The Best of Me by Nicholas SparksMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
While I love to get some variety in my reading (different authors, genres, themes/subject matter, etc.) there are some authors I just can't resist even if their writing is somewhat predictable. Nicholas Sparks is one of them.
Like many of his other works, there is a love interest that involves some sort of conflict, tension or history to it. There is a tragedy. There are characters with quirks. And there are characters dealing with their baggage. And it doesn't necessarily end the way you want it to, but it ends the way it should.
Dawson grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, the youngest in a family of drug dealers, wife beaters, bullies, etc. He meets Amanda in high school and they fall madly in love. Her parents - wealthy and of good reputation - don't approve of their relationship and eventually the pair break up but neither of them really get over their first love.
Each of them moves on to different cities to start new lives of their own. Amanda goes to college and marries a guy that looks good on paper and Dawson moves out of town and takes on a variety of jobs, living in a variety of places and never really settling down, never able to get over Amanda.
When they meet again, it is at the dying wishes of a mutual friend, and of course that old flame is reignited when they see each other again. They stay in their hometown for a few days trying to sort out their friend's estate and in doing so they are able to spend some time together catching up on each other's lives.
The tension in this particular romance is created by the fact that Amanda is married - but not happily - and struggles with the desire to reunite with Dawson and everything that she would be giving up and all the hurt she would be causing to her family if she did so.
Meanwhile, in the background of their relationship, in addition to the problems at home with her alcoholic husband, Amanda is struggling with her relationship with her mother and Dawson is struggling with the tragedy that caused him to leave town originally & also his crazy family who are out for revenge against him.
And then, in true Nicholas Sparks fashion, another tradedy strikes that brings a resolution to all those loose strings that were woven into the book. You may love it, you may hate it, it might all seem a bit too convenient, but in the end is was probably the right way for things to play out.
While I seem to be harping on Sparks' formulaic approach to writing, I will say that I keep reading in spite of that because I love the values he instill in the characters - in this case, Dawson overcomes his negative upbringing and leaves a nice legacy. You are also introduced to their mutual friend who, in spite of his rough exterior, was a wonderful man, wise and generous. And in the end, Amanda is faithful to her her husband and tries to do the right thing for her family. If you like the way Sparks describes things and the rhythm to his writing, you won't be disappointed. He also has a great way of endearing the characters to you and getting you to feel what he wants you to feel, in spite of how you would normally react.
I borrowed this book from the library and already returned it, so I can't quote it exactly, but one thing I liked is he talks about how people so often think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, but they forget that it's greener because someone watered it and tended to it so that it could grow.
What a neat statement - yes, other people might be more appealing to you than the husband you are struggling with. Or, other jobs might be more appealing than the one you currently have, or your neighbors' house might seem better than yours - but you have the power to have the things you want by investing yourself in them - by working to nurture your relationship, your career, your home or anything other area of your life that you aren't happy with. Giving up will lead to brown grass and anything else will look better.
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