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Summary: Down the Long, Straight Road to Predictability
Review: Normally I am a big fan of Nicholas Sparks, but this book did not come even close to meeting, let alone exceeding my expectations. This book contains basic characters that are so cliché; it could drive any reader insane. Meet Miles Ryan- a single parent that is distraught over his lost love. His poor son Jonah has never been the same after his mother died that fateful day in a mysterious hit-and-run accident. Along comes Sarah Andrews, the ideal mother who cannot bear children. Then there is the mysterious narrator who has driven himself crazy because of the accident he caused that involved Missy Ryan so long ago. From the start I knew that I was in for an unexciting and conventional read. The first half of the book is devoted solely to the development of Miles' and Sarah's relationship. As you reach the second part, it breaks of into figuring out who Missy's killer is; as if no one knew who it was after they met him for the first time. In this book, Sparks makes most of his chapters short and leaves you hanging. He then jumps to another person's point of view and will not return for at least two chapters. He also spends too much time on insignificant details that make this book painful to read. A Bend in the Road, though it starts out fine, takes a horrible turn and quickly turns into one of the most monotonous and uneventful novels ever written by an acclaimed author.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent
Review: I even liked this book better than the Notebook. Nicholas Sparks is such a gifted writer. A Bend in the Road was a page turner from beginning to end.
Rating:
Summary: Wow
Review: Compelling, and beautifully written. Such a mystery with the love of two people. I really liked this book, and most people will.
Rating: 
Summary: CAN I HAVE A LITTLE EXTRA SAP WITH THAT BOOK PLEASE?
Review: Let me start this review by saying I am not hard to please when it comes to romance novels and I don't mind a little extra sap mixed in, at times. For me this book was a good read to pass the time on these long winter days with cups of hot chocolate. If your looking for an enjoyable book, something that is not "heavy" and that you can see being a movie of the week on the LIFE TIME Channel you will enjoy this book. I did figure it out pretty early on and I still wanted to finish it. Can't ask for much more then that from a book that was in the bargin bin for five bucks at BORDER'S BOOK STORE. ( Off the record, about the author, a guy that looks that good should not be allowed to write romance novels. Boy is he hot )
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Read-Nice Light Romance
Review: Miles Ryan's life seemed to end the day he lost he beloved wife Missy. She was killed in a hit-and-run accident two years ago. Missy had been his first love, and Miles fervently believes she will be his last. As a deputy sheriff in the North Carolina town of New Bern, Miles not only grieves for Missy, but longs to bring her killer to justice. Then Miles meets Sarah Andrews. The second grade teacher of his son Jonah. Sarah left Baltimore after a difficult divorce to start over again. Perhaps it is her own emotional wounds that make her sensitive to the hurt she first sees in Jonah's eyes, and then his father's. Tentatively, Sarah and Miles reach out to each other. Soon they are laughing for the first time in years and falling in love. But neither have any idea how closely linked they are to a shocking secret. This secret changes everything between them and forces each of them to question everything they believe in. It is from this point on they must make a heartbreaking choice.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Read!
Review: As a Nicholas Sparks fan I would have to say that this book is by far my favorite. Like most of his books it starts off tragic but than blooms into this incredible love story between Miles Ryan a widower and Sarah Andrews his son's second grade teacher who had just recently moved to New Bern because of a divorce. As their love grows you will laugh and cry with them. But as usual there is a twist in the end of the book that you will have to read to find out! I would recommend this book to everyone who believes in love.
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Summary: It was a real page turner!!!!!!!!!!
Review: The first time i came upon this book was when i was on Amazon.com looking for books to read. I read some of the reviews and the sounded good. So the next day i went to my school library and got the book. It was a real page turner. I like every minute of reading that book.I've read a Nicholas Sparks book before this one and i think he is such a wonderful and inspiring author. In this book Miles loses his wife when she takes a jog and is hit by a car. Now he had to take care of his son Jonah, who is sad and lost without his mother. I give alot of credit to this character in this book. I couldn't imagine losing someone and having to take care of a child and at the same time working full time as a sheriff. This is truly a love story , from losing someone then in a twist of fate finding another person and falling in love all over again.Though i thought that it was weird that it was Jonah's teacher. This was not a hard book to read, it was rather relaxing. Several people who i have talked to said that this book was great. I thought that this book really makes you think about life and how it could change in an instant. I also thought it teaches you not to take things for granted because before Miles's wife went on that jog they got into a fight and he regretted that. I would suggest this book to anyone, young or old. I would rate this a five star book.
Rating: 
Summary: Enough with the immature, and angry men...
Review: Although I have enjoyed several of this author's previous novels, this one dissapoints. The main reason? A male character with the emotional maturity of a five-year-old. Two years after the death of his wife this guy is a self-indulgent rageaholic who can't get on with life. Yes, he is a good father and I admire that, but he is also impulsively angry, lacks self-awareness and is generally graceless when it comes to considering others' reactions to his wife's death. Yuck. As a man, I am tired of stereotypical (angry) and emotionally stunted male characters. How about a smart, sensitive, self-regulated guy for a change. I think I am most disenchanted with all the glowing reviews of the book by women readers. Is this behavior really romantic????
Rating:
Summary: A BEND IN THE ROAD
Review: Book Review A BEND IN THE ROAD Sometimes fate may cause an unimaginable situation, but then turn it into the best thing that happens in one's life. Along with these situations, one may also be faced with the difficult act of forgiveness. In 2001 Author Nicholas Sparks published a very powerful book; A Bend in the Road. After reading this realistic novel a person who hasn't experienced tragedy in their life may be able to understand the feelings of a person who has. Sparks displays an exceptional view of life by showing how one man endured both.
The fate of Missy's death was an unthinkable tragedy in which Miles thought he would never recover. However, it was that fate that brought him and Sarah together. And in the end the difficult act of forgiveness was carried out when Miles accepted Brian's apology. He understood that though Brian did kill his wife, it was unintentional and he was remorseful.
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One could agree with Miles to forgive the killer. But is it possible to just forget about it? The book ended making one assume that Miles and Sarah pursued their relationship. But what happened between Miles and Brian? They all agreed to keep the secret amongst themselves, but how could that be done? The story should not have ended there. More could have been said about the relationship Miles had with both his new love and his wife's killer. Did he marry Sarah, and allow the murderer of his wife to become his brother-in-law? Other than that one shortcoming, the novel is truly great.
Losing a loved one in a hit and run accident is devastating. Having the courage to enter another relationship unknowing what the future may hold is frightening. But how would someone explain their feelings after finding out their lover's brother is the murderer? Sparks did an eminent job showing the feelings of love, anger, and forgiveness in this must read novel.
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Summary: A Romantic Mystery
Review: Nicholas Sparks has created a beautiful, and thrilling story line in the book A Bend in the Road. This romantic, spellbinding book is narrated by the killer of Miles Ryan's wife, Missy. When Mile's son, Jonah, is having troubles in school, his young teacher, Miss Sarah Andrews makes an arrangement with Miles to discuss possible tutoring sessions. Miles had been grieving the mysterious hit and run accident of his much beloved wife, but was surprised when he met with Miss Andrews and found himself quite attracted to her. They soon begin to fall in love and everything seems to be perfect until a numbing secret is discovered in the case of how Missy Ryan was killed. After the truth comes out, Ryan and Sarah must reevaluate their love for each other.
The author was brilliant at keeping the reader interested because every few chapters, the killer would write a journal entry describing his/her emotions and thoughts on what was going on during the accident. I thought this book was interesting because of the way the author made everything seem so real. I could picture every little detail in my head and understand how each character was feeling.
The characters were very believable because they had so many emotions. You really get to know Miles Ryan and how his life was completely about his family and the pain and anguish he went through after Missy died. Then when he meets Sarah Andrews, it seemed as if his life lit up again and had a new outlook on life, which was very refreshing from his normal gloominess. You want to reach out to Jonah when he has his nightmares and questions about his mom that he hardly got to know. Sarah was also a touching character because she dealt with the unfortunate news that she could not produce babies, which made her ex-husband leave her. She moved away from the city and came to the country to live closer to her family and have a better sense of belonging.
The theme is based on moving on through hardships and finding love again. Miles had to deal with the death of his wife which he so dearly cared for, so he could take care of his son and make a living as the deputy sheriff. Once he fell in love with Sarah Andrews, and then discovered the haunting truth about the death of Missy, both him and Sarah have to decide whether to stay together or leave each other forever. The author made it clear that once you find the one you truly love, nothing can break that special relationship.
I really enjoyed this book and thought it was very well written. Sparks' choice of words were perfect for describing the scenery and surroundings. This is illustrated on page 111 in the quote "Friday brought the first truly crisp air of autumn. In the morning, light frost had dusted every grassy patch; people saw their breath as they climbed in their cars to go to work. The oaks and the dogwoods and the magnolias had yet to begin their slow turn toward red and orange and now, with the day winding down, Sarah watched the sunlight filtering through the leaves, casting shadows along the pavement." The first journal entry from the person who killed Missy ended in a shocking way because I didn't realize that it was killer who was writing until then. The last few sentences were "I needed to see Miles, needed to see Jonah. Even then, I knew that our lives would be forever intertwined. I had to be there you see. I was, after all, the one who'd been driving the car. There were also a few places where the author used foreshadowing to keep the audience on their toes. An example of this is from page 95 and read "Because, she said simply, I'd hate to see him get hurt again." It was ironic the way the story had almost replayed itself when Miles was in the accident towards the end of the book and realized that what had happened to his wife was really an accident too. The quote " In his mind, that might be how he saw it. Miles hadn't meant for it to happen, after all, so that made it an accident. As it had been with Missy?" was when Miles realized that Missy's death was also an accident.
I believe this book would be best suited for a young adult or adult because of the romantic content. I also think a female would appreciate it more than a male since it's a love story. Although anyone who enjoys a romantic mystery book, would find this book hard to put down.
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