The Lucky One

A walk from Colorado to find the woman in a photograph. A lost photograph.

Found in Kuwait by Logan Thibault. His lucky charm throughout his career in the U.S. Marines.

Kahn

A woman whose photograph saved his life.

But what happens when he finds her? If he can find her? Why is he looking for her? What does it mean? Logan Thibault can't even answer these questions himself. He just knows that he must find her.

With a dark cloud around the past he wants to forget, Logan walks across the country with only his dog, Zeus, in hopes of finding where the photograph was taken, and the beautiful woman in it.

* *

Nicholas Sparks' novel The Lucky One completely absorbed me. Right from the start the reader is introduced to the three main characters of the novel: Beth, Logan, and Keith. Characters that are as different as night and day. And although each have their good and bad qualities, readers can identify with each one. 

Logan Thibault is an ex-marine who came home from Iraq completely lost. With horrific events happening in the safety of his home country, Thibault finds himself glancing at rooftops and over his shoulder, waiting for a gun shot to ring through the air. He's a quiet man, who doesn't feel the need to fill the silence. Yet he finds himself unsure of who he can open up to about his past. 

Janaka Dharmasena 

Beth is a single mom who teaches second grade children and works with her grandmother training dogs. Her son Ben is the light of her life, but she wants something more. She wants love. Readers can identify with her because of the universal need to give love and be loved in return. 

Keith Clayton is the villain of the story. And although he isn't an over-all good guy, readers can relate to some of his nicer motivations. He isn't a very good father, but he does seem to love his son. Keith's main problem is connecting with people who are different from him. Acceptance isn't something he's used to giving out. Instead he chooses anger and projects that on the people he doesn't understand. 

The Lucky One was one of those novels I read in one sitting. I couldn't have stopped if I wanted to. But I'm glad I didn't. Too many intriguing story lines to pause. However, I did have one small problem with the book and sadly, it was the end. 

Not that I didn't like the ending. It was dramatic, thrilling, and even a little heart breaking. But the epilogue was the barest chapter in the novel. It was bones. There was no muscle, no flesh, no feeling of accomplishment when the book was closed. Sparks did an amazing job throughout the entire novel digging up the details, making the reader question motives, and keep turning the page. And the end fell flat. Another chapter, instead of an epilogue, would have been so much better. It would have left the reader with a smile verses a disappointed grimace. 

The way the novel ended: good. The explanation of what/how it happened: not. 

    The Lucky One

                            on Amazon

               

                         rating: 3/5 cups