Sparks’ Novel Can Get the Best of You Too

I am a guy, so I don’t get emotional.   But, the novel by Nicholas Sparks, The Best of Me (Grand Central Publishing, 2011), pushed me to the limit.

A high school sweetheart couple reunites after years of absence, and the relationship quickly lights up again.  I won’t possibly spoil the ending for you, but it really is a great example of giving the best of yourself to another person, in a very unpredictable way.

The movie came out in October, 2014.  There are both younger and older versions of the two main characters, with James Marsden and Michelle Monaghan in the couple’s present-day roles.  I will likely watch it as soon as Netflix makes it available.

Sparks is one of the few male writers who seems to develop characters along with plot.  My stereotype, and their are plenty of exceptions, is that female writers focus on character development, and male writers focus on plot development.  Sparks does both.

I have already bought Sparks’ newest book, The Longest Ride (Grand Central Publishing, 2014).  I need to read it in a hurry. as the movie will be released in April, starring Scott Eastwood, Britt Robertson, and Melissa Benoist.