Reviews of Suzanne's Diary For Nicholas by James Patterson
Summary | Excerpt | Reading Guide | Reviews | Read-Alikes | Genres & Themes | Author Bio
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Critics' Opinion:
Readers' Opinion:
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First Published:
Genres
Jul 2001, 320 pages
Paperback:
Apr 2002, 272 pages
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About this Book
Book Summary
Beautifully captures the joys of a new family as it builds to an overwhelmingly moving climax. This is an unforgettable love story, at once heartbreaking and full of hope.
James Patterson has written a love story!--a powerfully moving and suspenseful novel about families, loss, new love, and hope.
Katie Wilkinson has found her perfect man at last. He's a writer, a house painter, an original thinker--everything she's imagined she wanted in a partner. But one day, without explanation, he disappears from her life, leaving behind only a diary for her to read.
This diary is a love letter written by a new mother named Suzanne for her baby son, Nicholas. In it she pours out her heart about how she and the boy's father met, about her hopes for marriage and family, and about the unparalleled joy that having a baby has brought into her life. As Katie reads this touching document, it becomes clear that the lover who has just left her is the husband and father in this young family. She reads on, filled with terror and hope, as she struggles to understand what has happened--and whether her new love has a prayer of surviving.
Written with James Patterson's perfect pitch for emotion and suspense, Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas captures beautifully the joys of a new family as it builds to an overwhelmingly moving climax. This is an unforgettable love story, at once heartbreaking and full of hope.
Excerpt
Suzanne's Diary For Nicholas
KATIE WILKINSON sat in warm bathwater in the weird but wonderful old-fashioned porcelain tub in her New York apartment. The apartment exuded "old" and "worn" in ways that practitioners of shabby chic couldn't begin to imagine. Katie's Persian cat, Guinevere, looking like a favorite gray wool sweater, was perched on the sink. Her black Labrador, Merlin, sat in the doorway leading to the bedroom. They watched Katie as if they were afraid for her.
She lowered her head when she finished reading the diary and set the leatherbound book on the wooden stool beside the tub. Her body shivered. Then she started to sob, and Katie saw that her hands were shaking. She was losing it, and she didn't lose it often. She was a strong person, and always had been. Katie whispered words she'd once heard in her father's church in Asheboro, North Carolina. "Oh, Lord, oh, Lord, are you anywhere, my Lord?"
She could never have imagined that this small volume would ...
Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
- In this novel, Matt breaks up with Katie by leaving behind a diary written
by his wife Suzanne for their young son, Nicholas. Suzanne pours out her
feelings about Matt, Nicholas, about her joys of being a country doctor in
Martha's Vineyard, about being a wife and mother, about her love for the
Island and for the sea. Matt tells Katie he can't see her anymore, but leaves the diary for her.
Was he courageous or cowardly? (We later learn that he doesn't like to talk
about sad things.) What is the best way to tell a new partner about a past
life? Should he have put Katie through this agony?
- The lasting lesson in Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas is the story of five balls. In it Life is a ...
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Reviews
Media Reviews
Booklist Though there's not a murder to be found among the pages, Patterson's fans will find the familiar short chapters and surprising twists that they've come to expect from him, while those just looking for a good love story will find it here, too.Publishers Weekly The novel sloshes with sentiment (some of it quite icky) and simple spiritual truths, while acknowledging the reality of pain and loss rose bushes galore, with thorns. Patterson sustains suspense through clever plotting.
Reader Reviews
S.F.suzannes diary for nicholas
I listened to this book in audio and loved it. Very sad but very good. Real tear jerker. Krystal
omg!!!!!!!
This was an amazing book. I read this whole book within 1 night, I could not put it down. I cried through the whole thing.I would recommend this book to anybody and everybody! Krystal
Best Book That I Have Ever Read
This is truly the best book that I have ever read. I laughed and cried. I recommend it to everyone! Jennifer
THE BEST BOOK EVER!!!!!!!!
The BEST book that has ever been created! I cried though out the entire thing. It was excellent! Nothing else compares to how great this book really is. I would read it over and over again if I had a copy.
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Read-Alikes
Read-Alikes 
If you liked Suzanne's Diary For Nicholas, try these:
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by Nora Roberts
Published 2004
The long-awaited conclusion to the breathtaking Chesapeake Bay drama from number-one New York Times-bestselling author Nora Roberts.
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