Rating: 
Summary: A Great Book
Review: This was the first book I read by Nicholas Sparks. From the very first page to the very last, I couldn't put this book down. It kept me guessing what was going to happen next. This was a wonderful book that is well worth taking that time to read.
Rating: 
Summary: Very predictable, average book, but still enjoyable.
Review: The last two Sparks books I've read, The Rescue and this one, have just not moved me the way The Notebook, Message in a Bottle, and A Walk to Remember did. A Bend in the Road was so predictable, that the big revelation lost all of its impact. I did however enjoy the love story of Miles and Sarah and the setting. But that is always two of the author's strengths - characters that you care about, and wonderfully descriptive narrative. I'll read his next book, but the author is on "probation" now as far as I'm concerned.
Rating:
Summary: A Bend in the Road
Review: A Bend in the Road didn't turn out to be the mystery novel I was expecting, and so I was a little disappointed with that aspect. On the other hand, it's not a bad story, and if you can put up with the predictability, it's worth a quick read.
Rating:
Summary: A little depressing
Review: I have read a few different Nicholas Sparks books and loved A Walk to Remember. The Notebook was wonderful but I found this one to be a little depressing. There was the love aspect between Miles and Sarah but the fact that Miles kept dwelling on his dead wife Missy kept bringing me down and I felt so badly for his son. It seemed like different writing for Sparks...not his typical romance writing.
Rating: 
Summary: Hooray!! Finally a Nicholas Sparks Book I Loved
Review: Generally speaking when I read a new author, I use a three book rule. If I'm not real happy after reading the first book I will always try another book by the author, sometimes even two books to see if I feel any differently. Then and only then do I allow myself to say I won't read the author again. But sometimes I even go the final distance and try a fourth book to make up my mind. And it may very well be this book which makes me a loyal fan and future reader of the author.What I just described above is exactly what happened to me concerning Nicholas Sparks and his books. While many readers loved The Notebook, Message in the Bottle and A Walk to Remember (in my opinion a rehash of Love Story by Erich Segal), none of these books even remotely moved me as they did so many other readers. And so I passed on reading The Rescue and never expected to pick up another Sparks book again, but then a funny thing happened to me while browsing the library shelves. Seeking a comfort book shortly after 9/11, I found msyelf looking at A Bend in the Road, thinking I'd try another Saprks book. Over the next two days I literally gulped down the pages and loved every word, characters and description. Finally, now I can shout out loud that I read a Nicholas Sparks book I loved. The story of A Bend in the Road begins two years after Miles Ryan's high school sweetheart and wife dies in a hit and run accident. The responsible party has never been found and looking for this person consumes Miles who is also the town's deputy sheriff. Miles isn't the only one who misses Missy Ryan. There is also their 6 year old son Jonah who can't imagine what happened to his mother when he was so young. Now as each day passes, Miles is more and more determined to find the man or woman responsible for this tragedy. Then Sarah Andrews, newly divorced and transplanted to the area, becomes Jonah's teacher. Discovering that he is weak in elementary skills she offers to tutor Joanh after school. This puts Sarah directly in Miles' path. At first reluctant to become involved in a realtionship with a woman who he is attracted to, Miles tries to steer clear of Sarah. But eventually their mutual interest in each other finds them dating and pursuing more than a friendship because of Jonah. Then as their relationship grows stronger, the past comes back to haunt the two of them. And all the while I was left furiously turning pages while sitting on the edge of my seat wondering as to the outcome of the book. I truly loved this book and have learned a valuable lesson from reading this title. Just as we were taught never to judge a book by its cover, I also now understand why its important to sometimes give an author several chances before dismissing them entirely. For one may find, as I did, that it is the very next read which may be that special book that they will always remember. Hopefully, it won't take four other books till I find the one I really love.
Rating:
Summary: Another Winner
Review: Nicholas Sparks continues to enchant his readers with hit after hit. This author's supurb use of action and dialogue to show a story will continually keep his work on the best seller list.
Beverly J Scott author of Righteous Revenge
Rating:
Summary: A Bend in the Road
Review: Miles Ryan had lost his wife, Missy, 2 years ago because of a car accident. He never found out who killed his wife and kept looking and looking for the past two years. One day, Jonah's, his son, teacher, Sarah Andrews, told Miles that Jonah needed help. She offered to help him 3 days a week after school. Miles thought that Sarah was very attractive. They started to meet each other constantly and they fall in love. On Thanksgiving, Miles and Jonah went to Sarah's house to eat with the rest of her family. There, he met Brian, Sarah's brother. Then, one day, he heard that the guy that killed his wife was Otis Timson. Otis Timson and Miles had a very bad history together. Miles went too far and threw Otis in jail and even stuck a guy to his head. Later on, Sarah and Brian go to Miles house and confess. It was Brian who had killed Miles wife. Miles went crazy and started making accusations. A few days later, Miles decided to not arrest Brian even though it was a crime. Brian then, became a doctor and saved 6 people for Missy. Sarah and Miles got married a few days after Christmas.
I really enjoyed this book because it was very good. It was both a romantic and a mystery book. It started out with Miles in love with Sarah and then ended up finding the man who killed Miles' wife.
My favorite part in the book was the epilogue. It tells you that Brian moved to California and has been married to a woman named Janice for three years. He is a doctor and has saved six lives for Missy, Miles, and Jonah. It also says that Miles and Sarah got married. I thought that the epilogue is very sweet. It brings closure to the story.
Rating:
Summary: Sparks delivers--again!!
Review: Read A BEND IN THE ROAD by Nicholas Sparks, one of my
favorite authors . . . it seems that whenever he comes out with
a new book, I wonder if it can possibly be better than his last
effort . . . this one did not disappoint (though I must admit
to also loving THE RESCUE, Sparks' previous effort). This book is about a North Carolina sheriff whose wife was
killed in a hit-and-run accident . . . his life is incomplete until
he meets the second grade teacher of his son . . . but their
developing love is not without complications . . . and what
made for a particularly interesting story is how Sparks
adroitly manages to tie two separate story lines together. There's a great ending, too. The dialogue was very realistic . . . in addition, there were
many memorable passages; among them:
Sometimes he would try to imagine her in the classroom,
standing in front of the students with a piece of chalk in her
hand; other times he wondered how she spent her time after
school. Though they exchanged small talk every time they
met, it wasn't enough to satisfy her growing curiosity. He
didn't know much about her past at all, and though there
were moments when he wanted to ask, he held himself back
from doing so for the simple reason that he had no idea how
to go about it. "Mainly I had Jonah work on spelling today
and he did great," she might say, and what was Mike
supposed to say next? That's good. And speaking of
spelling, tell me--did you wrap your head in a towel
after you shower? Brenda shrugged. "There are no buts, not with him. He's a
good guy and I'm not saying that just because I like him.
I've known him a long time. He's one of those rare men who,
when he loves, he does it with all his heart." "I'm not surprised," he said. "This is a local hangout, and
the owner's attitude is that if you don't know about the place,
then you probably don't belong there anyway."
Rating:
Summary: Exciting
Review: Bend in the Road. What a excellent book! Nicholas sparks keeps you guessing through the whole book. It's sad but then again very exciting I could not put the book down everytime I turned the page it got more exciting it's the best book I've read in along while i would recommended it to anyone and at the the end you will be astound...
Rating:
Summary: Great, if not a bit predictable
Review: Whew, what to say about this book? I am at a complete juxtaposition with it because on the one hand, it was something that I could not put down for a few days and on the other, it was as though I finished and walked from it feeling guilty and only momentarily satisfied. Not unlike eating junk food! This book follows the life of a sheriff and his young son a few years (?) after the hit and run that took the sheriff's wife. The sheriff meets his son's new teacher, who has gone through a different kind of death with her husband - divorce, and they inevitably fall in love with each other. However, little do they know how their lives are intertwined in the most intimate of ways. It was fairly predictably written, it was not a complete murder/mystery novel where you gasp out loud or anything. However, while the plot may not as well developped as possible (and who am I to say, I've never written a novel!), it is the character developement that sucked me further and further into this book. While this is a good read, keep in mind that it doesn't have the depth of some of the more detailed modern novels.
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