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| Plot Summary of A Bend In The Road |
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Warner, Sep 2001, 23.95, 352 pp.
ISBN: 0446527785
Two years ago in New Bern, North Carolina Deputy Sheriff Miles Ryan learns how quickly a joyful life can turn to ashes when a still unknown hit and run driver kills his beloved wife, Missy. Miles feels he died that day too and survives through their young son Jonah. Neither Ryan male has come to grips with their loss as both still mourn Missy's death.
All Sarah Andrews wanted from life was the same kind of love her parents have for one another and always showered on her. She thought Michael was her life mate, but when they learned her eggs could not produce a child, he divorced her. She left Baltimore to start anew in New Bern.
Sarah, Jonah's elementary school teacher, is sympathetic towards the young child's grief; still she is concerned with his behavior and schoolwork. At a parents-teacher conference, Miles and Sarah meet and feel a shocking attraction. As they begin to fall in love, both wonder if a relationship is the right thing for them and for Jonah. Then there is the “Italicized” individual who deliberately killed Missy and will murder again to remain anonymous.
Very few writers of romantic suspense can send off more sparks and sugar in the same mix than Nicholas Sparks. The story line is sweet as two walking wounded heal through the magic of love, which in a Mary Poppins kind of way softens everyone else except for the murderer. The lead couple is a warm, engaging duo struggling with ghosts, love, and a killer, which make for a fine cotton candy of a tale.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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"Policeman, trying to seek resolve in death of wife, befriends sons teacher. Son tries to set them up, which works eventually. But as policeman unfolds the truth of wife's death, he is forced to make a tough decision about his love."
Lauren, Resident Scholar
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"Wonderful love story once again from Nicholas Sparks. Keep a box of tissues handy for the last few chapters."
Ashley Yarborough, Resident Scholar
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"A Bend in the Road is a story of a man struggling with the loss and unsolved hit and run of his wife. His life takes a positive turn when he meets the newest school teacher in town who is struggling with her own demons of betrayel from her past marriage. Nicholas Sparks' newest novel is a love story about two hurt souls searching for love, but due to circumstances beyond their control, the road is very bumpy."
Lisa Cuthrell, Resident Scholar
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"This book contains the story of a man whose wife was killed by a hit-and-run driver. He spends much of his time searching for the killer and trying to bring a sense of justice to himself. Meanwhile, he falls in love with his son's school teacher. He finally learns to love again and move past all the horrible things in his life until he learns who the driver of the car is. Once the truth comes out, he has to decide whether or not to seek revenge. It isn't the person he thought it was, and that is what makes the decision so difficult. This book leaves you with such a sense of happiness at the end."
Cristin, Resident Scholar
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"It's about a man trying to find new love while still searching for answers from the loss of his first love years earlier. "
Michele, Resident Scholar
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"A small town deputy sheriff has lost his wife in an unsolved hit and run accident case. Though he is vigilant in trying to solve this mystery, he struggles to move on with his life and raise his son.
A second chance for love comes his way in his son's 2nd grade teacher. The depth of their relationship grows quickly and they seem naturally made for each other. Both are overcoming great difficulties, and they are nurturing and supportive of each other. You can feel they are in love. However an extraordinary development of incredible human proportions in the unsolved case threatens the future of this relationship.
Sparks writes once again an incredible story. It is rich in characters who bounce off the pages and into your imagination. This story will pull at your heartstrings - and keep you thirsting for more!
Ed
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Ed, Resident Scholar
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"Losing his wife in a freak accident a few years ago has kept Miles Ryan busy with investigative work about what really happened. He is very concerned about his son and how he is dealing with the loss. When Miles meets Sarah and begins falling for her, the accident gets less and less important. Until a twist in the story sends him searching again for answers. The one person he would least expect to hold the answers, does. How will he handle the information? The closer I got to finding out who was driving the car that killed Miles' wife, the faster I read. I absolutely could not put this book down. I finished this book in one day. I think this is one of Sparks' best!"
Kara, Resident Scholar
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"Miles Ryan's life changed the day his wife was killed by a hit and run driver. Grief and pain drive him everyday to find the unknown driver to justice. Sarah Andrews, the 2nd grade teacher of Miles' son, Jonah, left Baltimore after a difficult divorce to start over. For the first time in years, they both find themselves falling in love. But the past rears its ugly head and the secret that has been kept will force them to question everything about themselves and their relationship."
Darcey, Resident Scholar
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"Miles Ryan, a Deputy Sheriff, had a perfect life, living with his high school sweetheart Missy and their son Jonah. That was until Missy was killed in a hit-and-run accident two years ago. After the accident, Miles spent months searching for evidence, trying to find the anonymous murderer. Jonah started doing worse in school, requiring extra help from his teachers.
His new second grade teacher Sarah Andrews had just moved from Baltimore, and was still recovering from a divorce. Her husband Michael divorced her when they found out she was incapable of producing a child. With Sarah tutoring Jonah after school, and parent/teacher conferences, Miles and Sarah met often, and both feel a sense of attraction to the other. They started to meet at other times; going out on dates, and eventually fell in love.
But Missy's killer tells Miles how a dog had jumped at Missy and she took one step too many into the street. Although the killer turned out to be the person that Miles least expected, Miles gets extremely angry that the killer said it was Missy's fault. At the end, Miles must make an important decision. Either he gets revenge against the killer, and loses Sarah, or he forgives the killer, and keeps Sarah, the new love of his life. "
Christina, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of A Bend In The Road |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of story
- 1980's-1999
Action/suspense subplot?
Yes
Action:
- chased by/chasing kidnapper/killer
Inner struggle subplot
Yes
Struggle with...
- angst over dead lover
If one lover chases another...
- they alternate
Children/Pregnancy
Yes
Main Male Character
Profession/status:
- police/lawman
Age/status:
- 20's-30's
Eccentric/mental:
Yes
How sexual is this person?
- very picky
How romantic is this person?
- somewhat romantic
Sex has good effect on him
Yes
Sex makes him
- confident
- sensitive
How sensitive is this character?
- soggy whimpering jelly muffin
- sensitive to others' feelings
Main Female Character
Age/status:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- teacher
How sexual is this person?
- very picky
How romantic is this person?
- somewhat romantic
Sex has good effect on her
Yes
Effect of sexing
- confident
- blissful
How sensitive is this character?
- soggy whimpering jelly muffin
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Southeast
Small town?
Yes
Small town people:
- nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
What % of story is romance related?
- 50%
Sex in book?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references
- descript of kissing
Focus of story
- equally on him and her
How much dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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