The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud: A Novel

So, if you've ever lost a loved one, you'll understand this book. I'm not a religious person and am skeptical about an afterlife, but if you take this story as a fantasy and not a religious statement, it works pretty well. Besides, wouldn't it be nice if things worked the way they do in this story?Charlie St. Cloud died briefly at age 15 in a car accident that claimed his 12 year old brother, Sam. But the bond these boys had in life continued after Sam's death. They continued to hang out, play catch, swim, joke, just like they always had except that it took place after sundown at the cemetery where Sam lay in his mausoleum. Later, as an adult, Charlie became the crew boss at the cemetery this making his visits with Sam easier.Tess is a young woman from the local town who is planning to sail solo around the world. While out on a practice run she runs into bad weather and the next thing she knows she's at her father's graveside in Charlie's cemetary. She and Charlie meet and seem perfect for each other. Then reality intrudes on their beginning relationship...

I'm not sure what I expected when I picked "Charlie St. Cloud" up from the bookshelf, but I quickly grew attached to the story of two brothers remaining lovingly loyal to one another after literally being separated by life and death.After Sam's death, Charlie puts his life on hold in order to stay close to his dead brother of whom he has the privilege of seeing every evening in the cemetery. In the midst of illustrating the almost religious routine Charlie has created to ensure he never misses a visit from his brother (every single day for thirteen years in fact), Ben Sherwood throws a woman who is obviously going to be tied into the storyline for Charlie's sake. Though predictable, Sherwood surprisingly throws a few curveballs into the story which end up forcing the brothers to observe how they have each held each other back for thirteen years.If you are a fan of Nicholas Sparks, Ben Sherwood is sure to please you. At various times throughout the story, I felt the detail Sherwood installed was redundant. Sherwood, however, makes a point to draw a full circle for the reader so that the details he adds are not just for glamour, but serve a purpose (for the most part). I was completely swept away with Charlie and Sam's unique bond that superseded Death's calling. Overall, Sherwood is one superb author I wouldn't mind reading over and over again and "Charlie St. Cloud" is a compelling love story. Happy reading!

Throughly enjoyed the storyline and, although some parts were easy to see coming, that fact didn’t take away from the overall enjoyment. A great lesson in seeing life, and death, for what they are.

You caught me! I'm the one who never heard of the book or the movie, but just decided to try it based on the Amazon recommendation.I loved the characters in this book, and while the premise is sad, I didn't pity Charlie. If I'd thought Charlie was pathetic or had regrets for his decisions, I would have probably dumped the book. Instead, I admired his level of devotion while still willing him to do what was necessary when the time was right.The plot advanced quickly and, thankfully, skipped over all the garbage that can make a book tedious. Just enough info is presented about sailing to highlight it without making it a boring infodump for the uninitiated. The presentation of a possible hereafter is what I'd call structured yet vague. It managed to paint a pleasant picture without excluding (or offending) anyone's faith. In other words, this whole book was done just right. It's certainly a book worth reading and worth recommending to others.

I got this book because I saw previews for the movie and thought it looked good. I always like reading the books before the movies come out, because let's face it... the books are usually always better! Besides the creepy huge face of Zac Efron on the cover that was embarrassing to carry around while I was reading it, the story was great. From the description and movie previews, you can sense it will be sad, but honestly it wasn't tearjerker sad. I'll admit the beginning was a little slow for me, but towards the middle, something happened that I wasn't expecting at all, and the book was hard to put down. After reading the book I can also already tell they are changing a lot of things around in the movie... just from the previews. The plot line isn't quite the same, so I'm hoping the movie won't disappoint too badly. Even if it does... the book was still a good read!!!

I had seen the movie adaptation about a year ago, and I liked it so much that I decided to read the book. Generally, the book will be much better than the film, but in this case, I felt the film did a better job of connecting the characters and events. In the novel, the main characters are in their late-20s; whereas in the movie, they were in their early-20s. As Sherwood admits in the Afterword, this change added a hope and vitality to Charlie that wasn't as apparent in the book. The novel was well written; I did enjoy Sherwood's prose and his turn of phrase; and the book was just different enough from the movie that I didn't feel like I was reading something I already knew. I think lovers of the movie (like me) might be a bit disappointed, but the book was an enjoyable, quick summer read.

Charlie and Sam St. Cloud have been close to each other. They've hung out with each other, having fun together. That all changes when they get in a car crash that kills Sam and the pet dog and Charlie gets saved in the nick of time. Thirteen years later, Charlie has a job as an undertaker at the local cemetery, where he goes into the woods to play with the spirit of Sam, just like he promised thirteen years ago. This arrangement gets complicated when he meets Tess, an optimistic and energetic individual who shows up on his doorstep. Before he knows it, he's going out on dates with her nonstop. Which conflicts with his arrangements with Sam but will he stay the path or will he move on with his life? And what about Sam, who hasn't moved on either? Which path will he choose to take? Guess reading this story will help one find out and it'll be worth it.

Another Book Club Book - this month's topic was Book-to-Film. I haven't seen the film so really didn't know an awful lot about the story - only what I could glean from the trailer that I'd seen a long time ago. So what I did know when I started reading was that Charlie's brother had died when he was younger and Charlie could still see him every night. And of course that there was a love interest of some description involved along the way.I'm glad that I never saw the film before reading this (something that rings true nine times out of ten when books are adapted into films) as it meant that I had no expectations as to what was going to happen and I could enjoy the story as it unfolded.So the story goes something like this.... Charlie and his brother Sam were involved in a car accident where Sam lost his life but Charlie survived after being brought back to life. Following the accident Charlie has the ability see people who have died before finally accepting what has happened to them and deciding to move onto whatever was next for them. He could always spot them as they had a kind of aura about them which made them stand out. As Charlie worked in the local cemetery he was able to help these 'spirits' move on and come to terms/peace with what had happened. It was here that he meets Tess who confronts him and his co-worker, Joe, whilst they were scaring away geese. Sparks fly between the two of them and they agree to go on a date later that night.I won't add anything further as it would completely spoil the book for anyone who hasn't read it or seen the film. I could see what was going on with Tess early on which was then confirmed by a conversation she had.This was a wonderful love story on a few different levels. The love that Charlie had for Sam, ultimately keeping him from moving on. The love developing between him and Tess which seems doomed but hopeful in the end. The love that Charlie had for the people that he helped to move on. He had dedicated his life up until this point and in helping them he prevented himself from moving on and living his life to the fullest.This was wonderfully written and you could feel Charlie's sense of loss and longing regarding Tess and then the pure determination that he had in wanting to help her. It was a bitter sweet moment when he finally let Sam move on - feeling like he had broken his promise but knowing that this was what Sam really needed after all this time.Reading a book like this really spurs me on to want to watch the film, all the while hoping that they haven't changed too much and spoil the magic that the book contains.

I watched the film first as it had the gorgeous Zac Efron starring and enjoyed that so I thought I'd try the book, it was slightly different, as it always is, however I still enjoyed the read and great price too!If you want a nice read that is perfect for holidays and before bed then this is the book for you. It was easy to read and if you let your imagination run with it then you'll enjoy this book but if you're not into a true fictional read then try something else.I'd recommend a brew and comfy chair or of course sunny sandy beach and enjoy!

This book got my so emotionally involved, I laughed and cried a lot, I loved the film but there is something about a book a film will never replace, I loved it thank you.

Brilliant book, very sad and thought provoking. I thought the book was far greater than the film but then that depends upon your own imagination.I loved the story and it just drew me in further and further and although it did make me cry I would still recommend it.KARRIE

I started reading this book after reading a couple of Nicholas Sparks books and I just couldn't get into this book at all. Wasn't very exciting, it started off really slow and I was bored reading it. Loved the movie - couldn't get into the book which was a great disappointment.