A Bend in the Road
by Nicholas Sparks
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Book Summary Information
Author: Nicholas SparksEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2002-07-01
ISBN: 0446611867
Number of pages: 368
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Book Reviews of A Bend in the Road
Book Review: What's Stuck in the Heart Goes Around & Around the Bend of Forested, Black-Paved Paths. Red Retribution; Aqua Redemption.
Summary: 5 Stars
Sparks Delivers Fire & Sea.
This is my second Nicholas Sparks novel, which I'd describe as a complex, compelling, intriguing mystery designed with literary panache, grounded and enhanced by an endearing romance. The literary panache has to do mostly with the weaving of italicized chapters written from the perspective of an undisclosed character. These chapters alternate through the plot, surging curiosity about this character's identity as they shadow the footsteps of the main plot. This weaving is incredibly well done, and its conclusion, as it quietly steps out of the shadows and into the mainstream, at the prime time and from immediate necessity, is a plot master's coup.
Using more than this alternation technique from the perspective of a shadowed character, BEND IN THE ROAD gently descends the reader to the absolute bottom of an emotional well, and keeps him there, deep enough and long enough that a catharsis blossoms peacefully from an artistically sensual depression. This story, with multiple moods and styles, wanders, with relief from comic touches and Miles's delightfully affectionate, 7-yr-old son, Jonah, through exactly that type of soulful solitude of deep dark spaces of the hurting/healing heart.
It appears, based on reading many and varied reviews of TRUE BELIEVER (before and after reading the book), and after reading A BEND IN THE ROAD, that Nicholas Sparks fans have come to expect an amazingly effective type of emotional therapy which descends deeper and cleaner than many types of psychological analysis can hope to accomplish. I see why a reader could come to compulsively anticipate that catharsis.
Miles Ryan is about as different as he can get from TRUE BELIEVER'S Jeremy Marsh, yet both stepped onto the page in ready-made, character technicolor, fleshing out almost instantly in realistic depth. Contrasting Lexie Darnell with Sarah Andrews I get the feeling that they each have a unique rhythm and speed. I sense this type of difference within each of Sparks's characters when I draw out the qualities which create an individual, rather than an emergence from a base mold, with slight variations on a few curves and edges.
Another contrast which was a surprise was the introduction from fans I received from each of these two novels.
What brought my attention to Sparks initially was the promo blurb comparisons on Ronald Anthony's THE FOREVER YEAR (on which I posted a rave). The blurbs promised that if I liked Nicholas Spark's novels I'd also like THE FOREVER YEAR. I hadn't yet read a Sparks novel, so after being thoroughly impressed with Anthony, I decided to check out the Amazon CR's on Sparks. TRUE BELIEVER was his latest offering, and as I began reading the editorials and reviews, I was shocked by the intensity of adulation Vs hostility (mostly from thrilled or disappointed fans) present in the collection of customer comments.
After having read, admired, and reviewed TB, I wanted to get a comparison from an earlier Sparks novel, and chose THE BEND IN THE ROAD. I had carried a copy of that novel to a café for breakfast, and the pretty, young waitress, who said she loves all Sparks's books, pointed to the one I had set on the table. With a bright smile she said how good that story was and what a great ending it had, which it did.
I was glad to know ahead of time that this novel wouldn't leave me devastated after reading the last page, shedding tear oceans over my omelet, or my camomile tea, if I happen to finish the book by the pillow instead of beside the coffee pot. The intensity and realism of Miles's grieving led me through one of the peaceful types of catharsis, of having had a good cry and returning to the hopeful feeling that maybe life would allow me to purge regrets and achieve whatever emotional satisfactions I sought.
The graceful way Sparks brought his perfect title into one of the concluding scenes solidified his literary finesse into the heart-surging, sad and romantic style dramatized so well in this story, from Sparks's way of telling it.
Some masters of their games are so subtle with execution of their art it takes an archeologist to realize they're doing more than tuning love stories or tossing out horror novels. Such archaeologists thrive in abundance on Amazon.com.
Hat's off to sleight of keyboards producing more undercover than is obvious on the surface,
Linda G. Shelnutt
Summary of 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 in-including their love.Literature & Fiction Books
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