AT FIRST SIGHT by Nicholas Sparks
Nicholas Sparks' last novel was titled TRUE BELIEVER. His latest book is a sequel to that one and is titled AT FIRST SIGHT. The problem many had with BELIEVER was it didn't seem complete, but now we have the rest of the story and combined they make a fantastic novel. I just wish we had had a big sprawling novel to begin with and it would have made the entire story available at the same time.
Jeremy and Lexie were introduced as two people fated to be together. He had come to North Carolina to work on a story while she was the local librarian. They had an instantaneous attraction for each other and soon were convinced they should wed. This was solidified by the fact they soon found themselves pregnant.
All of that took place in TRUE BELIEVER. In AT FIRST SIGHT the story continues. It opens with Jeremy anticipating their wedding. He and Lexie go to New York to see his family and then return to Boone Creek to finalize their wedding plans. During the pre-wedding days Jeremy finds himself second guessing a lot of what has happened and getting a slight case of cold feet.
This is the type of story Sparks was born to write. He gives us two main characters who we get to know backwards and forward. These are not perfect people at all but rather have bad traits as well as good ones. The fact they are flawed makes the reader care for them even more.
When Sparks tells their story he fills it with the minutiae of their daily lives, but he also makes even these routine doings special. Readers can identify with the way they go about living and loving together.
Finally he adds a dramatic event that greatly affects these characters and stuns the readers. Tears are shed and emotions are wrenched but in the final pages happiness seeps through.
Sparks is a very emotional writer and that is his greatest strength. People who read him constantly know they are in for some drama and some heartache. They also know no character is completely safe in his plot(s) and even the most cherished can come to a quick end. He has done this before and he will in all probability do it again.
For those romantics among us, nothing beats Sparks. This has made him one of America's best-loved authors. It also means his books are destined to be best sellers.
So grab the Kleenex and settle down for another great love story. Sparks whetted our appetites in TRUE BELIVER, but now we get the rest of the story in AT FIRST SIGHT. Once you have finished this book you will be completely satisfied you know the full story of Jeremy and Lexie's love affair.
AT FIRST SIGHT is published by Warner Books. It contains 277 pages and sells for $24.95.