From Publishers Weekly
Sweet, accessible, uplifting and predictable, the latest love story from Sparks (The Notebook) leaves the reader with just one burning question: Why is this consummate beach book being published in the fall? The nearly thwarted but eventually triumphant romance of deputy sheriff Miles Ryan and second-grade teacher Sarah Andrews goes down as easily as marshmallow fluff and offers about as much real nourishment. Miles's high school sweetheart, Missy, was killed in an unsolved hit and run accident, leaving him to raise their son, Jonah, in New Bern, N.C. Sarah's politically ambitious husband, Michael, dumped her when her ovaries proved inactive, and she fled to New Bern to teach, and love, other people's kids. Miles and Sarah meet at a parent-teacher conference, and the sparks fly. But there's a fly in the ointment as well; an italicized voice threaded among the happy chapters alerts us that Missy's death was caused by someone whose identity, if revealed, could destroy Miles and Sarah's newfound joy. In Sparks's heaven, clouds exist to make silver linings look the brighter. As tough truth shadows their landscape, Miles and Sarah find depths within themselves, and their rekindled light illumines all. New Bern becomes a city of the reborn. Charlie Curtis, Miles's stickler boss, learns to bend; Missy's aimless killer morphs into a healer; and Jonah once again knows a mother's love. The opposite of edgy, with simple sentences and soft-pedaled sex, Sparks's plain vanilla morality will doubtless sell like ice cream on a steamy day. (Sept.)Forecast: Major television and print advertising and an 18-city author tour will broadcast Sparks's latest from the rooftops; expect instant bestsellerdom.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
A man loses his wife, lives in a haze, and then finds healing new love until the secrets start popping. nonfiction Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
Deputy Sheriff Miles Ryan struggles to learn how to live with the death of his wife, Missy, who died in a hit-and-run accident. As he searches for the driver of that car, he confronts his relationship with his son, Jonah, and his burgeoning love of Sarah Andrews. As this combination mystery and love story unfolds, L.J. Ganser takes the listener through the ups and downs of love, the adrenaline rushes of law enforcement, and the investigation of this particular crime. Sparks weaves a captivating tale, told by the hit-and-run driver, who slowly tells all. As Ganser takes on the identity of the story's narrator, the listener roots for the discovery of truth and for justice to prevail. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Booklist
Love and death are constant companions in Sparks' books, and this one is no exception. Miles Ryan, deputy sheriff of New Bern, North Carolina, had married his high-school sweetheart, Missy, and was living a charmed life when tragedy struck. In 1986, Missy was killed by a car on an isolated road while she was out jogging, and the driver was never found. Two years later, Miles is still haunted by the lack of closure and only recently has shown signs of overcoming his grief. The only bright spot in his life is his seven-year-old son, Jonah, who is now having trouble in school. Then Miles meets Jonah's teacher, Sarah Andrews, and is drawn to her. A newcomer to town, she has moved to be near her family and to escape from a disastrous divorce. The two broken souls recognize each other's fragility as they work together to help Jonah. They embark on a serious relationship, which is sorely tested after Miles receives a tip about Missy's accident. In his determination to find the culprit, he throws his training out the door in his crazed his pursuit for justice. Anyone who disagrees with him or his methods is perceived as the enemy, including his boss and friend, and Sarah, who tries to be the voice of reason. Once again, Sparks brings a powerful tale of true love to fruition, proving that love stories can be sweet without being cloying. Patty Engelmann
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

ANNOTATION

In A Bend In The Road Nicholas Sparks writes with a luminous intensity about life's bitter turns and incomparable sweetness. His affirming message carries a powerful lesson about the imperfections of being human, the mistakes we all make, and the joy that comes when we give ourselves to love.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Recently selected as the 'Best Author' by readers of Entertainment Weekly, Nicholas Sparks is one of America's preeminent storytellers. Now Sparks spins a tale about a man, a woman, and the devastating secret that threatens to keep them apart...

Miles Ryan's life seemed to end the day his wife was killed in a hit-and-run accident two years ago. Missy had been his first love, and Miles fervently believes she will be his last. As a deputy sheriff in the North Carolina town of New Bern, Miles Ryan not only grieves for Missy, but longs to bring the unknown driver to justice.

Then Miles meets Sarah Andrews. The second grade teacher of his son, Jonah, Sarah had left Baltimore after a difficult divorce to start over in the gentler surroundings of New Bern. Perhaps it is her own emotional wounds that make her sensitive to the hurt she first sees in Jonah's eyes, and then his father's. Tentatively, Sarah and Miles reach out to each other. Soon they are both laughing for the first time in years...and falling in love.

Neither will be able to guess how closely linked they are to a shocking secret-one that will force them to question everything they ever believed in...and make a heartbreaking choice that will change their lives forever.

In A Bend In The Road Nicholas Sparks writes with a luminous intensity about life's bitter turns and incomparable sweetness. His affirming message carries a powerful lesson about the imperfections of being human, the mistakes we all make, and the joy that comes when we give ourselves to love.

SYNOPSIS

Miles's 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 it's all in a numb and hopeless haze. Then Miles meets Sarah Andrews, who is rebuilding her own life.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Sweet, accessible, uplifting and predictable, the latest love story from Sparks (The Notebook) leaves the reader with just one burning question: Why is this consummate beach book being published in the fall? The nearly thwarted but eventually triumphant romance of deputy sheriff Miles Ryan and second-grade teacher Sarah Andrews goes down as easily as marshmallow fluff and offers about as much real nourishment. Miles's high school sweetheart, Missy, was killed in an unsolved hit and run accident, leaving him to raise their son, Jonah, in New Bern, N.C. Sarah's politically ambitious husband, Michael, dumped her when her ovaries proved inactive, and she fled to New Bern to teach, and love, other people's kids. Miles and Sarah meet at a parent-teacher conference, and the sparks fly. But there's a fly in the ointment as well; an italicized voice threaded among the happy chapters alerts us that Missy's death was caused by someone whose identity, if revealed, could destroy Miles and Sarah's newfound joy. In Sparks's heaven, clouds exist to make silver linings look the brighter. As tough truth shadows their landscape, Miles and Sarah find depths within themselves, and their rekindled light illumines all. New Bern becomes a city of the reborn. Charlie Curtis, Miles's stickler boss, learns to bend; Missy's aimless killer morphs into a healer; and Jonah once again knows a mother's love. The opposite of edgy, with simple sentences and soft-pedaled sex, Sparks's plain vanilla morality will doubtless sell like ice cream on a steamy day. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

A man loses his wife, lives in a haze, and then finds healing new love until the secrets start popping. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

AudioFile