One of the editorial comments compared this book with A Prayer For Owen Meany. I am dumbfounded at the comparison - this book is almost smug in its unwritten assertion that it will evoke meaningful emotions from its readers. John Irving does elicit emotion because he gave some thought to what he was writing. I would be embarassed to be seen reading this book by anyone who reveres good fiction. I wasted my time on A Walk to Remember. I should have known after reading Message in a Bottle that Nicholas Sparks has given up the promise he showed in The Notebook.