There was a time when the world was sweeter...when the women in Beaufort, North Carolina, wore dresses, and the men donned hats... Every April, when the wind smells of both the sea and lilacs, Landon Carter remembers 1958, his last year at Beaufort High. Landon had dated a girl or two, and even once sworn that he`d been in love. Certainly the last person he thought he`d fall for was Jamie, the shy, almost ethereal daughter of the town`s Baptist minister...Jamie, who was destined to show him the depths of the human heart-and the joy and pain of living. The inspiration for this novel came from Nicholas Sparks`s sister: her life and her courage. From the internationally bestselling author Nicholas Sparks, comes his most moving story yet... When I was seventeen, my life changed forever....I`m fifty-seven years old, but even now I remember everything from that year, down to the smallest details. I relive that year often in my mind, bringing it back to life, and I realize that when I do, I always feel a strange combination of sadness and joy....This is my story; I promise to leave nothing out. First you will smile, and then you will cry-don`t say you haven`t been warned.... And so begins a tale of true love, first love, and everlasting love that you will never forget...