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The relationship between journalist Jeremy Marsh and librarian Lexie
Darnell that began in True Believer (2005) has now progressed. Jeremy is
moving from New York to Boone Creek, North Carolina, as they plan for
their wedding and the birth of their child. A friend of Jeremy's warns him
that he really doesn't know Lexie, and asks him if he's sure that he's in
love.
With the seeds of suspicion planted, Jeremy starts receiving
mysterious e-mails that also cast doubt on their relationship. Add to that
the fact that he is dealing with writer's block and that he has to come to
terms with a change in lifestyle as an urbanite now living in the rural
South. This is a man under duress. To avoid gossip, he and Lexie are
maintaining separate residences and keeping the pregnancy a secret. Lexie
is comfortable with the town's rules of behavior, but Jeremy is at a loss
and finds himself tense and unsure about the future of what he thought was
the perfect match.
With his trademark sensitivity, Sparks delves
into the nitty-gritty of relationships, and considers the sacrifices that
each partner has to make in order to have a successful marriage. And
readers beware: this is multiple-hankie romance.
Book review
Written in that special way that
only Nicholas Sparks can, At First Sight is a must read. If you and your
love are contemplating marriage, you can learn a lot from this book. I
especially liked Jeremy's father's advice to him and Doris's advice to her
granddaughter, Lexie. To get the full effect of this story, I recommend
that you read True Believer by Sparks. It is the precursor to this book
and by reading it you will better understand what happens in the
continuing love story between big city (New York) boy, Jeremy Marsh, and
small town (Boone Creek, North Carolina) girl, Lexie Darnell. I learned to
like Lexie much better in AFS. When she listens to her grandmother, she
grows.
Nicholas Sparks's writing seems to come so naturally. His dialog is
believable and well thought out. The scenes he describes come to life and
he can make the reader laugh, sigh or cry as appropriate to the moment
about which he's writing. I don't want to give away any of this story
other than to say it's about the struggle to adjust to one another when a
couple that knows each other only a short time decides to marry. They have
so much to learn about one another (which is why it is generally believed
that couples know each other a couple of years before taking that long
walk down the aisle). There is love, devoted friendship, anger, jealousy,
betrayal, and deep sadness in this story. When I finished it, I just sat
for a time and reflected on all it meant: its beauty; the ah-hahs I felt
when I read sequences that I could identify with personally...the ones
that made me laugh or sigh, and those that brought tears to my eyes.
If you're thinking about a gift for the holidays, I'd recommend giving
True Believer and At First Sight as a package to a good friend who enjoys
stories of life, love and romance.
Author
introduction
Nicholas Sparks is the author of the #1 New
York Times bestsellers The Rescue and Nights in Rodanthe, as well as The
Notebook, Message in a Bottle, A Walk to Remember, A Bend in the Road, The
Guardian, The Wedding, and his moving memoir, Three Weeks with My Brother,
written with his brother, Micah. All his books were New York Times and
international bestsellers translated into more than thirty languages, and
Message in a Bottle, A Walk to Remember, and The Notebook were adapted
into major motion pictures. Nicholas Sparks lives in North Carolina with
his wife and family. |
