The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks
When confronted by raging fires or deadly accidents, volunteer fireman Taylor McAden feels compelled to take terrifying risks to save lives. But there is one leap of faith Taylor can't bring himself to make: he can't fall in love. For all his adult years, Taylor has sought out women who need to be rescued, women he leaves as soon as their crisis is over and the relationship starts to become truly intimate.
When a raging storm hits his small Southern town, single mother Denise Holton’s car skids off the road. The young mom is with her four-year-old son Kyle, a boy with severe learning disabilities and for whom she has sacrificed everything. Taylor McAden finds her unconscious and bleeding, but does not find Kyle. When Denise wakes, the chilling truth becomes clear to both of them: Kyle is gone. During the search for Kyle, the connection between Taylor and Denise takes root. Taylor doesn't know that this rescue will be different from all the others, demanding far more than raw physical courage. It will lead him to the possibility of his own rescue from a life lived without love and will require him to open doors to his past that were slammed shut by pain. This rescue will dare him to live life to the fullest by daring to love.
I have hits and misses with Nicholas Sparks. There are some that I enjoyed and there are some that I just don't. The Rescue fortunately falls into the category of 'like'...:) I have not read enough novels by Nicholas Sparks in order to really know how he writes but I do realise that he tries to evoke a sense of melancholy in most of his novels and this was in evidence in The Rescue.
Denise is quite likeable and so's Taylor but the ultimate hero of the story for me is Kyle, Denise four-year old son. To me, he's the one rescuing everyone around him by just being him and he did not just rescue his mum but also Taylor from his self destruction behaviour.
There were moments of real sadness especially towards the end of the story but overall it was a pretty engrossing read for a Nicholas Sparks' novel and one that I enjoyed more than the others.
Dear Purple Queen Fairy,
ReplyDeleteWill you please consider reviewing my new novel DON’T FORGET ME, BRO (Stephen F. Austin State University Press and Texas Book Consortium, Dec. 2014-Jan.2015).
My novel tackles themes of childhood abuse, mental illness, and alienated families--and leaves the reader uplifted!
Kirkus Reviews says: "Read this book for the vivid imagery and sharp dialogue. Read it for the spot-on characterizations..."
The subject matter is never treated frivolously or over-handled in details. The writing is taut and compelling throughout. The pace leans forward tirelessly.
Those accomplishments alone took years.
In all, five of my thirty years of writing were dedicated to this novel. I like to joke: I had to pull my soul sideways through a keyhole for those five years to get the right words down.
My debut novel, THE NIGHT I FREED JOHN BROWN (Penguin Group, 2008), won The Paterson Prize for Books for Young Readers (Grades 7-12) and was one of ten books recommended by USA TODAY for Black History Month. For more info:
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/john-michael-cummings/the-night-i-freed-john-brown/
My 2011 short story collection, UGLY TO START WITH (West Virginia
University Press), was hailed by The Philadelphia Inquirer as a work of “sharp observation and surpassing grace.” Here’s a link to some information about my collection:
http://www.amazon.com/Ugly-Start-With-Michael-Cummings/dp/193597808X
My short stories have appeared in more than seventy-five literary
journals, including The Iowa Review, North American Review, The Kenyon Review, Alaska Quarterly Review, and The Chattahoochee Review. Twice I have been nominated for The Pushcart Prize. My short story "The Scratchboard Project" received an honorable mention in The Best American Short Stories 2007.
But DON'T FORGET ME, BRO is my best!
The novel is a fictionalized story of my brother. Joe died at 47 of system-wide neglect and indifference for the so-called mentally ill in my, until recently, extremely backward home state of West Virginia.
I know thousands of lives are lost every day around the world. True, Joe was just one. But in this novel, you will see him live and die not once, but a thousand times in the minutes of his life.
If you email me at johnmcummings@aol.com, I'll send you the cover graphic for my novel. Then, please take a look at the image. You will see in Joe's innocent, dead-on eyes at 19.
I'll also email you a new digital .pdf of my novel from the publisher. It's a clear, bold text.
I promise you that DON'T FORGET ME, BRO is not too grim. I am
sensitive to the reader's well-being and tolerance.
Cleanly written and briskly plotted, DON'T FORGET ME, BRO is a quick, fabulous read, a literary page-turner. Never before in my career could I say this about my work. So I say so now with a truth I can all but guarantee.
I hope I don't sound arrogant. I am just very happy and confident.
To give you a bigger picture of my novel, I'll even email you a full advance review by Pauline Finch of Bookreporter.com, along with a list of authors who've blurbed my novel so far and what they have said.
I would very grateful and honored if you were to review my new novel.
Again, my email is johnmcummings@aol.com
My phone number is (304) 620-8747.
In respect and gratitude for your work,
and warmly,
John Michael Cummings
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