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A photograph found by chance; a chain of events that lead inexorably to the woman it portrays: The Lucky One traces a path so ephemeral and artful that we would know that Nicholas Sparks had written even if his name did not appear on the title page. This story about a man whose scrape with death leads to his one true love will keep you up at night and then make you sleep more soundly. Inimitable storytelling. Now in mass market paperback and NOOK Book. (P.S. The paperback edition cited in the movie tie-in version. We also stock the regular edition: 9780446618328, $7.99.)
— Tim Flannigan
U.S. Marine Logan Thibault carries a picture of a woman he's never met because it brings him good luck. But when he sets out to find the woman, he is met with unexpected circumstances surrounding his new love and his shrouded past. Though not Sparks's most original tale, the story flows well and narrator John Bedford Lloyd delivers a solid performance. Lloyd's deep bass tone is perfectly suited for Thibault, a manly man if ever there was one. Lloyd's supporting characters are rich and interesting in their own right, some speaking in comical Southern drawls, others with a raw reality. The final result is quite touching without much over-the-top sentimentality on Lloyd's part. A Grand Central hardcover. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.While stationed in Iraq, U.S. Marine Logan Thibault finds a picture of a mystery woman whom he tracks down on his return home. Sparks's (
—Johannah Genett
It's possible that Sparks might have enjoyed his level of popularity by writing these stories strictly from imagination, but in fact his family's struggles play an important role in many of his books, especially the earliest novels. (For exampleThe Notebook, his tale of a great love affair extending into old age, was inspired by his wife's grandparents; Message in a Bottle drew from Sparks' father's life story and A Walk to Remember from his late sister's.) In addition, a three-week trip he and his older sibling Micah undertook in 2003 became the basis for Three Weeks with My Brother, a unique memoir as moving and tenderhearted as any of his fiction.
Sparks is very methodical about his writing, an approach he makes transparent on his web site with several essays, updates on works in progress, and notes on the mechanics of his novels. Unsurprisingly, critics have faulted him for being too formulaic or cliched. Still, Sparks never fails to move his stories along quickly, maximizing emotional impact and featuring strong, down-to-earth characters. His endings also tend to depart from convention a bit, revealing tragedy where the walk into the sunset should be.
Although he is often classified as a Romance writer, Sparks is quick to point out that his books don't really satisfy the requirements of Romance publishers. Instead, he admits to writing love stories, a different genre altogether. Whatever he cares to call them, one thing's for sure: Nicholas Sparks continues to strike gold with his bittersweet novels of love and loss.
Blockbuster film adaptations of Message in a Bottle, A Walk to Remember, and The Notebook have turned Sparks into a successful Hollywood franchise.
Sparks' wife is probably one of the most envied wives around. She met Nicholas in college at spring break, where he informed her that they would be married. She laughed him off, but they were married just over a year later. He told Barnes & Noble.com in a 1999 interview, "I suppose I'm a romantic. Ladies Home Journal has even called me the Most Romantic Husband in America. In fact, I sent my wife a dozen roses today."
Sparks was still selling pharmaceuticals and had only just delivered the final version of The Notebook to his agent when she called, two days after receiving the manuscript, telling him she expected "something big." That something big materialized within the week: a $1 million offer from Warner Books.
Sparks holds a black belt in Tae Kwon Do.
This was the 1st Nicholas Sparks book I read (love stories are usually NOT my thing) but since movies have been made from his stories, I thought I'd give this book a try. Very nicely done! First, his style is easy to read and his story didn't drag on forever with useless details. Next, I was very impressed that his story included a veteran dealing with the horrors of war and another character who is a dirtbag that uses women - yet this book didn't have one single cuss word in it. There were loveable characters who made me laugh and I even cried reading this book too. It had just the right amount of drama, light, funny moments and wasn't overly mushy in the love part of the story. I'll be reading Mr. Sparks' work again soon!
40 out of 41 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.laura24
Posted January 5, 2012
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Enjoyed it- a lot and will read more from this talented writer.
29 out of 31 people found this review helpful.
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Posted October 20, 2008
I enjoyed reading "The Lucky One". Once I started reading it, I didn't want to put it down. It took me no time to read it because it was so good. I would definately recommend it to any reader looking for a good novel.
22 out of 25 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.alexandria14
Posted November 4, 2008
I'm an avid Nicholas Sparks fan- I've read all of his novels. While I've found some of his other novels predictable, they were still interesting. The characters in this book are under-developed. I couldn't get into them enough to care what happened. The language was immature at times, and the Clayton character was cheesy. Normally, I will sit and read through an entire novel in an evening...this one took me a while because of my disinterest. I was really looking forward to a good read, and was dissapointed. Too bad. If this was your first Sparks novel, read At First Sight and True Believer. Some of his best work.
10 out of 18 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Sparks has a formula and he sticks with it. I go into reading his books knowing that. But this book was so over dramatic and predictable! It was a big drama fest and so poorly written. He gave such obvious clues as to where the story was headed that I knew exactly how it would end. I literally rolled my eyes in the final chapter. And the characters were weak. The only ones I remotely even cared about were Ben and Zeus the dog. The plot made little sense. Things that Logan didn't reveal just didn't make sense at all as to why he would keep quiet on them except for the obvious reason of moving the plot along. If you are thinking about spending your money buying this book and that you just have to have it now, you should really reconsider and get it from the library.
9 out of 26 people found this review helpful.
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Posted November 2, 2008
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Logan Thibault is an ex-marine who has just finished his third tour in Iraq. While serving, he found a picture in the dirt of a young woman, which quickly became his lucky charm. Not only did he win money at poker games, but he also escaped death several times during his marine days.
Now that Logan is out of the military, he's determined to find the woman in the picture. Logan starts walking across the country from Colorado to the small town of Hampton, North Carolina to do just that. Once he arrives in town, he discovers that the woman's name is Elizabeth Clayton, and she lives with her grandmother Nana and her young son Ben. The three of them reside in a house that is attached to Nana's dog kennel, where they train and board dogs. They just happen to be looking for some help when Logan shows up. Nana quickly hires him and Logan and Elizabeth's romance progresses from there.
I would have to say this is easily the best story I've listened to by Mr. Sparks. The characters had me engaged from the beginning all the way to the final chapter. The budding romance between Logan and Elizabeth had me biting my nails and crossing my fingers, especially when her ex-husband (Ben's father) shows up in the story.
John Bedford Lloyd added great narration to the story with strong emotion and a talent for making you fall for Logan, too! If you've never had the pleasure of reading a Nicholas Sparks novel, I'd strongly suggest you give this one a shot!
9 out of 10 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.DEVILICIOUS
Posted February 5, 2010
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Not the typical Sparks but the emotion, realism and pure passion are still right there in the middle of LIFE. An ex-marine, after hanging onto a picture of a young girl he'd found in the dirt while serving his third tour in Iraq, decided to walk across from Colorado to North Carolina with nothing but the clothes on his back in search of this girl. Wow! What more do you need to waNT TO BUY THIS BOOK? You won't have regrets! Others I'd like to share...THE FORGOTTEN GARDEN, EXPLOSION IN PARIS AND THE GLASS CASTLE..
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.So far this book and The Choice are my favorite Nicholas Sparks novels. I couldn't put this down. This is much more light hearted than some of his novels which could pull more people in. I would recommend this to anyone who believes in the powers of love.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted February 22, 2010
The Lucky One is a story that contains romance, tragedy and suspense, but in the end will capture the heart of every reader. A tale that will leave its readers breathless and test one's beliefs on the power of fate, or destiny and how they are linked to the decisions made in life. While serving in Iraq Logan Thibault, a U.S. marine unearths a picture of a young woman almost completely buried in the dirt. After finding the photograph he suddenly encounters a streak of good fortune, winning poker games and surviving lethal warfare. The only justification to his newly found luck; is his friend, Victor's explanation that the picture is Thibault's lucky charm. When he returns home to Colorado, after his tour of duty in Iraq was completed, he cannot seem to succeed in forgetting the woman in the picture, thus decides to go on a journey across the nation to locate her. However, Thibault's travels are soon put on hold, when his search leads him to Elizabeth, a divorced mother in North Carolina and they soon undergo a passionate love affair. Thibault decides to keep his tale of the picture and his luck a secret from Elizabeth. But it is this secret that will soon jeopardize their love, and their lives. Nicholas Sparks' The Lucky One is a tale that tackles the theme of the power of fate and destiny. Throughout the novel each of the character's fate is foreshadowed and later seen through. For example, Thibault's destiny is laid in front of him when he first obtains the picture, for it is this lucky charm that allows him survive Iraq, thus later allowing him to embark on a journey to find the woman in the picture. However, in the end it is not only in his destiny to fall in love and spend the rest of his life with the photographed woman, but to save and almost protect her from her over powering ex-husband. One of the many aspects that I personally enjoyed about the novel was how Nicholas Sparks created standard characters such as beautiful divorced mother, the hero who comes home from war and the over protective ex-husband, places them in remarkable and unpredictable situations and produced unanticipated outcomes. Therefore by using ordinary people in this novel, it became relatable thus allowing the tale to touch the hearts of many. However the ending did prove to be the weakest point of the book. It appears as if the ending was written from more of a Hollywood screenwriter's point of view, rather than written by a novelist. The ending is as if it was cut short due to time constraints, or a deadline. However, The Lucky One is a novel that shines from the inside out, therefore one should read it because it celebrates the unpredictable and rough paths life often leads and the strength of fate to direct one to their purpose. For those who enjoyed this novel I would recommend A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks, and The Time Traveler's wife by Audrey Niffenegger.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.This is an original idea with a love story tied in to it and a quick ending. I regret to say that the best work of Nicholas Sparks was "The Notebook" and nothing he has written since has been much more than movie scripts. This was a great idea for characters and exciting to think of fate tied to a photograph. The ending left alot to be desired, it was almost like he was too close to a deadline and just decided to end the story.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 22, 2009
The character development holds your attention from the very start. The style stirs your interest as it develops the characters and keeps the plot moving.
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 9, 2012
Loved reading this novel. Highly recommend reading it if you are looking for an entertaining romantic novel tha isn't too sappy.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 19, 2011
I haven't read it yet.
2 out of 19 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.chrissy_e
Posted December 18, 2011
Filled with twists, lies, despair, jealousy and love, The Lucky One is yet one more book in the Nicholas Sparks collection. The way Sparks describes his characters and the scenery is astounding. He makes everything come to life. Even the development of the book is so well put together. Nicholas Sparks has done it again, though producing another number one best seller in the United States with The Lucky One. Thibault, a young marine stationed in Iraq, finds a photo of a young lady. He believes this photo is his lucky charm keeping him safe during the war. He travels the globe searching for the lady in the picture and finds her in a small, North Carolina town. Her name is Beth. The main characters are Clayton, Thibault and Beth. When he describes them, you get a feel for who they are. Beth is a single mom who is struggling for custody of her son. Clayton is Beth¿s ex-husband who has control over Beth¿s life with the power of his family behind him. Thibault is the hero of the book who brings love and courage back into Beth¿s life. With each of these characters, I feel rapport. I am a single mom who is trying to find love again, but every time I get close my ex turns things around, so it hits a spot that I am familiar with. The scenes of the book are Iraq and Beth¿s farm. Iraq is where Thibault is stationed. One scene is when Thibault is under attack, ¿The air vibrated as the muzzle flashed and the upper stories of a building collapsed, dust and glass filling the air¿ (Sparks 48). The second is Beth¿s farm in North Carolina. It is an old antique ranch that has never been updated. With all the different descriptive words about Iraq and the farm we, the readers get such a feeling of being on the farm on that hot August day, as well as being in Iraq during the war. Sparks develops his book very well. Each chapter of the book coincides with each character, starting with Clayton, then Thibault, and lastly Beth. This continues throughout the book. If you were in a chapter named Beth, you would only read from Beth¿s point of view. They do however get into scenes where there is more than one character in that chapter. From there, Sparks will start a new chapter for the person who was included in the previous. For example, if Thibault and Beth were talking in Beth¿s chapter, Sparks will dedicate the next chapter to Thibault. This helps the readers understand what that character felt during that scene. Sparks is a genius at writing novels. The way he gets so involved in his work is enviable. Sparks gives us readers such depth on the characters, how they relate to us and to the places where they are. Nicholas Sparks is truly amazing when it comes to writing, producing one number one best seller after another.
2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.This was another great book by Nicholas Sparks.
It is about a solider who finds a photo of a girl in Kuwait. He tries to find the owner, and does not. He decides to keep it with him, and he has it for 5 years. His friend believes it brings him luck. After leaving the Marines, he comes home and decides to find the girl in the photo. He and his dog walk from Colorado to N.Carolina in search of his mystery girl. He finds her and eventually they fall in love.
The story of the photo comes out and threatens to break them apart. There a twist and turns in the story and it is very touching.
A must read!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 18, 2009
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I loved this book. First and foremost you cant go wrong with a Nicholas Sparks novel for a love story. Its captivating from the beginning. The characters are described in such a way that you can relate to them. It develops a great plot and has you hungry for more. It's a touching tale of destined love and I think it would be an excellent rainy day read.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I'm a HUGE fan of Nicholas Sparks. This was a great book. It made me cry 25 pages in. It was easy to relate to the characters. I couldn't put the book down!!!!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted November 10, 2008
i really love nicolas sparks but ....come on!!! first off the main character logan didnt have much of a personality. the begining of the story was well developed but the end was a total wash. what a waste. i felt more compasion for the dog then i did for anyone else in the whole story. and then finally when something tradgic happens i dont feel any sympathy for the characters. big dissapointment!!!
2 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.The was my second read from Nicholas Sparks and I am HOOKED! His use of tone and symbolism and how each character feels like you know them personally is phenomenal. If you're thinking about picking this book up...please do! It's the perfect read for any day - I promise you won't be disappointed. This is by far the best read for me.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted February 2, 2012
Waits to be dirty to sombody
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Overview
In his 14th book, bestselling author Nicholas Sparks tells the unforgettable story of a man whose brushes with death lead him to the love of his life.Is there really such thing as a lucky charm? The hero of Nicholas Sparks's new novel believes he's found one in the form of a photograph of a smiling woman he's never met, but who he comes to believe holds the key to his destiny. The chain of events that leads to him possessing the photograph and finding the woman pictured in it is the stuff of love stories only a master such as Sparks can write.