singer, who has always been very protective, starts to seem unnerved all the time. Julie and Mike go to the police about this with strong suspicion that Richard is behind it, but they have no proof so nothing can be done. Richard and Mike get into an altercation in a bar, but Mike comes out looking like the bad guy. After a while, a woman that Julie works with starts to see Richard, and she ends up being found almost dead in a ditch. Through a disturbing chain of events, Julie and Mike end up having to go away to hide from Richard, with the protection of a police officer. Somehow, Richard still manages to find them and almost ends up killing Julie, but Singer saves her life. Throughout this book, Sparks mixes the theme of new, budding love with a much more suspenseful theme of a dramatic thriller. Evidence of an everlasting love between Julie and her dead husband is repeated throughout the book through exchanges with friends, thoughts she has, her decision making process, and her relationship with Singer.

This book was thoroughly enjoyable to me. I am a huge fan of Sparks, but this book just went above and beyond with the suspense and action added to his typical love story plot. One of my favorite aspects of this book was the way that Sparks used point of view. He switched between about seven characters, and each would not only give more insight into the main plot, but within each section from that person we began to learn more about their lives as well. Through this, Sparks creates a novel in which there is an overall understanding and knowledge of the plot, while there still being suspense and a desire to see certain events from the perspective of a different character. These individual stories all added to the novel because I became interested in each character's life and experiences, even those of the antagonist. I would say that this book is must read for any Nicholas Sparks fan, but also any reader that enjoys a good love story or a dramatic thriller. This novel appeals to a wide variety of readers due to the excellence and detail it was written with.
(less)

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May 16, 2013 Megan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"The Guardian" is a romance novel written by Nicholas Sparks. Although this book is a romance novel, it could also be regarded as a work of mystery or suspense. "The Guardian" is like many other Nicholas Sparks books. It involves two people falling in love after overcoming great challenges. Main character, Julie Barenson, is living with her dog Singer in a small North Caroline town after the death of her husband Jim. Four years after Jim's death Julie is ready to make an emotional commitment to...more

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Apr 27, 2013 Karina Gonzalez rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The Guardian, by Nicolas Sparks, portrays a very intriguing story about Julie and the consequences of not being careful who trust. It does an excellent job of of showing and at the same time telling a story about a common widow who tries to give love another shot, without realizing who she was letting in.

The story begins with the introduction of a woman, Julie, a common salon lady, and her husband's death. She is very hurt, like anyother person would be, and has only one living memory of her hus...more

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Mar 09, 2013 E.S.P. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

One of the things I liked about this book is it also incorporated a story of dating your close friends, and dating a friend of your ex "lover." Although it is a thriller, it still deals with the concepts of finding love after a tragic event, and I think its wonderful that Sparks managed to add work on a genre that he is not used to.

The suspense created in this book is somewhat...impossible to explain. I bit my fingers along with the thousands of other readers. In my opinion, you either love the...more

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Feb 24, 2013 Jordan Shellhaas rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Julie Barenson, at age 25; is left with two unexpected gifts by her husband Jim after he dies of cancer. A puppy named singer and a promise that he would always be watching over her. Flash forward quite a few years. Julie finds that she is ready to begin dating again. She dates a few guys with no success. And Singer seems to be able to sort the good guys apart from the bad ones. Eventually she meets Richard –a consultant new to town, who impresses her to no end by being sophisticated, handsome,...more

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Jan 20, 2013 Alyssa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Different people might take different messages from The Guardian but the strongest message shown throughout the novel is undoubtedly the idea of everlasting love.

Julie is a young woman recovering the tragic loss of her husband, Jim, to a brain tumor. As it would be for any average person, moving on seems to be a near impossible task. After taking some time to pull herself together, she decides to start seeing someone again, only to have that idea change her life in a way no one could expect. She...more Different people might take different messages from The Guardian but the strongest message shown throughout the novel is undoubtedly the idea of everlasting love.

Julie is a young woman recovering the tragic loss of her husband, Jim, to a brain tumor. As it would be for any average person, moving on seems to be a near impossible task. After taking some time to pull herself together, she decides to start seeing someone again, only to have that idea change her life in a way no one could expect. She goes on several dates with a man named Richard. He seems perfect; there’s not a flaw she can find but she still is unsure if he is the one. On the side, she is also seeing her husband’s best friend, Mike. Confused by her feelings, Julie makes no decision as to which one she’d like to expand her relationship with. But instead of finding happiness and peace through finding new love, she finds herself being stalked by Richard and once again, in a world of desperate pain. Richard takes the stalking to the next level and everyone surrounding Julie becomes in immediate danger only to be saved by what seems like a miracle when the “I will always be watching over you” promise made by her husband is fulfilled.

“She knew Jim would have wanted her to listen to music tonight; she could hear Bing Crosby singing “White Christmas" in the background. She'd put up the tree for him as we'll"(VIIII).

Julie’s everlasting love for her deceased husband is evident throughout her actions. When moving on and dating new people, she questions if she can really ever feel the unconditional love she felt for Jim. She also occasionally asks herself questions like “Is this what Jim would have wanted me to do?”. Sparks shows us that Julie will forever hold a place for Jim in her heart. He shows that she will never forget him through the act of referring back to him and keeping him in her daily thoughts.

Although the theme is hinted at throughout the book but not completely revealed until the very end. Therefore, anyone with intentions of reading The Guardian, who would like to keep the ending a mystery until experiencing it themselves, may want to skip the rest of this paragraph and go directly to the paragraph beginning with “I gave The Guardian...”. Every hint at the theme was focused on Julie’s love for Jim, but never in return. Before Jim died, he wrote a letter to Julie and purchased a Great Dane to keep her company. Towards the end of the book Richard finds Julie, Mike, and a police officer at a cottage. They were there in attempts to hide from Richard. After taking everyone out of the picture to help Julie, Richard got Julie along. He treated her brutally and forced her to say she loved him. Finally, he’d gotten what he wanted, or so he thought. Richard’s perfect world was short lived as Julie’s Great Dane came and saved her, dying in the process.

“On the day they buried Singer in Julie’s backyard, a warm, soft rain fell around the small group of people who gathered to say goodbye to the Great Dane who had been Julie’s companion in life and, at the end, her guardian”(381).

It was like a miracle; like Jim had been with her through everything, keeping her from getting hurt in a unique way that no one would’ve guessed. Sparks showed us that Jim was really always watching over her and had never forgotten about her or stopped loving her. The way he showed us Jim’s protective presence was one of my favorite elements of the book because it was unique and unexpected. I never knew that a dog could hold such a strong message.

I gave The Guardian 5 stars because of the quality of the text and the emotional connect that can be felt with the book. Sparks creates the characters in a way so that they’re almost like real people in the reader’s life. Richard was a character that was created to give off a suspicious vibe. Something about him just wasn’t right, making me simply not like him. As Richard evolves my feelings switched to near hatred. I dreaded every time he entered a scene for I knew something was fishy and not right about him. In a sense, it was like Julie was a close friend of mine and through the characterization of Richard, I saw he was no good and I wanted her to get away from him.

"And then there was Mike, Henry's younger brother and Jim's best friend growing up. In the shower, Julie smiled. Mike. Now there was a guy who would make some woman happy one day, even if he seemed a little lost sometimes"(8).

If you’re a sucker for romantic novel’s in the way I am, you’ll love this book. The classic love story is tied with action and suspense which is basically the other reason that I rated this book the way that I did. Sparks used details and descriptions that easily made me love Mike’s character the second he was introduced and wish Julie would choose him. The way he’s always there for her and their relationship seems so easy. When they would go on dates neither of them had to work to impress the other, it came naturally. The events of the stalking and the intense ending made for a book that was nearly impossible to put down. The details of the events had the power to make me hate what was going on and I just wanted it to stop, which tied me to the book and made me unwilling to let go of it.

Being a more intense book than the others that Sparks have written, the book is a bit of a switch up for any Nicholas Sparks fans. I still, however, would recommend The Guardian to anyone who likes action, mystery, or romance based novels and wants to see them all tied into one. I guarantee you’ll find it to be a good read!(less)

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Jan 18, 2013 Mia B. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Guardian, by Nicholas Sparks is truly a remarkable novel filled with love, compassion, and excitement. The storyline is unique and thoughtful, as well as compelling all because of the strong-hearted main character, Julie Barenson.

After experiencing a tragic death of her husband, Jim, from cancer, Julie was heartbroken and lonely. However, something good did come out of it because her husband arranged for her to receive a Great Dane puppy to keep her company. I was surprised to hear that Jul...more The Guardian, by Nicholas Sparks is truly a remarkable novel filled with love, compassion, and excitement. The storyline is unique and thoughtful, as well as compelling all because of the strong-hearted main character, Julie Barenson.

After experiencing a tragic death of her husband, Jim, from cancer, Julie was heartbroken and lonely. However, something good did come out of it because her husband arranged for her to receive a Great Dane puppy to keep her company. I was surprised to hear that Julie was grateful for it, but was a little weary about keeping the pup. Especially when she said, “It was matted with fuzz and dwarflike . . . looking just about as ugly as she’d ever seen a puppy look” (xi). Thankfully, she decided to keep the dog, which turned out to be a huge turn around in her life.

The bond between Singer and Julie in the novel was adorable and hard not to love. The fact that Singer acted as if he thought he were human made it especially enjoyable. “He refused to eat out of a dog bowl, he’d never needed a leash . . . he would crawl up on the couch and stare at the [television] screen” (3). It really blew my mind when Julie said that Singer would even do commands like get her purse for her, put cans away in the pantry, and turn off a light in rooms. At this point in the novel, I realized that Jim was closer to Julie than she even thought.

Singer was definitely Julie’s guardian when it came to men. Richard, a man Julie had been seeing for a couple weeks, was someone that Singer wasn’t so fond of. Everytime he would walk by Singer, it was met with a low toned growl or quick bark by the cautious dog. After the first date the two went on and Richard was dropping Julie off at her home Singer was protective. “He’d growled until Julie had opened the front door” (6). Luckily, Julie recognized her feelings she had for a long time friend and stopped the relationship with Richard before it got serious. I was happy when she finally realized this since her friend was a true gentleman and truly cared for her the whole time.

I would compare this book to Summer of Riley, a story about a boy and his dog. In this book, a boy’s grandfather dies, making it hard for the boy to go through the summer because of his close connection with his grandfather. His mom decides to take her son to the pound and have him pick out a pet, but towards the end of the summer, the dog’s life is threatened all because of a misunderstanding with a horse. I feel that these stories are very similar because in both of them, the main characters receive a dog as a gift to cope with the loss of a loved one and end up absolutely loving the company. Also towards the end of the books, both of the dogs’ lives were threatened and the main characters were compelled to find a way around it.

Overall, I felt that this novel was amazing and absolutely incredible. I would give The Guardian a four out of five stars because of its great connection with dog and human. Singer and Julie’s relationship is so close and understanding, the Great Dane practically is Jim in animal form. The bond especially enhances both of their “attitudes” because of the responses and reactions to one another. However, something that I didn’t enjoy was how, at times, the scenes could be a little predictable. When Julie ditched Richard for Mike and when Singer didn’t show affection or like Richard were just two examples of times that I guessed would happen. All in all, the novel was great and enjoyable to read. (less)

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Jan 16, 2013 Angel rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Finished the book just yesterday and OH BOY! One of my all time favorite book! The ending was brilliant and lovely! It has a sense of horror...but more like mysterious and just creepy. Mike and Julie was my favorite characters. BUT my all time favorite character is singer. love that dog. richard...one word...FREAK! Ever since he was in that book, I hated everything about that book, even before I knew he was the stalker. I HATED HIM. Glad he died, I always wanted him to die in the book. The book...more

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Dec 22, 2012 Scrittevolmente rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Non ho voluto svelare esattamente tutto, perché direi che anche allo spoiler c’è un limite.
Quando leggo una storia, ancor prima leggo lo scrittore che si cela dietro le pagine; il sentimento, la ragione, l’idea, la sensibilità che ha dato il via al tutto. Quando ci si accosta a un autore che si conosce solo per sentito dire, è come assaggiare un nuovo cibo per sapere che gusto ha. C’è chi scrive per rabbia, chi per passione, chi semplicemente per narrare.
Da qui veniamo al caso Sparks. Le prime v...more Non ho voluto svelare esattamente tutto, perché direi che anche allo spoiler c’è un limite.
Quando leggo una storia, ancor prima leggo lo scrittore che si cela dietro le pagine; il sentimento, la ragione, l’idea, la sensibilità che ha dato il via al tutto. Quando ci si accosta a un autore che si conosce solo per sentito dire, è come assaggiare un nuovo cibo per sapere che gusto ha. C’è chi scrive per rabbia, chi per passione, chi semplicemente per narrare.
Da qui veniamo al caso Sparks. Le prime volte che ho sentito parlare di lui è stato in parole povere “all’improvviso e dappertutto”; il primo pensiero è stato “ecco un nuovo fenomeno letterario pubblicizzato a morte ovunque”. Non a caso è l’autore dei grandi numeri, in libreria ci sono fascette che recitano “ha venduto milioni di copie, dalla Bonglovandia alla Sterzovina” (ovviamente non è l’esatta dicitura). Nome che fa sbiancare un esordiente già solo a sentire i suoi incassi. Quando cerchi di capire come ci è riuscito, finisci per dirti “sarà il solito che con due scemenze ha fatto un mucchio di soldi”, però intanto aveva suscitato la mia curiosità.
Poi un bel giorno vidi il film de “I passi dell’amore”, e pensai “caspita, tosto. Vorrei proprio leggerlo un libro dei suoi”. Così eccomi qua.
Comincio col dire che a fine libro lui afferma che ci son state parecchie revisioni del romanzo, per si che la parte thriller non prevaricasse la storia d’amore, che doveva restare in primo piano. Tentativo riuscito: stile diretto, buona tecnica narrativa, semplice e lineare, che non s’inceppa. Effettivamente è stato diverso da come mi aspettavo: avendo notato molti dei suoi aforismi in giro per il web, ero convinta di dover scovare qualcosa di altisonante, una frase ad effetto che spiccasse all’interno del proprio contesto. Invece, in questo caso (non escludo che gli altri suoi lavori possano essere differenti), ho trovato il tutto molto legato, seppur non omogeneo.
Per rispondere all’interrogativo “ma perchè Sparks piace tanto?!” ho concluso sostenendo che, a tenerlo sulla cresta dell’onda sia l’ipersensibilità rispetto alle variazioni dello spettro delle emozioni umane. Mi spiego: di solito, quasi tutti tendono ad essere monocorde, piegando la narrazione alla propria visione del mondo; in alcuni manca gioia, in altri è tutto troppo spensierato e felice. Qui è reale. Il lettore è colpito dalla disarmante normalità. In essa tutto è mutevole: si passa da tratti spassosi e divertenti, a veri e propri picchi di tensione, paura. Vi riporto pochi stralci, in cui si nota il caleidoscopio di stati d’animo percorsi durante il romanzo dai vari personaggi.

Per leggere la recensione per intero: QUI (less)

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Dec 15, 2012 Carla Acheson rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Even though the theme of ‘stalking’ is typical to the Thriller genre, I had previously enjoyed ‘The Notebook,’ and so decided to try another of Nicholas Spark’s novel’s with eager interest.

The central character in the story is Julie Barensen. A recently widowed twenty-five year old woman who begins her life in a new town with a Great Dane pup: posthumously sent to her as a gift by her late husband.

Almost as soon as I am into the first chapter, Julie strikes me as a sensible, upright and orderly...more

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Dec 12, 2012 Svenja rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 3-sterne

"Du bist nie allein" ist nun mein zweites Buch von Nicholas Sparks und nach den ersten zwei Seiten war mein erster Gedanke: "Och nee, jetzt bitte nicht so eine PS-Ich-Liebe-Dich-Geschichte. Julies Mann stirbt und sie bekommt einen Brief + Geschenk von ihm? Kommt euch das nicht auch so bekannt vor? Doch dann der erlösende Satz "4 Jahre später..." und die eigentliche Geschichte beginnt. Zum Glück.

Der Leser merkt sofort, wer der richtige Mann für Julie ist und zum Glück dauert es nicht lange und Ju...more

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About Nicholas Sparks

As a child, Nicholas Sparks lived in Minnesota, Los Angeles, and Grand Island, Nebraska, finally settling in Fair Oaks, California at the age of eight. His father was a professor, his mother a homemaker, then optometrist's assistant. He lived in Fair Oaks through high school, graduated valedictorian in 1984, and received a full track scholarship to the University of Notre Dame.

After breaking the N...more As a child, Nicholas Sparks lived in Minnesota, Los Angeles, and Grand Island, Nebraska, finally settling in Fair Oaks, California at the age of eight. His father was a professor, his mother a homemaker, then optometrist's assistant. He lived in Fair Oaks through high school, graduated valedictorian in 1984, and received a full track scholarship to the University of Notre Dame.

After breaking the Notre Dame school record as part of a relay team in 1985 as a freshman (a record which still stands), he was injured and spent the summer recovering. During that summer, he wrote his first novel, though it was never published. He majored in Business Finance and graduated with high honors in 1988.

He and his wife Catherine, who met on spring break in 1988, were married in July, 1989. While living in Sacramento, he wrote his second novel that same year, though again, it wasn't published. He worked a variety of jobs over the next three years, including real estate appraisal, waiting tables, selling dental products by phone, and started his own small manufacturing business which struggled from the beginning. In 1990, he collaborated on a book with Billy Mills, the Olympic Gold Medalist and it was published by Feather Publishing before later being picked up by Random House. (It was recently re-issued by Hay House Books.) Though it received scant publicity, sales topped 50,000 copies in the first year of release.

He began selling pharmaceuticals and moved from Sacramento, California to North Carolina in 1992. In 1994, at the age of 28, he wrote The Notebook over a period of six months. In October, 1995, rights to The Notebook were sold to Warner Books. It was published in October, 1996, and he followed that with Message in a Bottle (1998), A Walk to Remember (1999), The Rescue (2000), A Bend in the Road (2001), and Nights in Rodanthe (2002), The Guardian (2003), The Wedding (2003), Three Weeks with my Brother (2004), True Believer (2005) and At First Sight (2005) all with Warner Books. All were domestic and international best sellers and were translated into more than 35 languages. The movie version of Message in a Bottle was released in 1999, A Walk to Remember was released in 2002, and The Notebook was released in 2004. The average domestic box office gross per film was $56 million -- with another $100 million in DVD sales -- making the novels by Nicholas Sparks one of the most successful franchises in Hollywood.

The film rights to Nights in Rodanthe, True Believer and At First Sight have been sold, and Nicholas Sparks has written the screenplay for The Guardian, though he has not offered it for sale at this point.

He now has five children: Miles, Ryan, Landon, Lexie, and Savannah. He lives in North Carolina with his wife and children.

His ancestry is German, Czech, English, and Irish, he's 5'10" and weighs 180 lbs. He is an avid athlete who runs daily, lifts weights regularly, and competes in Tae Kwon Do. He attends church regularly and reads approximately 125 books a year. 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.(less)

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“You always have a choice. It's just that some people make the wrong one.” — 2,062 people liked it

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