The
Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks is a number one New York Times bestseller,
and is the sixteenth book he has written in the romance genre. It’s an
interesting read because it’s a different love story that deals with wanting to
let go of your past, but wanting to relive it at the same time, it's not the typical romance novel. Revenge also
comes into play and may jeopardize more than one life.
The plot of the book was a little
different. It was a little harder to understand what was happening throughout
the book because it would change scenes and characters in the next paragraph,
so it was harder to figure out who you just started to read about and what is
happening after just finishing a whole different character and scene. For
example: “Finally tiring of
his efforts, he simply kicked in the back door, just like Ted had done at
Tuck’s house. He stepped inside, wondering what the hell Candy might be up
to. Just as she had every
fifteen minutes since she’d arrived, Amanda approached the nurses’ station to
ask if they had any further information.”(pg. 273) Just
like that they are in one scene with a character kicking in a door, and the
next sentence is another character at the hospital for her son. Even though it
did get confusing, Sparks did a good job in portraying the plot. He allowed the
reader to know exactly what was happening and let them better understand who
the characters were and what they were trying to accomplish throughout the
book.
The themes of love and revenge were
definitely seen clearly all throughout the entire novel. This is something that
Sparks did very well in writing The Best
of Me. In almost every chapter there is love and revenge that is
occurring. For example, in one scene the
two main characters are realizing they never stopped loving each other, and in
the next scene one character is attempting to kill the other because of what
happened in the past. It’s a very mixed book. It’s like a salad, each bite you
taste something different, the lettuce, tomato, dressing. In the book you taste
a little bit of revenge with a little bit of love to make an intense and
tasteful story. For example:
“How can you do that? Just turn it off like that? Even when you know
they’re out there hunting you down?” Amanda could feel adrenaline flooding her
body. “Is this some crazy idea about your destiny as a Cole?” “No.” He shook
his head, the movement almost imperceptible. “I wasn’t thinking about them
because I was thinking about you. And since you first came into my life, that’s
the way it’s always been. I don’t think about them because I love you, and
there isn’t room for both.”(pg. 212)
This example from the book shows the revenge and the love, but that love
is more powerful than revenge.
The characters in The Best of Me really fit into the whole
story very well. How Sparks wrote the characters out to be allows the reader to
either love the “good” characters, or hate the “bad” ones. They really fit into
the whole mood and feel of the story. While reading, it all can be visualized,
what they look like and how they are acting, it’s the kind of story that can be
easily imagined in one’s head.
Overall the book deserves four out
of five stars. It did really well in portraying the plot and the characters
involved, although it did get confusing at times.The two themes of love and revenge really let the book be what it is,
a powerful love story with a bit of a thriller in it. Instead of being a cheesy
love story throughout, it was intense and thrilling as well.
That quote was kind of confusing, like you said; with the kicking in the door, and then cut to a hospital scene.
ReplyDeletewow sounds like i could relate to that book in some ways
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