I have just finished reading The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks. This novel is about a man named Logan Thibault who, while in the military, finds a picture of a young woman in the dirt. After a while, he keeps the photo as he begins to realize it is bringing him good luck, something he needs in the midst of war. His best friend Victor tells him its his lucky charm, which Logan thinks is completely ridiculous. But he still keeps the photo with him.
     Three years later, he sets off on foot across the country with his German Shepard, Zeus to find the woman simply because, after all that's happened since he found the photo in Kuwait, he feels like he owes her something. He just doesn't know what.
     Once he finds her, Beth, and takes a job at her Grandmother's home-run kennel, he begins to learn about her and connect with her and her family, especially her ten year-old son, Ben. Slowly but surely they begin to fall in love, however, Logan's photogragh remains a secret from Beth.
     I really enjoyed reading this book because you never knew what was going to happen next. It always kept you wondering who was going to make the next move between the three main characters (Logan, Beth, and Beth's ex-husband, Keith). The book also kept you wondering when Logan would tell Beth about the photo of her he has with him, and the real reason he came to Hampton, North Carolina, the setting of the book. I think the authors motivation for writing this book was to teach us how crazy things can happen in life and how we just have to go with them because everything could turn out for the best in time.
      I think the main theme in this book is fate and that Nicholas Sparks wants us to think about how something out-of-the-ordinary could prove to be extraordinary if given the chance. He also wants us to see that change isn't always a bad thing.
     My favorite character is Beth because she's smart and incredibly kind. She has worked hard her whole life and always put her son, Ben, before herself. She is also always there for her Grandmother, who has taken care of her almost her life. In this book she grows in how she is able to give Logan a chance in her life when she realizes that although he has a strange story about his past, he is a great person who, most importantly, treats Ben like his own son and becomes his friend.
     One quote I like from the book is "...some of the most ordinary things could be made extraordinary, simply by doing them with the right people." I think this quote is important because it talks about realizing the simple joys in life that can make it so great to live.
One question I have about this book is: Did the photo actually bring him good luck, or did he just grasp on to anything that gave him hope because he was a soldier caught in a dangerous war?