Micah SparksBesprekingen

Memoir

Touching brothers memoir of a life of challenges

While I read this, I couldn't help thinking about why I fell in love with his writing. As a woman, I see romance in such a way that it can't fall under anything but a fairytale. When a man writes it, it falls into the real-life category.

I thought it was attention-grabbing from the very start, though I can't say that I read it in only one day. I think I planned to space it out, just so that I would have something interesting to read that wouldn't get me into trouble.

As I got to the end of the novel, because I won't say that it's a story, I couldn't help but cry at the strength he showed throughout the trials that he'd faced.

I loved it and hope to read more of his writing very soon.

Good memoir of the brothers' vacation of a lifetime with around the world tour destinations, juxtaposed with memories of their lives growing up together and their lives as adults

I've read a lot of books by Nicholas Sparks and I am quite curious on the life of this author. When I saw this book, I was intrigued not only by the title but it piqued again my curiosity about Nicholas Sparks' childhood and family. This was on my to-read list for quite a while and recently I was checking on what book I should read next. I grabbed right away the opportunity to read it and it never disappoints me. If you are fan of this author's work and also curious on his life, you should check this out so you can take a glimpse on his life.

When the Sparks brothers went on a round the world trip they also shared memories of growing up making this a combination of travelogue and biography. They didn't learn anything new about each other, just reminisced about their family. Long segments described the recent death of their sister, leaving the brothers the only remaining members of the family, and of the health conditions of other members of their families. Nicholas became occasionally preachy. There was so little about their travels that they might have written it without leaving home. Striking a "poor-me" tone, this did not turn out to be what I expected.½

Yep, I read it for book club. I have liked reading some of Sparks's fiction, but the little bit of sex in every novel kind of bugs me. The good news is that he didn't put any of that in this memoir. It was a good read - an interesting story.

Not your typical Nicholas Sparks love story. It more a travel/biography book but it was still very enjoyable.

The story of their lives growing up woven into the story of their trip together. Good for any Nicholas Sparks fan.

Primo (...e per ora ultimo) tentativo di leggere un libro di Nicolas Sparks, trovato per caso in un ripiano della mia libreria; speravo di riuscirci leggendo questa pseudo autobiografia...ma l'ho abbandonata dopo una settantina di pagine.
L'occasione di fare un viaggio con il fratello è lo spunto per parlare della vita dello scrittore (...che era povero, con un'infanzia complicata, ecc....) ma il risultato è alquanto annoiante.
...bene, ora posso tornare a leggere cose più serie!!!

Awesome! I'd like to travel around the world with MY brother. They learned about themselves and each other.

3 stars. I have only read 2 books by this author, and I normally wouldn't have read it but my mom recommended it. After reading this, I have a better appreciation of his work and will read more on the future. I enjoyed reading this book.

3 stars. I have only read 2 books by this author, and I normally wouldn't have read it but my mom recommended it. After reading this, I have a better appreciation of his work and will read more on the future. I enjoyed reading this book.

From NC myself, love all Sparks books...during their trip they discovered startling truths about loss, love and hope. Narrated with irrepressible humor and rare candor, and including personal photographs, Three Weeks with my Brother reminds us to embrace life with all its uncertainties. . . and most of all, to cherish the joyful times, both small and momentous, and the wonderful people who make them possible.

Wonderful read!

When I first tried to read this book, I could not get into it. However, when I tried again when I had more time and was able to focus on the meaning and significance of the story, I found that I actually enjoyed it.
I laughed and cried through his childhood memories, and appreciated the descriptions of the places he visited with his brother. Nicholas Sparks' memoir is a true story of how faith and family love can conquer anything.
Even those who are not a fan of the Sparks books should read this story. It is truly inspiring.

It was a fairly interesting biography. I took it at face value until he got to the part about his son having learning disabilities. I am in the field and I know that the US has an amazing early intervention program and there are many very good therapist who help children with disabilities. It didn't make sense why no one helped his child. Why he, as a father, had to reinvent the wheel to teach his child. Once I realized there was something that didn't sound right in that part of the book, it made me wonder about the other parts of the book and whether he was giving us a very distorted view of his life.

This was an interesting memoir, for me more so about his personal family situation than for the trip he took -- which was a bit of a surprise because I'd picked it up only because I was intrigued by the trip. I appreciated all the historical information imparted about the places they visited (some of which I already knew). The writing was good, but Messrs. Sparks (and their Editor) REALLY need to learn the correct usage of the words "bring" and "take" (grrr, a personal pet peeve).

To any of my reading buddies, it's no secret that I pretty much loathe the novels of Nicholas Sparks. I have tried them, and nope, not for me. There's a history and a story there, which I've recorded elsewhere, but the main part of that story is that I do have personal respect for the man, after a chance encounter with him at a Books-A-Million years ago.

A huge crowd of women were fluttering around an author. He was a clean cut, preppie-ish kind of guy (I remember that his blue shirt had an unfortunate white collar.) Normally, I like to meet authors, but when I found out it was Nicholas Sparks, doing a book-signing, I tried to skirt around the crowd. His handler stopped me.

"Don't you want to meet the author?"

"No thanks," I replied.

"But he's rather good. Have you read his books?"

"Umm. Yes, but I'd rather not meet him."

"You've read his books and don't want to meet him? Why not???"

"I'd rather not say," I said, trying to break the iron grip she had on my arm.

"He'll sign one for you."

"No thank you."

At this point, my struggling to get free caught the author's attention. He rose from his signing table, the red sea of women clustering around him parted and he came over to me. He was quite polite, and attentive, and inquired why I was so adamant about not participating in the book signing. Again, I demurred. He insisted. Did I like his book? Well-- no, not exactly. He pushed for details. I'd had enough and let loose with what I thought.

To give him credit, he didn't blanch though his handler did, and I actually heard a hiss from one of the ladies in the crowd. He thanked me for my opinion, and said he would rather have someone who vehemently disliked his book that someone who said it was so-so. At least he'd stirred a strong emotion in me. For a long time, that was the only thing I liked about Nicholas Sparks. Now, there's this book.

Three Weeks With My Brother tells more than the story of two brothers on what would, by any counts, be a fabulous trip. Mr Sparks takes the reader back to the beginning, invites us into his home, warts and all. The Sparks children had a unique upbringing: laissez-faire in some senses, but with certain iron-clad principles and a lot of love, that held the structure together. That the family was financially strapped is somewhat of an understatement. That they were resourceful, is another. In some senses, I was reminded of my husband's childhood in upstate New York. But the bonds in the family were strong, as became apparent when tragedy struck, again and again.

This story, of the Sparks family, interwoven with the brother's story of a round-the-world trip fascinated me. I thought so much of my two brothers finding both similarities and disparities. There's a lot of humor and honesty in the telling. Sparks' faith is evident, as is his strong love for his family. Clearly it was what has carried him through the deaths of the rest of the family and other obstacles that would have felled many others. I can relate to that handing on that combination of love and faith, because it got me through my own periods of grief. And now, like Nicholas Sparks, I am grateful for the love of a phenomenal spouse and the love of the only remaining member of my family, my older brother. I'll probably never take a round the world trip with him, but thanks to this book, I can read of one.

Though it's hard for me to believe, I really liked this book. I still won't read his fiction, even knowing from this narrative where the inspirations were. But remember that respect I felt after our brief encounter in that Books-A-Million? It's skyrocketed. I hope some day to have the chance to tell him that in person -- just as long as I don't have to read The Notebook again to do so.

WOW. I had no idea all the heartache and trajedy Nicholas Sparks has endured. I enjoyed the travel stories of him and his brother. It was heartfelt how they leaned on each other through not only the tough times but the good times as well. A great book to share with all family members as it makes you want to reach out to them just to let them know you love them. This being a biography of sorts its different from the other books by Nicholas Sparks. I am glad he took the time out of his hectic life and schedule to share his family with us.

Here's a touching memoir from Nicholas Sparks, currently one of the more popular authors with credits such as The Notebook, Message in a Bottle and A Walk to Remember. This account of his life is structured around a multi-continent trip he takes with his older brother, Micah.

The stories from his past are the most colored and interesting, and focus on three points of view: His relationship with Micah, the kids' relationship with their mother and the struggles the parents endured to support their family. Micah was a classic firstborn child, often acting as protector to his siblings and always taking risks in his exploration of life. Nicholas, or Nicky, was the middle child, and the boys had a younger sister named Dana. Their mother is a pleasure to read; she has this striking ability to be both unconditionally loving of her children and giving them endless school-of-hard-knocks lessons on life. The family had very little material wealth growing up though the children never knew the difference.

The Sparks family experiences many life challenges and tragedy around the time Nicolas is just getting off the ground as an author. I'm of the mind that much good can always come from a great loss. It's just a matter of time and focus. Nicholas Sparks has suffered much though he should rejoice at the art he's been fortunate to pass on to others.

When we read books we often do not think about the author or why he would have someone die in most of his books. Most books have a important lesson that is taught . Three Weeks with My Brother is a memoir that teaches us to appreciate life while you are still living. It it teaches us to love and to cherish everyday and every one. It takes place in different parts of the world while Nicholas and his brother Micah are traveling around the world .While they are traveling they remember there past and they look back a the way things where and why things happened the ways thing happened. It teaches us to never loose faith to remember the ones we lost and to always hope for the better. I would recommend this book to all who love novels by Nicholas Sparks. This book has taught me why he wrote and what inspired him to write a specific novel. It made me laugh in some parts and cry in others and most important It has taught me to put family first in everything.

I think that this is one of his best books. It gives you a history of his life and what it was like growing up for him and the special bound that he has with his brother.

This memoir by author Nicholas Sparks and his brother Micah intertwines the story of their lives with a trip they take around the world. Their descriptions of the places they saw were interesting. Reading about their lives and what they have gone through as a family was poignant.

Author Nicholas Sparks and his brother write an autobiography of their lives as well as a three week tour of the world. I've probably seen more movies of his books than actually read the books, but they're always a bit sad. His life is no different and its amazing that he has even been able to write so much.½