Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas

Book on CD narrated by Becky Ann Baker
ZERO stars (but I'll give Baker 1 star for her narration)

Quick, I need a blood glucose test to be sure I haven’t developed diabetes! Think Nicholas Sparks and Robert James Waller, but nowhere near so good – and that’s saying a lot, as they aren’t all that great. This is just too awful for words. Patterson is shamelessly cashing in on the trend for male authors to write saccharine tear-jerker love stories. Kate has just been dumped by her perfect boyfriend, Matt, without warning, but he sends her a package – it’s his wife’s diary and is supposed to explain why he’s left Kate. The whole thing is predictable, melodramatic, and just plain stupid. Mercifully (for the reader) this is a show more quick read (or listen), so the pain doesn’t last too long.

***** SPOILER ALERT *****
The saddest part is when the dog dies – and that’s not all that sad. At least the dog didn’t have to put up with these idiots any longer! show less

SPOILERS!!!

A while back someone suggested that I read a James Patterson book to help me get into writing. The first one I picked up was "Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas", thinking that anything by him would do. It was one of the worst mistakes that I ever made. There are just so many issues that I had with this book, I’m amazed that it was published. It seems that Patterson was just set out to insult the intelligence of his readers, hoping that they would see his name and grab up this book, giving him his one chance to tell a story based off a tragic life event he experienced first hand. While the story is “tragic” and yes it is a “romance” it’s just poorly written.

"She gripped the carousel horse with her thighs as it went show more not just up and down, but also around and around." Yes, those are the lines you get while reading this book and in fact I noticed that if you broke down the paragraphs and took out just random sentences, you would have no clue as to what was going on. A lot of three word sentences just thrown around made this an easy read for even a seven year old. I think even Harlequin's most romantic author would be ashamed to publish these cloying phrases. The whole discourse of the story is sickeningly predictable. I felt like I was reading a very, very long Hallmark card, even though I think Hallmark wouldn’t publish this either. Sappy, trite, pre-packaged sentiment expand it into a novel, this is a DREADFUL book, trite, predictable and poorly written. It reads like the work of a love struck teenager who writes really bad poetry. The editorial staff must have been on some heavy drugs if they thought this was a work of art. If you love good writing, stay far away from this one.


Besides the bad poetry, Patterson name drops all throughout the book. Short and simple, he lacks in the area of imagery and expects his readers to know all these people and places that he’s talking about. Sorry, never been to Martha’s Vineyard, no clue if it’s a beach, city or just tourist attraction. I’m sure that he thought that the references to pop culture sprinkled throughout would make him seem hip but instead came off cheesy and desperate. I mean, every time we went to a new place we were told that we were in “Tavern Inn” nothing more, nothing about how it looked, none of the five senses touched. Half of the people he named dropped, I had no clue to who they were. He threw in movies, t.v. shows, actors, singers, books, authors, big companies…it was sad.

The characters are flat and improbably perfect. Katie, the pregnant heroine of the story who completely understands everything and loves unconditionally no matter what, is left by the wonderful poet Matt Harrison, who gives her the perfect diary that his perfect, dearly departed wife Suzanne wrote for their much-loved, perfect baby Nicholas, in order to explain why he can’t give his heart to her fully. She is rich and beautiful and tragically wounded, he is rich and beautiful and tragically wounded. One acts upon his grief or anger by doing something hurtful to the one he loves and loves him. So now it’s time to find out why the hurt and anger and how can they find happiness and come to their senses and woo the other back. The situation is totally contrived.

Another issue I had was with the style and tone of voice. You go from each character and yet they say the same catch phrases “Isn’t it lucky?” “Mat, Suzanne and Nicholas as one” all written in the same voice, all sounding like the same person. This was a book written for their son and yet the mom is constantly with the “Mat did this, Mat did that. You should have seen Mat Nicky.” Isn’t Mat his father? Why not say “Your father did this. You should have seen your father Nicky.” What was worst was that every time Mat talked to his wife he asked her questions and made statements using her first name. Never was there “Hey do you like this poem? What do you think about the house? I want to go down to the beach.” No, always “Hey Suzanne would you like to go to the beach with me Suzanne?” Come on! And what was worst, she talked the same way, and so did Katie, written in exactly the same voice. I also noticed that the tense was off in this book. One second she’s talking about how she loves “Nicky Mouse” little toes and the next second she can’t wait to meet him…Confused? So was I. She also knows things that she shouldn’t know, like Mat making plans for her, how Mat thinks and feels even though he’s not said a word about it. And why does she bother to tell about the other guy she was dating and her relationship with him…and the one before him. Let alone the sex details with her husband and just stuff that you wouldn’t tell your child. She talks more about her relationship with her husband then she does about the child…sad.

The suspense falls flat, you know what is going to happen as soon as Katie gets the dairy. You have to be slow not to see that there is an issue here, why would someone have a diary that is meant for someone else to read unless both the writer and the recipient didn’t still exist. It ignores all realities of motherhood. Suzanne continues working as a doctor and her husband as a painter, where’s the childcare? She has this heart condition and yet is home with the baby even though she loses consciousness tons of times and can’t seem to use birth control. She’s a doctor, she knew that having another baby would be a risk and yet she doesn’t use birth control and has this “Surprise” preg. She’s a doctor!!! And why leave her at home with the baby after she was on the verge of death so many times?? How many heart patients are there out there who are encouraged to lug a kid around after all she’s been through?.

If you think there is the slightest mystery about the ending, there isn't.

Well, yes, there is one tiny surprise near the end, but it's a surprise only because the author manipulates the reader into believing that a certain fact is true. Honestly, Patterson must have taken the worst kind of novel-writing workshop ever. It seems as if he went through and checked off everything that would get someone to shed a tear. The careful contrivance shows through on every page and with every step of the plot. While the premise is good, the improbable behavior of the characters is just…well there are so many words but none are good. Matt is overdrawn to the point of nausea, Suzanne cheerfully writes details that she could not have been aware of, shares intimate details, and is cloyingly smothering, and the ending is just plain laughable. I haven't read anything this overwrought and predictable in ages…well, never. It seems that all you have to do in order to get a book out is have a few best sellers, grab up a weak plot, flat characters, forget about your setting and imagery and just drop names and places instead, preach your them by using cliché and sappy phrases, switch around your pov like crazy, use the same style and voice for all your perfectly flat characters and of course grab your readers by making one character cry, the other suffer and the other die.

All this story did was remind me that anyone can get published. All you have to do is kill off a mother or child…maybe abuse the kid some. In short, we all look at the news and say “Oh that’s tragic!” but when it comes to reading a book, you can’t just kill people off and call it a work of art, you have to know how to show the story, not just tell it. show less

Without a doubt, I would award this title, as the most incredible romantic masterpiece that I have ever read. I kept checking the title page inbetween turning pages and even now that my read has concluded, it is difficult for me to comprehend that this book was written by the same author who writes such compelling, dark psychological thrillers. This book seems such a different style of writing and yet who better to write a compelling love story than the author that obviously understands human nature, life lessons, and the best of life which is a loving life. I loved this book. I don't want just a friend's copy. Now I need a copy of my own. I rarely read books more than once as there are so many on the wish list yet to read. This book show more will be read again. I'm sure of it.
I'll like to give this book to every young adult that thinks they know everything about life and love. The majority know so little. I think this book could be a window to opening their senses to real life and enduring love. show less

Sweet, sappy, tragic, and predictable...Suzanne's Diary for her baby (Nicholas) is unrealistic from the first page. The characters are all beautiful, talented, wealthy, and perfect stereotypes, except for Matt who loves his wife but still chooses to have an affair. Though men are known to stray all the time, the book gives no explanation for Matt's duplicity. I guess the only thing that kept me reading was the need to see what happens. It's Patterson's gift to draw the reader in and keep them turning pages and it worked with me for this book. It was an easy read, so not much time was invested, and it did have a happy ending...sort of.

I am not ashamed to admit that I love James Patterson books. When I saw that he had written a romance book, I was quite surprised! And I had to read it obviously.
I loved it, I read it at the hairdressers in a little over 2 hours. I couldn't put it down. I had a bit of a feeling where it was heading but it still shocked me towards the end. I sat there with my mouth open thinking WTF?
I find it a well written story with depth and I felt like I got to know everyone. It felt evocative and I didn't want it to end.

I must admit that I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this book. I've not previously read James Patterson...I'd certainly heard of James Patterson (many of my friends read him) but what I knew of him was thrillers and mysteries, grit and crime...not the emotional and sensitive look at life and love that this proved to be.The book flowed masterfully as I expected and from that standpoint was a joy to read. The character of Suzanne quickly captured my heart and I couldn't help rooting for her despite the obvious supposition that things could not be expected to end well for her. The sweet and honest romance between Suzanne and Matt at times seemed almost too perfect and idyllic and thus was for me a bit unbelievable. Despite that, I show more was sucked in and as the suspense built could not help but rush through to the end which I'll admit had me shedding a few tears.I'd definitely recommend this one as a quick and easy sweet read for a rainy afternoon. You won't be left pondering the universe, but a pleasant sense of melancholy and perhaps a need to re-examine your priorities in life will linger. show less

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 show more 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 even as it builds to an overwhelmingly moving climax. This is an unforgettable love story, at once heartbreaking and full of hope. show less