Rating: 
Summary: Great, if not a bit predictable
Review: Whew, what to say about this book? I am at a complete juxtaposition with it because on the one hand, it was something that I could not put down for a few days and on the other, it was as though I finished and walked from it feeling guilty and only momentarily satisfied. Not unlike eating junk food! This book follows the life of a sheriff and his young son a few years (?) after the hit and run that took the sheriff's wife. The sheriff meets his son's new teacher, who has gone through a different kind of death with her husband - divorce, and they inevitably fall in love with each other. However, little do they know how their lives are intertwined in the most intimate of ways. It was fairly predictably written, it was not a complete murder/mystery novel where you gasp out loud or anything. However, while the plot may not as well developped as possible (and who am I to say, I've never written a novel!), it is the character developement that sucked me further and further into this book. While this is a good read, keep in mind that it doesn't have the depth of some of the more detailed modern novels.
Rating: 
Summary: Sweet... sentimental... loved it!
Review: With apologies to all those literary types who bash all books that don't deal in misery, angst, abuse, and the worst possible traits in human nature, A Bend in the Road is a great read. It is sweet, sentimental, and down-to-earth. The characters aren't terribly emotionally damaged. If you're looking for angst and abuse and the whine-whine-whine of "literary" fiction, you probably won't like this one, but, if you're a regular person, looking for a book that's uplifting and real, you will love Nicholas Sparks. If you love Nicholas Sparks, you will probably also love Wait Till Next Year, by Dorris Kerns Goodwin, Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas, and Tending Roses by Lisa Wingate -- a few more of my sentimental favorites.
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