The Lucky One

For me to truly love a book, I must first love the style of writing, the prose. And I absolutely loved Nicholas Sparks' storytelling in The Lucky One. I have only read one other Sparks' book, A Bend in the Road, which I also liked a lot, but The Lucky One is my favorite of the two.

What I liked/loved most: *It is a great story. It may not be the most original storyline, but what makes it unique is the way Sparks tells this story. It is a story that I can relate to because it felt real, like something I could easily encounter or deal with in everyday life. I appreciated the sensitivity with which Sparks interweaves the story of war and its effects on the men and women who serve so faithfully. I was almost brought to tears, and when I am emotionally touched like that when reading, I know it's a good read.

*I like the themes of luck, fate and destiny, which is central to the story. It made me grapple with my own understanding of and belief in the terms.

*The characters seem real. I could relate to them. The developing relationship between Logan (Thibault)and Elizabeth (Beth)was plausible, and they had great chemistry. And the secondary characters fit the story perfectly. I loved the grandmother's (Nana)wit and wisdom. And I fell in love with Zeus, the faithful German shepherd. I even learned a little about dogs and kennels -- to the point of considering the adoption of my own dog! How's that for effective writing.

What I found lacking -- for lack of a better term: *And this may be a spoiler, so SPOILER ALERT. In the end, during the fatal storm, I could not understand how Ben, a child, could struggle through the elements of the storm and make it to the tree house, when Beth, Logan, and Clayton had such difficulty. I also found this particular scene a bit drawn out and dramatic. *Nor did I quite understand the redemption of Clayton. It seemed a drastic change in his character to at one moment be threatening his ex-wife and the next sacrificing his own life to save his son -- a son whom he had never shown any great affection for in the story. I suppose as a reader, I am to take a leap -- to somehow believe that deep down in his soul, Clayton...well, had a soul and it revealed itself when most needed. And left a legacy for his son, Ben, that would transcend the lack of love he failed to show during his life. Well, at least that what I assume. But I wish Sparks had given me a glimpse of Clayton's goodness, so that I could believe such an conclusion.

End of "possible" spoiler.

Nevertheless, these minor "flaws" don't detract from my still considering this a good read, an excellent story and one that I would highly recommend. Last night I saw a trailer for an upcoming movie based on this book. I didn't know when I was reading that it would be a movie. Based on the the little I saw, I'm not sure if I want to see the movie, for it might not live up to what I've just finished reading. And I simply don't want to spoil the experience.

Nicholas Sparks has been known for his amazing love stories, like "The Notebook" and "Dear John". His novel "The Lucky One" is no different from the others. It is a great love story like "The Notebook", but also shows the military aspect of how many service members deal with their experiences and life after war like "Dear John". This novel shows how friends can influence decisions that we ourselves would not have made otherwise and how love can be found in the most unusual places. Initially, the story seems a little farfetched because how can someone seek a complete stranger out simply because he is lead to believe that the stranger's picture is his lucky charm. I think that any military member will tell you that a simple picture can make a difference when they are placed in a war zone and that is the only thing that they have that is close to their heart. In the novel "The Lucky One", a prior Marine named Thibault seeks out a woman whom he has never met simply because he finds her picture in Kuwait and then somehow survives several missions in Iraq. This alone does not influence Thibault's decision to seek Elizabeth out, but when his close friend is killed in a boating accident in front of him, it changes everything. I think that one situation changed Thibault even more than all the experiences from war and several deployments. Thibault follows his friend Victor's advice to seek the woman out to pay her back for simply "saving his life" through the many deployments and missions. The description of how Thibault walked from Colorado to North Carolina to find Elizabeth is amazing about how he walked through many obstacles with his dog Zeus simply to find her. This devotion and dedication alone would make anyone to know about how this man that is lost and in need of something he cannot put his finger on, find his way. This novel is not only about the love story that develops between Thibault and Elizabeth, but about how each of us as individuals require certain things to rediscover ourselves and who we are. Thibault figures out how to deal more with the loss of his friend and Elizabeth finally discovers what she needs to become herself again after many years. Sparks shows that after the discovery of why Thibault is actually in Hampton, Elizabeth is reminded of her brother and his strange attachment to that very picture. Thibault feels he needs to keep Elizabeth and her son safe from her ex-husband since he "owes" her his life. The ending is very surprising how the picture eventually keeps Elizabeth's son safe, but allows for the "bad guy" to be removed from the story for a happily ever after ending. I think the way Sparks describes this situation and the events that follow, makes the reader feel like it could actually happen. The way Sparks describes how love can come out of a strange situation and overcome many things, makes any reader feel that love does conquer all. The main idea about a man seeking a woman in a picture he found and is lead to believe is his lucky charm seems a little strange, but Sparks does a wonderful job making me feel it could actually happen. I think that anyone that is put in a very stressful situation such as war can be lead to believe that a simple picture could be a lucky charm and keep them safe. Thibault's walk from Colorado to North Carolina is strange, but given the situation can be found normal as a form of therapy to help him cope with the loss of his friend. Sparks does a great job showing how love can easily develop when two lonely people finally find that person to share silence with and is easy to talk to. He also shows how many service members today deal with many things post war that most of us that make up the population can never fully understand. I think this book is a great addition to the Nicholas Sparks collection and should be read by those that love his books and new readers that love a good love story.