A Bend in the Road | Nicholas Sparks

A Bend in the Road | Nicholas Sparks | Another winner by Sparks

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A Bend in the Road

	A Bend in the Road Nicholas Sparks Grand Central Publishing, 2002 - 368 pages average customer review:based on 313 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Where does a story truly begin? In life, there are seldom clear-cut beginnings, those moments when we can, in looking back, say that everything started. I'm not sure why I feel compelled to tell my story in the first place. What can be achieved by unearthing the past? But I know I must try to tell it, if for no other reason than to finally put this all behind me. This is, above all, a love story, and like so many love stories, it is rooted in tragedy. At the same time, it is also a story of forgiveness. And it is my story as well. I, too, played a role in all that happened -From A BEND IN THE ROAD Miles Ryan's life seemed to end the day his wife was killed in a hit-and-run accident two years ago. As deputy sheriff of New Bern, North Carolina, he not only grieves for her and worries about their young son Jonah but longs to bring the unknown driver to justice. Then Miles meets Sarah Andrews, Jonah's second-grade teacher. A young woman recovering from a difficult divorce, Sarah moved to New Bern hoping to start over. Tentatively, Miles and Sarah reach out to each other....soon they are falling in love. But what neither realizes is that they are also bound together by a shocking secret, one that will force them to reexamine everything they believe inincluding their love.

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Sparks with a twist

Usually, Sparks writes of bad circumstance, an illness or something else that affects a relationship. In this novel, there is an accident that affects many lives, Miles, Jonah, Missy and Sarah. You feel the pain both Miles and Jonah feel and the emotional hardship since the accident. You see the development of the characters as the story progresses.

Sarah is introduced as Jonah's teacher who offers to work with Jonah to improve his reading skills. A relationship begins to develop between Miles and Sarah. Sparks does an excellent job of conveying the conflict of emotions and the nervousness Miles faces in moving on. Just when things start to move smoothly, there is a turning point in the novel, as with other Sparks' novels, that ultimately determine if the love is worth keeping.

The difference is, this is the first time I've seen Sparks introduce a 'bad guy.' Not a bad guy as in 'evil' person, rather, the ramblings of a character whose purpose is later revealed and is critical in the development of the story. I've read several of Spark's novels and this one is definitely one of the best.

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Another winner by Sparks

I have become a Nicholas Sparks fan and have come to expect certain things with his writing. This and At First Sight were the two exceptions for which I couldn't imagine the ending if I tried. This book chronicles Miles Ryan and his son, Jonah, attempting to live their lives as normally as possible after the death of their wife and mother. While walking along a bendy road, she is struck by a vehicle, covered with a blanket, and left. Miles, an employee of the sheriff's department, is completely distraught and finds himself investigating on his own while his department also investigates. Eventually, he moves on and begins to fall for his son's teacher, Sarah. This story is very touching and romantic, and also is a frank portrayal of an adult attempting to get back in touch with the dating scene he has been out of for so long. While at times the book was predictable, Sparks' writing gives it an unexpected edge and you will find yourself enjoying it, even if you have a feeling about what's to come.

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Don't read the book jacket

I really enjoyed this fast read. It was predictable only because I read the book jacket when it said (spoiler?) that the secret would be closer to each of them (Sarah and Miles) than they would realize. Sarah being new to the small town, how many people could she and Miles know in common, Sarah's parents and brother being at the top of this list.

I enjoyed the book, though. I'm glad it ended how it did, especially the candles!

easy to finish, but just okay

I see this was written in 2001 and I have enjoyed other books better from Sparks since this was written. Not to say avoid this book but this reader was a little less impressed with the character and story flow in "a bend..." I guess my main problem is the protagonist Miles, a sheriff in a small town who comes off a little silly and too drama prone for the story's own good. Still can't wait to read another novel by this talented writer.

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