Rating: 
Summary: A predictable pitcher throws his first curve
Review: I have read only two other of Sparks's books (The Rescue/ A Walk to Remember) which were both ok. The Rescue has pretty much unexpected turns and I could see what he was going to throw before he released the pitch. (Sorry about the baseball terms, but its easier to explain) I can't usually see very far ahead in books, but in Sparks's novels the Rescue and Bend in the Road I had hunches that turned out to be close to their mark.Basically this book is about a man whose wife was killed in a hit and run accident just after he and his wife had argued. Miles (the husband) is a sheriff and he feels that he failed his wife when he never found her killer as a husband's and sheriff's duty. Finally after 2 years Miles moves on and meets a teacher, Sarah Andrews. When Miles gets a 'clue' about a potential killer of his wife Miles goes nuts. He hurts both Sarah and his only son in his mad search to find out the truth. But when he finally does, Miles pulls a few surprises that shock even himself. I found this book to be a slight comedy (I find everything funny - the slightest thing sets me on the floor rolling) and a fast but fun read. (I read it on the way back on the plane from Hawaii). All in all - this is Sparks's best book out of the three I have read.
Rating: 
Summary: Cliched, banal and utterly predictable ...
Review: The subject line says it all really - is there ever any doubt that the saintly widowed Nick and the equally saintly divorced Sarah will get together in the end? That he will find out who is responsible for his wife's death? Even the 'twist in the tail' isn't a surprise - I saw it coming pages away. It would have been a lot more powerful if the character who makes the surprise confession at the end had actually featured a bit more in the novel up until then but never mind. This novel is so bad that it would take a lot more than that to fix it ...
Rating: 
Summary: Purly wonderful
Review: This book is just wonderful. It makes you want the best to turn out but as the book goes along, "the best" changes all the time. This is one of my favorite books. I recommend it to all of my friends and family. I have read it about 3 times and am always deeply into this book. I just can't believe that it is actually a man writing this.
Rating:
Summary: Amateurish Fluff
Review: If someone had given me a copy of this book with a blank cover, so I had no idea about the author or title, I swear I would think this book was written by a college student. It isn't that the writing is BAD, it's that the writing is bland. Weak expressions are used everywhere. For example, "he could feel his heart pounding" which can be simplified and made more direct by saying, "his heart pounded" or "he felt his heart pounding". Sparks also does one of the things I hate the most, which is to use heavy-handed foreshadowing like ending a chapter, "But little did they know their lives would soon change forever." That doesn't add a single thing to the narrative, it's garbage. All the "could feel", "could see", and foreshadowing are signs of weak, novice writing. Sparks is in serious need of a real editor, and not just for the technical writing. The storytelling is weak as well. The reader is told constantly how hard it was for Miles to recover, how he focused on solving the case, how he ignored his kid, but readers never get to SEE that, except for one brief flashback. It's important for readers to SEE that so we can understand why he reacts the why he does later in the story. As for the italicized voice, it's only function is to show how remorseful the killer is, but does that matter? The outcome of the book would be the same with or without the italicized voice, so I don't think it adds anything useful and it gives away who killed Miles's wife for those with enough common sense to figure it out, which kills what little suspense there is in this book. The characters have little depth to them, with no real flaws, except that Miles has a hard time coping with his wife's death, which is understandable since they were so much in love. They never seemed like real people, but more like characters in a bad movie of the week. Too often the characters speak in speeches instead of short, crisp sentences. Poor writing, dull story, boring characters, clunky dialogue...there's nothing to recommend with this book. To me, the worst John Irving or Richard Russo novel is still ten times better than this insignificant, poorly-written tripe. To young writers, "A Bend in the Road" is a case study in what NOT to do.
Rating:
Summary: Worst novel I have read this year
Review: I wasn't expecting great literature, but Sparks' novel is so banal, with a boring and predictable plot and a comic-book level of writing, that I only finished because I had made a game of guessing the next cliched phrases the author was going to use (I listened to the audio book) - and I was doing pretty well at it. The character of Miles was especially ridiculous: devoted father turns into crazed avenger and abusive boyfriend (who seems for a while to forget he even has a son)? Far from being touched by this love story, it made me want to gag. I do NOT recommend wasting your time on this book.
Rating:
Summary: You've Got To Be Kidding Me
Review: So this is what passes as "contemporay literature:" Contrived, one-dimensional storytelling. Shallow, unoriginal, unimaginative characters. A plot equal to the most compelling episode of "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood." Lapdog pundits, bowing before a major publishing house, spouting publishing-line spiel. No doubt: another "New York Times" bestseller. Alas, I'm being too harsh. A BEND IN THE ROAD is not complete birdcage liner--it is a laugh-out-loud, sophomoric work of prose: a story one would expect to find in a spiral notebook stuffed under a mattress. A very worn mattress, mind you, but a mattress just the same. And to the author, here's a free piece of advice: why not try the actual word, "had," as opposed to your monotonous contractions when the POV is in the past tense (for instance, "he'd," "she'd" "they'd," "agent'd"). This is Gomer Pyle stuff. "Golly, gee'd. . ." Again, this is bestselling stuff? Bring me the broom corn. . . To all of my long-suffering, talented author friends diligently laboring under the shelter of a small publishing house--or are self-publishing--I say: "Take heart!" If this book can sell, any book can. Sorry, Nick. Bummer.
--D. Mikels.
Rating:
Summary: SPARKS FLY WHEN YOU READ THIS!!!
Review: I couldnt put this book down when I bought it at the local book store. I was guessing through out the book who was the one commenting on how Miles was living after the tragedy. I guessed right on my third time. Definalty a great read!! I'm glad I have a copy for my book collection.
Rating:
Summary: Loved it - but was a bit predictable
Review: I knew there would be a connection with the main characters - and of course there was. But what happened after the connection was out in the open - was different from what I expected. Another tear jerker - one story I kept trying to read the ending chapters on to see if my guesses were right - but just incredible as the other books I have read by Nicholas Sparks.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: He's done it again! This book will make you want to stay up late at night and call in sick to work. I couldn't put it down! I had to know what happened next and the ending is the best! Miles spends two years of his life searching for the person responsbile for his wife's untimely death. Just when he thought he was ready to move on, a chain of events are set into place that could forever change his life. This book is a must read!
Rating:
Summary: A Real Page Turner
Review: "A Bend in the Road" was the first Nicholas Sparks book I ever read, and I could not put it down. Everything from the characters, to the story, to the dialogue, is believable. I found myself laughing and crying while reading this book. In "A Bend in the Road," Sparks succeeds in making the reader actually feel both the joys and the pains of the characters involved. If you enjoy a good love story, I highly recommend this book. It has inspired me to read more of Nicholas Sparks' novels.
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