Rating: 3.5 Book Worms
My Opinion
At First Sight is the second in a set of books. The first book was titled True Believer. I enjoyed reading the story of Jeremy Marsh who is a writer that has made a career out of debunking miracles, mysterious happenings, and exposing fraud. He is drawn to Boon Creek, North Carolina to figure out some mysterious lights that appear in the local cemetery. As he settles into the assignment he finds that settling in with the locals is not so easy. The town is filled with all sorts of interesting people from Jed the owner of the local motel to Doris who owns a resturant called Herbs. Jed is also a taxidermist and his work fills the room of the motel with fierce looking animals that appear to be about to attack. Of course there is the town Mayor who invited Jeremy down to investigate. The mayor is always looking for a way to promote his dying town. Lexie Darnell is the librarian and she has a personal connection to the lights in the cemetery because as a young girl her parents were killed and are buried in the cemetery. She was raised by her grandmother (Doris) who helped her cope with the loss of her parents by telling Lexie that the lights are the spirits of her parents. While Lexie knows that they are just lights a small child inside her wants them to be her parents. By the end of True Believer Jeremy figures out the mystery of the lights and more importantly learns about falling in love.
At First Sight picks up Lexie & Jeremy's story as they go to New York to move Jeremy's belongings back to Boone Creek and for Lexie to meet Jeremy's family. Most of the book deals with the doubts, fears, & misunderstandings between Lexie and Jeremy leading up to their wedding day. Things are complicated by friends who want to delay their marriage, Jeremy's inability to get past writer's block, and renovations on the house they buy. Lexie happens to be pregnant and Jeremy is the father so inspite of all the bumps along the way they get married. Things move along until, in typical Nicholas Sparks style, a gut wrentching twist of fate steps in and changes their lives from happy newly weds preparing for the birth of their child to parents dealing with possibly having a severly disabled child. The fears and hopes all parents have for their unborn child are highlighted and magnified by this unexpected problem. Their love is tested and they emerge stronger for the test. Jeremy discovers that life changes so quicky that in a single moment human emotion can rise from the ashes of pain to heal the wound with true love...At First Sight.
This was a good story but I'm not sure he needed to spread it over two books. I could have enjoyed the story in one slightly longer book. I don't usually recommend reading one book after another by an author because I get tired of their writing style however this would be an exception to that rule. It is probably best to read True Believer and then follow up with At First Sight. Be sure to have a box of tissues - you'll need them.
Buy it Or Borrow It? Unless you can get a copy at a garage sale or thrift store I'd say borrow it. Don't get me wrong, I like Nicholas Sparks but his books can be predictable and just don't really seem collectible to me.
Other Books By this Author I've read:
The Notebook 3.0
Message in a Bottle 3.5
A Walk to Remember 3.5
A Bend in the Road 3.0
Three Weeks with My Brother 4.0
1 comment:
Just a comment from Marcia who read this book. She is very mad at Nicholas Sparks. She was upset about the twist this book takes in the end. I have to say I somewhat agree with her. It is not at all what you expect.....Anyone else have a comment?
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