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Critic's Corner
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The Best of Me “In the spring of 1984, high school students Amanda Collier and Dawson Cole fell deeply, irrevocably, in love.” Their love was cut short because they were born on opposite sides of the track. Amanda was born to a family of well bred, wealthy people in the community of Oriental, North Carolina. Dawson’s poor family had been in and out of prison and whose main interests were to lead a life of crime. Amanda saw that Dawson was different from his dangerous family. Only she and Tuck Hostetler did not judge Dawson based on where he was born or who his family was. Tuck took Dawson in and taught him how to rebuild classic cars. He became a surrogate father to the teenager, and a man Dawson treasured as a mentor and dearest friend. Ultimately, Dawson realized his and Amanda’s love was never meant to be. She was expected to go to college and marry a man compatible to her station in life. Because he loved her so much Dawson ended their relationship. He wanted her to have the good life she could never obtain with him. Dawson’s life turned out very different from the rest of his family. After a tragic accident that put him in prison, unfairly I might add, it did seem he was on the same path as the rest of his family. However, once out of prison, he decided to leave Oriental forever and did for twenty years. Amanda went to college then married Frank, a man her family approved of. As a dentist he provided quite well for Amanda and their children. After the death of their little girl, Frank began to drink excessively causing a breach between he and Amanda. She loved him even if not as she’d loved Dawson Cole, but Frank’s drinking hurt Amanda and their three living children. When Tuck died, his final request brought both Dawson and Amanda back to Oriental, changing their lives in ways neither ever thought could happen. As Tuck no doubt planned, it was at his home where Dawson and Amanda came together. It was as if those twenty years slipped away as they discovered the bond between them remained intact. Dawson had never married, Amanda had. Discussing their time in past years, Amanda said, “It was always like this when we were together. I never wanted it to end.” Dawson looked at her and said, “Maybe it hasn’t.” “She then understood, with the distance that age and maturity bring, how much he’d loved her back then. And still did, something whispered inside her, and all at once she had the strange impression that everything they’d shared in the past had been the opening chapters that had yet to be written.” At this point in the book it could have become a ‘same old same old’ story of star-crossed lovers. In Sparks’ hands this didn’t happen. Instead, what began rather slow paced, became a race to a surprising ending. Is it a happy ending? I’ll let readers decide for themselves, but I will say the last half of the book is exactly what Sparks’ fans want and expect, a story about life with all its twists, spins, joys, and heartbreaks. With over 77 million copies of his books sold, Sparks is one of the world’s most beloved storytellers. “The Best of Me” is his 17th book and for me stands right up there with, “The Notebook,” “Message in a Bottle,” and “Nights in Rodanthe.” Copyright 2011, Patricia Ann Jones Buy The
Best of Me Patricia Ann Jones is a published writer and has recently retired from her position of 18 years as a reviewer for the Tulsa World newspaper. To comment on this review you may email pattij777@aol.com.
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from Amazon.com
