Book Review: Nicholas Sparks’ ‘The Best of Me’

The best of me. Nicholas Sparks. New York Willow Holdings Inc. 2011. 292 pages.

In the non-fiction romance novel, The best of me, Nicholas Sparks introduces two main characters. They fall in love, of course, but their journey isn’t an easy one. He asks the readers if love is enough for Amanda and Dawson, regardless of their circumstances and pasts. Many obstacles are presented to them throughout the reading. The love between the two characters is something magical. The way the author describes their lives and their care for each other throughout the book really gives the reader a clear picture as to what he is describing. The book jumps from present to past to future. It is interesting how the author does this. It makes the reading so enjoyable and each snit bit of scenes really create depth.

The author’s thesis argument is the fact that two people can truly love each other regardless of their lifestyles and how they grew up. There shouldn’t be anything stopping two people from loving each other just because one was raised in a completely different lifestyle. Love is always enough, especially for Amanda and Dawson.

I think this book advances its genre because it does such a great job at foreshadowing as well as presenting the past, present and future of the characters lives. By doing this, the reader can create ideas about who these characters really are or have been in their past life in the story.

The writers voice was very clear throughout the book. It was a calm, well put together voice when discussing the main character, Amanda. When the author discusses Dawson, his tone is much different. It is rougher, and you can tell that this character had been through a lot in his past.  By creating these feelings within the reader, the author was able to tell the story so that each character could be represented how he had hoped to represent both Amanda and Dawson. This collaboration really created a successful story, seeing as both characters are so different.

There was not a lot of research done by the author for this book. The best of me is a story of love. There isn’t much that had to be researched. However, there is an accident that occurred in the story. The author may have had to receive some medical knowledge and terminology in order to create a good story line.  By doing this, it was very clear as to what was going on in the book and created a successful plot.

Sparks has many works on love and romance. He does a terrific job at giving the reader a vivid picture of the scenes in the book and how the character is feeling and what each are thinking. By doing this, his story flows so nicely with what seems to be so effortlessly.  The reader is in tune through out the whole book in respect to characters feelings, plot and the storyline as a whole.

The author definitely met his purpose. He does a fantastic job at creating scenes and presenting them in a way that is appealing to the senses.  The feeling that the author creates gives the reader senses of relate ability, and that is, that everyone has or wants to be loved. By creating this in the reader, there is always a way to pull at the reader’s heartstrings.

The writer’s point of view was just the fact that love should always be enough. Also, there shouldn’t be things that hold you back when loving someone. Everyone deserves to be loved, and someone’s past shouldn’t change that. By showing us this in the book, Sparks creates a feeling of belonging. Everyone can relate to that, its brilliant actually.

Sparks is a genius when it comes to romance. There have been many movies made based on his books, and for good reason. He really has a grasp on writing about love.  The way he displays his characters throughout the story is a strong representation of what he Is trying to say in his book. You always know what you’re going to get with Sparks, and that is a good read. He represents his work with confidence and the reader is very aware as to what he is trying to say and what he is trying to make the reader feel. By doing all of these things, the author is a successful romance novelist.  It is clear that he has done this a few times before.