Safe Haven

By: Nicholas Sparks

Narrated by: Rebecca Lowman

Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

When a mysterious young woman named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past. Beautiful yet self-effacing, Katie seems determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships: one with Alex, a widowed store owner with a kind heart and two young children; and another with her plainspoken single neighbor, Jo. Despite her reservations, Katie slowly begins to let down her guard, putting down roots in the close-knit community and becoming increasingly attached to Alex and his family.

But even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts and terrifies her... a past that set her on a fearful, shattering journey across the country, to the sheltered oasis of Southport. With Jo's empathic and stubborn support, Katie eventually realizes that she must choose between a life of transient safety and one of riskier rewards... and that in the darkest hour, love is the only true safe haven.

©2010 Nicolas Sparks (P)2010 Hachette Audio

Engaging!

Where does Safe Haven rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Great listen!

Would you be willing to try another book from Nicholas Sparks? Why or why not?

I love most of Nicholas Sparks books and this did not disappoint.

Which scene was your favorite?

My favorite scene in the book was the beach day.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It was hard to stop listening to this one. I listen to audiobooks while I run and it made me run longer just so I could listen....I finished the book in a few days.

Safe Haven

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

This is a very typical Sparks romance. If you like him as an author and you like the genre, this'll do. IMO, it is repetitive throughout and formulaic in the dynamics of the story and the relationships among all the characters until the ending, which is original indeed. Until the ending I sort of had the feeling that I knew the story, where it was going, and had heard it all before. The reader was good, emotional where it was required to convey the words written. I've heard this is to be a movie, and I guess money-goes-to-money is the reason why. I get the feeling that it was written with that possibility in mind. Which is ok, I guess..but transparent. Bottom line, worth a credit if you like Nicholas Sparks. It's nice to have a male author write a sweet, PG-rated romance. You can let you teen read it.

Has Safe Haven turned you off from other books in this genre?

No

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Experience

Do you think Safe Haven needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No, it wrapped up the plot nicely

Mediocre for Sparks

I begin by saying that I am a devout fan of Nicholas Sparks. I have read and enjoyed his every work. I am a sucker for tragedy and romance intertwined, and no one delivers such equal parts of the two in writing as does Sparks. While his plots are mocked by some for their predictability, he always delivers in depiction of a "working man's romance," if you will. In Safe Haven, he creates, as always, believable characters (save one) embarking on a believable romantic path together. His dialogue is as down-to-earth and unstilted as is generally the case with his writing. His main characters are at once likable and interesting and his commonly chosen small town setting is as charming as per the norm. Everything is in place for a delivery of yet another enjoyable, albeit likely tear-jerking, Sparks-ian plot.

However, the book went off the rails somewhere in the middle. The ending "surprise twist" was in plain sight very early. The book attempted to be a thriller/horror but came off like a Lifetime movie. The climax was unbelievable, the characterization of the "villian" became caricature-esque toward the end. The resolution was hasty, at best, giving prominence to the heavily foreshadowed twist. I SO wanted to love this just as I have his others. I did not. It was undistinguishable from a Sandra Brown or ^various other "romantic suspense" novelist's works. That's a negative for me.

Positives: Narrator is excellent. Main characters are likable. Still better than anything in the typical "Romantic Suspense" category (but only barely) Nearly certain we won't have to see this one in movie format.

Negatives: Plot. Sparks can do, and has done, much better than this.

Reader

The reader did a very good job. Loved it! She did different characters and switched around flawlessly.

Nicholas did good with this one!

Would you listen to Safe Haven again? Why?

Probably not since, ive heard it once...why do I need to hear it again? But it does make me excited to watch the movie and see how it compares.

What did you like best about this story?

The twist at the end....

Which scene was your favorite?

At the end when Alex and "Katie" find the safe in the rubble.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The letter from Carly

Any additional comments?

Enjoyed the book a lot. I would recommend for a light read.

Wow - didn't see that ending coming

This was a beautiful love story with an unusual and unexpected twist at the end. The narrator, Rebecca Lowman, pitched the perfect emotion for each character. Although the story of an abused wife has been overdone of late, and I thought I knew where the story was going, I didn't. The broad spectrum of characters was perfect. Sparks looked deeply into all of them, including looking into the mind of the abuser at the story's end. I almost said out loud "wow, didn't see that coming".

This book... wow

Wow, finally listened to Sparks to see what the fuss was about, I was blown away!!!

I can’t wait to hear more!

My Favorite NS book so far :)

I absolutely loved this book. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it and hated for it to end.

Really Great!

Where does Safe Haven rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

At the top. This was a really great book that I couldn't stop listening to.

What did you like best about this story?

The characters.

What does Rebecca Lowman bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Not sure since I didn't read it. But she did a great job.

If you could rename Safe Haven, what would you call it?

I wouldn't change it.

Any additional comments?

No.

Great love story!

If you could sum up Safe Haven in three words, what would they be?

Heartful, surprising, and well-written

What did you like best about this story?

I liked how Nicholas Sparks wrote the perspectives of both characters and flipped back and forth between present and past.

Which scene was your favorite?

The very end...don't want to give it away!