I really enjoyed reading the book Dear John. It was a quick read which is great for me since I am chasing a baby around the house all day! The story starts off mainly focusing on the relationship between John and his father and his fathers obsession with collecting coins. John was a rebellious teenager (who isn't) and drives a wedge between himself and his father. After graduation John is extremely lost and finds himself inlisting in the Army. John is stationed in Germany and while home on a 2 week leave, runs into Savanna. To make a long story short, they fall deeply in love with each other. Now, the movie changes a LOT of the storyline during this 2 weeks. I honestly didn't like how it played out in the movie because they left out a bunch of information (in particular, Savanna opens up to John about how she was almost raped and her friend, Tim, saved her) that makes the love in 2 weeks more believable.
When his 2 weeks are up, John and Savanna decide to keep the relationship going and agree to write letters as often as possible. After a year apart, John gets another 2 weeks of leave. He spends the first couple days with Savanna at her parents home, the a week with Savanna at her apartment while she attends her college courses during the day, and the last week with Savanna at his father's home. While staying with Savanna at her apartment they begin slowly drifting apart which leads to a big fight between them. They soon make up and make love for the first time. Now, in the movie that was ALL left out, except the sex scene. I really wish the "drifting apart and fight" was included in the movie because it makes what is about to happen not such a shock.
John returns to Germany. His duty is up in a couple of months when 9/11 strikes. He decides to re-up for another 2 years without telling Savanna. He calls her on the phone and tells her what he has done. She is upset but also encourages John to not feel bad about his decission and that she is so proud of him. In the movie, this whole scene plays out very differently. He tells her while away on his first leave (the movie plays out of order) and she makes him feel guilty for his choice, then the sex scene takes place. (didn't really like how it played out in the movie)
In the book, the letters from Savanna start to slow down and 9 months before his 2 years are up, Savanna writes him to tell him that she has met someone else and their relationship is over. John's heart breaks and feels he has lost everything and continues to re-up his time with the Army. In the following months his dad has a heart attack and John flies home to help him out. John then returns to Iraq to fight in the war. In the movie John gets shot, but that never happened in the book. In the book, his good friend gets shot and dies. Soon after that John gets word that he is going back to the states because his father has finally past away. While in the states, John drives to Savannas parent's house and finds Savanna outside.
John discoveres that she is married when he notices she is wearing a wedding ring. Again, the movie has Savanna telling John in the last letter that she in engaged. Of course the love is still there, but John finds out that her husband (Tim , mutual friend of theirs) is dying of cancer. Savanna tells John that there is a treatment out there that iwill not pay for that can possibly save his life.
John spends a few days visiting Savanna and finds their relationship growing more and more stronger and decides he must leave and let her be with her husband. On his way out of town, John sells his father's cherished coin collection and makes an annonymous donation to Tim for the medical treatment.
The book flashes forward several years. John drives to the farm where Savanna lives and sees Savanna and Tim outside and madly in love. Well, the movie shows Tim living for 2 more months and finally passing away. Then flashes forward to John and Savanna (now widowed) running into each other at a cafe and embracing each other. I do like the way the movie ended better than the book. I never thought that Savanna and Tim were a good fit for each other and wanted Savanna to wind up with jon. The movie gave me the perfect ending I was looking for. The book left me sad and crying.
All in all both the book and movie were good. Of course the book is SO much better!
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