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A Bend in the Road

by Nicholas Sparks (Goodreads Author)

3.97 of 5 stars 3.97 · rating details · 66,865 ratings · 2,059 reviews

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 divor...more

Paperback, 341 pages

Published April 1st 2005 by Grand Central Publishing (first published 2001)

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Apr 26, 2007 M. M. Sana rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Light Mystery/Drama Readers

This is an awesome book. It has a little bit of romance and a little mystery. It will embed images in your mind that will be hard to escape. Love and forgiveness will have a new meaning in your life. Yes, it does have a little bit of everything. A husband's love, a father's love, a cop in action, romance, mystery... FORGIVENESS! I won't tell you what it is about, because I think you should read it. REALLY!!! Go get it and read it. I never thought a man could write LOVE so well. Love in its pures...more

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Jul 18, 2011 Buggy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemp-rom, men-in-uniform-pc-ff, shelf-11, tortured-hero

Opening Line: “On the morning of August 29, 1988, a little more than two years after his wife had passed away, Miles Ryan stood on the back porch of his house, smoking a cigarette, watching as the rising sun slowly changed the morning sky from dusky grey to orange.”

Nicholas Sparks is like comfort food, I always know going in the kind of emotional love story I’m going to get and I can count on being sucked into the lives, loves and heartache of his small town characters. They’re written realistic...more Opening Line: “On the morning of August 29, 1988, a little more than two years after his wife had passed away, Miles Ryan stood on the back porch of his house, smoking a cigarette, watching as the rising sun slowly changed the morning sky from dusky grey to orange.”

Nicholas Sparks is like comfort food, I always know going in the kind of emotional love story I’m going to get and I can count on being sucked into the lives, loves and heartache of his small town characters. They’re written realistically, I mean I feel like I know them, flaws and all and I usually want to move to whatever town it is he’s describing. Sure sometimes the stories are predictable and I find that the couple de jour spouts the “I love you’s” too soon for my liking or realism’s sake but still his stories are always a pleasure to read, which is what keeps me coming back for more.

A BEND IN THE ROAD was a surprise in that it keeps a sense of mystery going throughout, often leaving the main couples love story and allowing us into the mind of the anonymous “bad guy”. Slowly unravelling their story until the shocking big reveal at the end. I honestly didn’t know how Sparks was going to wrap things up here, his couples doesn’t always end up together and that too added to the mystery.

Sheriff’s deputy Miles Ryan is still struggling to come to terms with the death of his beloved wife in a hit-and-run accident nearly two years ago. High school sweethearts, theirs was a love destined to last and Miles can’t seem to let go of the grief or the fact that as an officer of the law he’s been unable to find the person responsible. If it weren’t for their young son Jonah it’s unlikely that Miles would find the strength to get through the day.

Which brings into play Jonah’s second grade teacher Sarah Andrews. When Jonah begins having trouble keeping up in school Sarah offers to tutor him and a tentative relationship begins to form. Sarah is running away from a bad divorce (is there a good one?) and has a few skeletons in her closet as well. Our couple fall in love pretty fast (from one page to the next) and are just beginning to see a real future together when Miles’ past comes back, tearing everything apart. Unwilling to let go of his dead wife and obsessed with finding her killer and ultimately closure I can honestly say that I was surprised by events I didn’t see coming.

As I hinted at earlier I really enjoyed getting inside the head of the hit-and-run driver and slowly discovering who it was, becoming very sympathetic towards their situation. However I could have done without spending so much time running around with county sheriff Charlie and subsequently the middle parts of this story lagged. Still a recommended read. Cheers!(less)

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Jul 29, 2008 Wee!wawaLAA!!! rated it 4 of 5 stars

Mmmm, haven't read Nicholas Sparks's books in a little while.
This was pretty good, sure.
So there's a bunch of rivalry going on in this tiny city. Sarah-I think that's her name-had just come for a couple months, as a school teacher and meets this kid Jonas. He's kinda falling behind-no not dumb-but was not pushed to doing work and stuff.
And it was because his mom had died, so from pity, teachers passed him despite his lack of education.
So yes. A parent-teacher conference is needed.
And yes. Once a...more

2 likes · like · see review

May 10, 2013 Mona rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: owned, best-female-characters, drama, family, favorite-authors, favorites, mystery, nicholas-sparks, novels, own, love-story, must-read, contemporary-romance, contemporary, books-i-own, 5-stars, american-novels, best-male-characters

The typical amazing Nicholas sparks .. who never fails to amaze or surprise me .. the book is great as usual ..
It is a love story that will teach you by the end the meaning of forgiveness .. how to forget the past and move on .. how to choose to be happy .. it will teach you that you always have to do the right things and take the right decisions even if it means that you will lost a lot
You will never regret reading this amazing book

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Jan 04, 2009 Alaine rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Nicholas Spark fans

Recommended to Alaine by: Annie Bucknall

Shelves: general-fiction

Some stories don't have happy endings and some do. This one of course can't really have a happy ending because a wife and mother have died. But, this book tells the story of a man's journey through grief, and anyone who has been through the loss of a loved one knows that the pain never ends. Nicholas Sparks did a wonderful job of reminding us of that, it was not a week love story, someone dies, someone else comes along and they live happily ever after. Instead it spoke clearly of the struggle an...more

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Sep 04, 2008 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: The Romantic in all of us

Shelves: romantic-notions

Hmmm.... I am liking this one so far. I haven't read many of his books. Kindof a romance/mystery. I think I know where he is going with it and if so that will really really bite. I love Sarah and relate with her oh so well. Maybe I should look at being a school teacher so I can meet some cute parent and fall in love and yeah you know the rest. I guess we will just have to wait and see won't we. P.S. This is much more fun to read than what I am supposed to be reading for school. Who wants to read...more

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Feb 13, 2008 ♥♥ hattie♥♥ rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone

This book is about many different people and how they come together and end up being a family and it's how they are all connected. A man named Miles who is a police officer. His wife, went for a run and never came back. She was in a hit and run accident. The author shifts from Miles' story to Sarah's story. Sarah's story starts out how Sarah gets a divorce with her husband and she needs to "get away". So, she moves to New Bern, North Carolina. She becomes a second grade teacher there and Sarah n...more

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Mar 24, 2008 Karschtl rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bc, love, drama, woman-ish, read-in-2007

Auf meiner Zugfahrt von Berlin nach Wien in einem Rutsch gelesen. Wie immer geht es im Kern um eine (nicht unkomplizierte) Liebesgeschichte, aber auch ein bißchen um einen Kriminalfall und deren Aufklärung.

Die Frau von Miles Ryan ist nämlich vor 2 Jahren beim joggen von einem Autofahrer tödlich verletzt worden, der Täter wurde nie gefasst. Das nagt noch immer an Miles, einem Sheriff Deputy in einer Kleinstadt in North Carolina, und er ist besessen von dem Gedanken sich an dem Mörder seiner große...more

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Apr 11, 2008 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars

Miles Ryans 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, Jonahs 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....and soon they are fal...more

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Feb 02, 2008 Caroline rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: trash-bin, fiction

Surely the Danielle Steele set must rejoice whenever Sparks churns out a new book. While this was not the worst Sparks book I've ever read (there, I've admitted it - I've read more than one), that is a pretty low bar. I cannot even believe I read this. Not only do I not remember why I picked this book up, I cannot remember the ending. Suggestion: skip this book and save a few hours of your life; put it to good use gardening, playing with your children, or better yet, choosing a good author who d...more

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Jan 08, 2009 Gette added it · review of another edition

"A Bend in the Road" is a love story written by a man, and my last few brushes with male authors in this genre led me to believe that they have something good going here.[return][return]The plot goes down easy - it is predictable and accessible. Miles lost his wife and high school sweetheart Missy to a hit and run accident. The driver is still at large. Miles is left to raise their son Jonah alone.[return][return]Two years later, the deputy sheriff of a small town is called into a meeting with S...more

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Apr 22, 2013 Celeste rated it 3 of 5 stars

"A Bend in the Road" by Nicholas Sparks, is an intriguing book about a heartbroken man named Miles that loses his best friend, wife, and most importantly his son Jonah's mother due to a hit and run car accident. It only took one night to change his families life forever. He thought he would never be the same after losing Missy, that is until he met his sons second grade teacher Sarah. After finding out who killed missy in the car accident it changed both Miles and Sarah's life's forever.

I tho...more

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Apr 10, 2013 Kennidie rated it 4 of 5 stars

A Bend in the Road
By Nicholas Sparks
Review by Kennidie Mueller
Miles Ryan, a deputy sheriff in a small town in North Carolina, lost his wife in a hit and run accident a year ago. Now he is complicating his life by getting involved with Sarah, Miles’ sons’ teacher. He hasn’t totally healed when he gets some shocking news about the accident, in, A Bend in the Road by Nicholas Sparks.
Miles’ son, Jonah, hasn’t healed totally either, but they both find emotional refuge in Sarah. As Miles and Sarah’s r...more A Bend in the Road
By Nicholas Sparks
Review by Kennidie Mueller
Miles Ryan, a deputy sheriff in a small town in North Carolina, lost his wife in a hit and run accident a year ago. Now he is complicating his life by getting involved with Sarah, Miles’ sons’ teacher. He hasn’t totally healed when he gets some shocking news about the accident, in, A Bend in the Road by Nicholas Sparks.
Miles’ son, Jonah, hasn’t healed totally either, but they both find emotional refuge in Sarah. As Miles and Sarah’s relationship grows, Miles has become distracted by a major detail in his wife’s death. This takes a big toll on Miles, Jonas, and now Sarah’s life. Together they will try to make sense of their now, intertwined life.
I really liked Nicholas Sparks’ writing style, because he had a few chapters being about Miles’ life, then he would have a chapter written from the perspective of the person who killed Miles’ wife. It gives you different perspectives on the story, and helps you predict who you think is going to be. Also it adds more suspense on who the killer is and how it is going to disrupt the life of Miles and all the people around him. I didn’t like his writing style in the beginning of the book because he was very vague and it was pretty hard to understand what point of view he was speaking from.
This book doesn’t fit into one particular category. Some parts fit into the romantic category, like Miles and Sarah’s life together. Other parts fit into the mystery category, like trying to find out who the killer is. This book contains drama, suspense, love, and ambition. To read this book you have to be able to keep information, characters names, and details organized in your head.
I really liked this book because it kept me interested and I never wanted to put the book down. I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone under the age of 15 because of all the details you have to keep organized and also they wouldn’t understand some of the situations and conversations that take place in this book. Lastly because they wouldn’t understand the context of this story because it takes place in the adult world with adult problems and adult relationships.

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Apr 09, 2013 Nanie Dias rated it 3 of 5 stars

[Review in Portuguese]

Uma Curva na Estrada, de Nicholas Sparks
Arqueiro - 303 páginas
Uma pitada de romance, com uma boa dose de policial.

Título: Uma Curva na Estrada
Título Original: A Bend in The Road
Autor: Nicholas Sparks
Tradutora: Fernanda Abreu
Editora: Arqueiro
ISBN: 978-85-8041-115-7
Ano da Edição: 2013
Ano Original de Lançamento: 2001
Nº de Páginas: 303
Comprar Online:
Inglês: Amazon / Book Depository
Português: Cultura / Saraiva / Submarino

Sinopse:
Miles Ryan casou-se com Missy, sua paixão dos temp...more

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Feb 07, 2013 Al rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Miles life seemed to end the day his wife was killed in a hit-and-run accident. He still rises each morning to take care of his young son and carries out his duties as deputy sheriff of New Bern, North Carolina, but its all in a numb and hopeless haze. Then Miles meets Sarah Andrews, who is rebuilding her own life. Slowly, their newfound love starts to soothe the pain of the past. But when a devastating secret is revealed, they start questioning everything they ever believed in. Sparks previous

...more

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Jan 10, 2013 Ellen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I do not believe that these musings should be a plot summary. Anyone can search for any book on goodreads and find that. I think some comments on the texture of a book are appropriate. This one, again, is set in North Carolina, as almost all of them so far have been (one was set "someplace" in the South). I wasn't surprised to learn that Nicholas Sparks lives in North Carolina, and that, of course, explains why his books are seeped in descriptions of a place. Apparently, New Bern is an actual ci...more

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Jan 06, 2013 Megan rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was an incredible read. It was pretty powerful and sad at times but touching overall. Boy meets girl in high school, falls in love, gets married and have a child together. It ends in tragedy when Mile's wife, Missy, is killed in a hit-and-run accident. The killer was never found. The killer actually writes in some sort of journal format and explains what is happening through his eyes. A couple of years later, Miles finds himself falling in love again with a woman, who seems to be trying to...more

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Oct 24, 2012 Madison Evans rated it 5 of 5 stars

A Bend in the Road, written by Nicholas Sparks, is about deputy sheriff Miles Ryan and his son Jonah who are struggling with the loss of a wife and mother, Missy. Two years prior, Missy was killed in a hit-and-run accident. As deputy, Miles brings it upon himself to find out who killed his wife and serve justice.

Since the accident Miles has started smoking, drinking a little more than usual, and has lost the frequent happiness and joy that was once a part of him, but he still does the best he c...more A Bend in the Road, written by Nicholas Sparks, is about deputy sheriff Miles Ryan and his son Jonah who are struggling with the loss of a wife and mother, Missy. Two years prior, Missy was killed in a hit-and-run accident. As deputy, Miles brings it upon himself to find out who killed his wife and serve justice.

Since the accident Miles has started smoking, drinking a little more than usual, and has lost the frequent happiness and joy that was once a part of him, but he still does the best he can do in raising their son. When Jonah starts second grade he has a teacher named Ms. Sarah Andrews who is new to their town of New Bern. Ms. Andrews notices that Jonah has fallen very far behind in school and is not retaining anything. Unlike any of Jonah’s previous teachers Ms. Andrews decides to take initiative to help Jonah catch up in his learning. Sarah decides to meet with Miles to discuss Jonah’s struggles. When Sarah and Miles first meet they immediately have a connection. Sarah becomes more to Miles and Jonah than just Jonah’s teacher.

As Miles and Sarah grow closer they begin to date and quickly fall in love. They also learn about each other’s troubled pasts. Sarah just went through a divorce and of course Miles lost Missy. Miles notices a big change in both himself and his son and he begins to feel that happiness that he once had. A feeling he never thought he would feel again. To Miles, Sarah and most of the other people who live in their small town, their love seems perfect. But on the inside there are secrets that bind Sarah and Miles together in ways that could ruin their love for each other.

Nicholas Sparks is a wonderful author and I enjoy the unique story and twist that comes along with each book he writes. Something I like in particular about A Bend in the Road is that it’s not your typical love story. There is also a secret involved that complicates the love of Miles and Sarah. It was definitely a page turner and a book that I just couldn’t put down. I also liked how every couple of chapters there were a few pages that were written in italics. These sections were written from the perspective of the person who killed Missy. Each section gave clues to who the person was and that kept me guessing the entire time. Any of Sparks’ books are great reads for someone who loves a good love story tied with another important life lesson or struggle.
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Oct 23, 2012 Kelseyanne rated it 4 of 5 stars

SPOILIER ALERT!

“A Bend in the Road” by Nicholas Sparks. This book is fiction. The theme of the book is learning to deal with peoples imperfections and to not live by the past.

Miles Ryan ( Miles Ryan is a police officer) was left to raise his young son, after his wife Missy was killed in a hit in run accident. The story starts of with an unknown narrator telling the story of Miles and his son Jonah. It is two years after Missy had died. Jonah is now in second grade.

The initial problem that escala...more

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Aug 24, 2012 Alex Robinson rated it 5 of 5 stars

wow! i just can't get enough of the love stories Nicholas Sparks beautifully writes, he really does tug at the heart strings.

i love this book, it is definately something i would recomend! at first when it was talking about Miles' wife, i was sad already knowing she later died leave him and Johan to live their lives alone and in pain. i don't like think about people upset even if it is only a book, but then came along sarah, oh the wonderfull sarah! they both deserved each other, hell they more t...more

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May 17, 2012 Gretchen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Two years ago a man named Miles Ryan lost his wife in a hit and run accident. No one was there to see it and there was no evidence to help him find the criminal. Miles is a Deputy Sheriff in the town of New Bern, North Carolina. Miles Ryan spent the next two years of his life lost in the file that contained everything about Missy's death. Too occupied with the file to live out his own life, so he tries through his son Jonah.

Sarah Andrews wanted nothing more in life than to show the same kind of...more

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May 13, 2012 04josiek rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was really good! I really enjoyed it. I thought it was a little hard to get into but once I did it was really good. The story behind it was actually really sad but it ended up being happy in the end, but not the whole book was sad there was always some happy stuff!

Well the story is about this happy family Miles a police officer, Missy his wife, and Jonah their five year old boy. They are living just a normal life in a small town and Missy and Miles get in a little disagreement so Missy...more This book was really good! I really enjoyed it. I thought it was a little hard to get into but once I did it was really good. The story behind it was actually really sad but it ended up being happy in the end, but not the whole book was sad there was always some happy stuff!

Well the story is about this happy family Miles a police officer, Missy his wife, and Jonah their five year old boy. They are living just a normal life in a small town and Missy and Miles get in a little disagreement so Missy leaves to go on a jog like she normally does and she doesn't come back for a long time so Miles gets worried and he gets a call that Missy has been murdered in a hit and run. He and Jonah are really sad then after two years has gone by Sarah moves into town and she becomes Jonahs new teacher. Jonah needs some extra help with his work because his other teachers have let him slack off because they felt bad about his moms death, but Sarah doesn't want to let that happen so she talks to Miles and they find each other very attractive so Sarah helps Jonah with his work and then eventually Miles asks Sarah on a date. They have a really good time so they keep going on dates more often and then they start to fall in love. Jonah is really happy because he loves his teacher, Sarah too because she is really nice to him. They are all really happy but Miles is still always trying to solve Missy's case because it has never been solved. Next, he finds out from a guy who you can't really trust but Miles believes him and he says that Sims killed your wife. And Miles and Sims don't get off on the right foot so he believes him and goes and arrests him. Then Charlie, Miles friend/boss gets mad at him and says you have no proof you have to let him go! So Miles is really mad and Sarah tries to make him feel better but then he gets mad at her and they get in a fight. Then Sarah's brother Brian comes to Sarah when she is alone and tells her that he is the one who killed Missy. They both start crying but Brian is such a nice guy and he didn't mean to do it, it was all an accident because he saw Missy running and he was being really careful but then a dog jumped in the road and Missy jumped in front of the car and there was nothing Brian could do before he hit her. He got out of his car and went to look for her and he found her in the bushes and he could tell by just looking at her that she was already dead so he just put a blanket over her and he left. He was planning on telling somebody but then he got home and thought it didn't really happen so he woke up the next day thinking it was just a bad dream but clearly it was not. He felt so guilty but he was too scared to tell anyone because he knew he would have to go to jail. Sarah makes Brian tell Miles. Miles freaks out and puts him in hand cuffs then he rushes him to the police department but on the way they were going to fast that they got in a car accident because Miles was going into the other lane but didn't know it because he was so upset and couldn't even believe it. Sarah was trying to catch up to them but he was going too fast, then when she got to the crash she was so mad at Miles she took her brother Brian and took him to the hospital because he was hurt. Then Miles never came back to get Brian. Sarah and Brian were both really confused they thought that he would have come right away but as two days passed they thought that Miles had let Brian go. So Sarah went over to Miles house and they didn't know what to say to each other. Miles finally said I'm sorry Sarah I just don't think that this is going to work out knowing that your brother killed my wife I can't live with you. Sarah was so upset. When Miles and Jonah got back from Charlies cabin because he said they could stay there for Christmas break they had realized that they need Sarah in their lives. They were happy when she was with them. Miles knew that Jonah needed a mom and that Sarah was the one. So they both went to Sarah's house and they ended up becoming a new family.(less)

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Apr 28, 2012 Chieky rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: nicholas-sparks, favorites

A Bend in the Road by Nicholas Sparks is one of my favorite fiction love story books. The book is a love story between Miles, a police officer, and Sarah, a teacher.
I’ll set the story up for you…Miles has never recovered from the death of his wife and high school sweetheart, Missy who was killed in a hit-and-run accident. As a deputy sheriff in the North Carolina town of New Bern, Miles Ryan not only grieves for Missy but is obsessed over finding the hit and run driver and wants to bring him or...more

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Apr 13, 2012 Jim rated it 5 of 5 stars

Okay, I admit my philosophy professors called me theirincurable romantic, but, this book is Nicholas Sparks at his best. Sparks has written some great love/romantic stories in the past but this book makes us glad to be alive. The story is centered around New Bern, N.C. It starts with a love story that ends in a auto accident and the death of a police officers wife. The accident is a hit and run. The officer mourns her passing and can never get over his feelings for her. Just the way Sparks descr...more

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Jan 25, 2012 Andrealweaver rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read this book in three days, it was a quick read that I just couldn't put down. Nicholas Sparks nailed it on this one in my opinion. The book is a little bit about love, loss, crime, guilt, fate, second chances, and has a little something for everyone. I liked how the book is told in part by the killer so you know his side and then about the husband and his pain/loss and the daily struggles he has since he lost his wife. I like the twists that happen in the book that leave you questioning if...more

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Jan 18, 2012 Eileen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, mystery-suspense, adult

This book earned four stars. I wasn't hooked so much that I was driven to read it a few hours, but it was good nonetheless. It was romantic, mysterious, and well-portrayed. Throughout the book, some of the chapters are told in first-person, in the murderer's point of view. We see how Missy's hit-and-run accident really happened, and while Miles thinks it was a murder on purpose, it really was an accident. The killer knew that because it was an accident, he wouldn't get in too much trouble, but w...more

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Jan 08, 2012 Mackenzie rated it 5 of 5 stars

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Nov 13, 2011 Sandra.hart rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a book where we find love, sadness and crime, a crime that has been quiet it for years until the husband of the victim falls in love with the murder’s sister. He didn’t know that one day he was going to find him. His name, Miles Ryan, he has a kid and lost his wife on a hit and run accident, he spends two years looking the murderer thinking that it was his worst enemy living next to him the one that had made his life impossible, but he judge the wrong person. He never found the right clu...more

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Oct 28, 2011 Jordan Howard rated it 5 of 5 stars

A Bend In The Road by notorious romance novel writer, Nicholas Sparks, is a story of tragedy, hope, faith, new beginnings, and true love. It’s part mystery and part romance, but an all-over entertaining page turner. It starts off with Missy Ryan and deputy, Miles Ryan, young newlyweds who are deeply in love living in New Bern, North Carolina. Then they have a son, Jonah, and grow even closer as a family. But, the bliss stops all of a sudden one night while Missy Ryan was out on a jog through the...more A Bend In The Road by notorious romance novel writer, Nicholas Sparks, is a story of tragedy, hope, faith, new beginnings, and true love. It’s part mystery and part romance, but an all-over entertaining page turner. It starts off with Missy Ryan and deputy, Miles Ryan, young newlyweds who are deeply in love living in New Bern, North Carolina. Then they have a son, Jonah, and grow even closer as a family. But, the bliss stops all of a sudden one night while Missy Ryan was out on a jog through the streets of New Bern. She was killed in a hit-and-run accident and the grief sets in for Miles, but he is determined to find the messed up person who killed his wife and left her body laying there. But, with no witnesses and no leads, it’s nearly impossible for Miles to even find a place to start in looking for his wife’s murderer. While, he did not give up on solving his deceased wife’s case, Miles did realize that his first responsibility now was his young son, Jonah.
Two years later, after putting the hit-and-run case on the back burner, he meets Jonah’s second grade teacher, Miss Sarah Andrews. Jonah was having trouble in school, so Miss Andrews called upon Miles to set up after school tutoring sessions. At first sight, Miles realized there was something extremely special about his sons’ teacher. Maybe it was the way she walked, or the way she cared about Jonah, but whatever it was, Miles was instantly hooked. Sarah did have a loving husband who’d she been together with a few years, but once she found out it was impossible for her to conceive and have children, her husband bitterly divorced her. So, Sarah moved to New Bern, North Carolina to start her new life! Once Miles and Sarah got to know each other, Sarah started coming to Jonah’s soccer games and Miles and Sarah went on dates. They even spend Thanksgiving together.
The second half of the novel brings numerous new twists to the story; Miles’ and Sarah’s new budding relationship is tested with a deep and dark devastating secret. The reader is forced to switch emotions as the tone of the story changes drastically.
While reading this book, the reader goes through every emotion imaginable – happy, sad, love, frustrated, and many more. Sparks does a fantastic job of keeping the reader on their toes and also teases them with tiny bits of information to solve the mystery of what really happened the night Missy Ryan was killed.
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May 24, 2011 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars

Author: Nicholas Sparks
Book: A Bend in the Road
Genre: Romance

“A Bend in the Road” was a story that I felt tried to capture the reader from the first sentence. The way that the story was written, and how it was presented really seemed to show that this is a book you want to read, and this is a book you shouldn’t put down. The storyline was interesting to follow, and it kept you guessing throughout the entire book. The way he incorporated so many tiny, simple, but yet important details shocked me...more Author: Nicholas Sparks
Book: A Bend in the Road
Genre: Romance

“A Bend in the Road” was a story that I felt tried to capture the reader from the first sentence. The way that the story was written, and how it was presented really seemed to show that this is a book you want to read, and this is a book you shouldn’t put down. The storyline was interesting to follow, and it kept you guessing throughout the entire book. The way he incorporated so many tiny, simple, but yet important details shocked me beyond my beliefs. The story also offered up that of a little suspense the farther that you got into the story. It also allowed you to use your imagination when it came to who the killer really was. It keeps you guessing, and the answer won’t be revealed until you are ready to see whom it is.
The characters in this story seemed to revolve around that of everyday lives and personalities. To start off, Miles was a young father, and what appears to be your everyday middle aged man. As a police officer in North Carolina, it felt weird how he was able to bend the rules and regulations so much without being charged whatsoever. He actually pulls a gun on somebody’s head and that punishment that he ends up getting is only a suspension!?! I understand that your boss is your friend, but the rules can’t go in your favor just because you thought he was the man who killed your wife in a hit and run car accident. It just wouldn’t seem fair to the other cops that do that, but instead may end up losing their badges. Miles son, Jonah, is a typical seven year old boy. Like some kids, emotional trauma has caused him to get special treatment, and he ends up falling way behind in his studies. His second grade teacher believes he’s not ready for school, and forces Miles to make Jonah stay after. Like every other little boy would do, he only did it for the cookies that were involved. Jonah would wake in the night many of time from nightmares about his dead mother. He misses her for she was the only one who really was there when Jonah was young, took care of him while Miles was off working. Sarah is actually Jonah’s second grade teenager. Like many young women today, she thought she was in a terrific relationship until one little detail screwed up everything, and it sent her packing. Looking forward to starting her life over again, she falls for Miles. Everything seems to be going fine until Miles gets a lead on his wife’s case and begins to go crazy. What will she do; will she stay or leave him?
The story line I felt was quite amazing. The setting it took place in just made you feel like you were invited there. It takes place in autumn in a little town in North Carolina. What makes you feel invited is that everybody knows everybody, and everybody is welcome. Yes you had your nut jobs living in the area, but who doesn’t. Times are tough for some people, and everyone’s pain and emotion is felt throughout the town. The book is basically a love tale of three people; Miles for his wife as well as Sarah. With everything new happening, will Miles be able to control himself, or will his emotions get the best of him? What will come first; the past or the future?
I rated this book four stars because I felt it was an amazing story and storyline, but I thought that there could be more. I know that Nicholas Sparks is an amazing writer, but I felt as if he could have done more. Add more for yet an even more entertaining story. Add more to keep you totally reading-like in one sitting-until you turn the last page. I was expecting more. I would recommend this book to some people who are in the mood for romance, and for a mystery type suspense tale. It’s a good one, and make sure you read to the end. You don’t want to miss anything.
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About Nicholas Sparks

As a child, Nicholas Sparks lived in Minnesota, Los Angeles, and Grand Island, Nebraska, finally settling in Fair Oaks, California at the age of eight. His father was a professor, his mother a homemaker, then optometrist's assistant. He lived in Fair Oaks through high school, graduated valedictorian in 1984, and received a full track scholarship to the University of Notre Dame.

After breaking the N...more As a child, Nicholas Sparks lived in Minnesota, Los Angeles, and Grand Island, Nebraska, finally settling in Fair Oaks, California at the age of eight. His father was a professor, his mother a homemaker, then optometrist's assistant. He lived in Fair Oaks through high school, graduated valedictorian in 1984, and received a full track scholarship to the University of Notre Dame.

After breaking the Notre Dame school record as part of a relay team in 1985 as a freshman (a record which still stands), he was injured and spent the summer recovering. During that summer, he wrote his first novel, though it was never published. He majored in Business Finance and graduated with high honors in 1988.

He and his wife Catherine, who met on spring break in 1988, were married in July, 1989. While living in Sacramento, he wrote his second novel that same year, though again, it wasn't published. He worked a variety of jobs over the next three years, including real estate appraisal, waiting tables, selling dental products by phone, and started his own small manufacturing business which struggled from the beginning. In 1990, he collaborated on a book with Billy Mills, the Olympic Gold Medalist and it was published by Feather Publishing before later being picked up by Random House. (It was recently re-issued by Hay House Books.) Though it received scant publicity, sales topped 50,000 copies in the first year of release.

He began selling pharmaceuticals and moved from Sacramento, California to North Carolina in 1992. In 1994, at the age of 28, he wrote The Notebook over a period of six months. In October, 1995, rights to The Notebook were sold to Warner Books. It was published in October, 1996, and he followed that with Message in a Bottle (1998), A Walk to Remember (1999), The Rescue (2000), A Bend in the Road (2001), and Nights in Rodanthe (2002), The Guardian (2003), The Wedding (2003), Three Weeks with my Brother (2004), True Believer (2005) and At First Sight (2005) all with Warner Books. All were domestic and international best sellers and were translated into more than 35 languages. The movie version of Message in a Bottle was released in 1999, A Walk to Remember was released in 2002, and The Notebook was released in 2004. The average domestic box office gross per film was $56 million -- with another $100 million in DVD sales -- making the novels by Nicholas Sparks one of the most successful franchises in Hollywood.

The film rights to Nights in Rodanthe, True Believer and At First Sight have been sold, and Nicholas Sparks has written the screenplay for The Guardian, though he has not offered it for sale at this point.

He now has five children: Miles, Ryan, Landon, Lexie, and Savannah. He lives in North Carolina with his wife and children.

His ancestry is German, Czech, English, and Irish, he's 5'10" and weighs 180 lbs. He is an avid athlete who runs daily, lifts weights regularly, and competes in Tae Kwon Do. He attends church regularly and reads approximately 125 books a year. He contributes to a variety of local and national charities, and is a major contributor to the Creative Writing Program (MFA) at the University of Notre Dame, where he provides scholarships, internships, and a fellowship annually.(less)

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“grown-ups always say that things are complicated.” — 37 people liked it

“Where does a story truly begin? In life, there are seldom clear-cut beginnings, those moments when we can, in looking back, say that everything started. Yet there are moments when fate intersects with our daily lives, setting in motion a sequence of events whose outcome we could never have foreseen.” — 26 people liked it

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