Dela Cruz, Nolein Verniz V.

4PSY1
Book Report in Art Appreciation: The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
Can love truly rewrite the past? In The Best of Me, Nicholas Sparks offers readers a story
that will prove the power of first love and sacrifices that people do for the one they love. As a
very poignant work, it gives a glimpse of the complications that may arise with true love and the
heartaches that one faces as a consequence of their actions. This book is not just a story of love,
but also a story of reunion, second chances and acceptance. It consists of 368 pages and published
in 2011 by Grand Central Publishing, United States of America. This book has a romance/thriller
fiction genre and has sold over 100 million copies worldwide.
In my own perspective, I would say that the overall theme of this novel was ghosts in a
way that people are sometimes haunted with their past. Everybody has their own demons that
they are battling and cant get let go of. Just like Dawson, he has fought his own demons and
battled his way to get Amanda back but he wasnt able to make it. He would rather choose to live
a lonely life instead of choosing someone who is not Amanda. This is a perfect example of being
haunted by the past he was haunted by the memories that he shared with Amanda which he
cant let go of. This novel also deals with the confrontation of what-if questions people ask, and
the regrets of making past decisions which people are uncertain of. In Amandas case, she was not
sure if she made the right decision of marrying a man that he doesnt truly love. She was asking
herself if this is the life she wanted or is she on the place she was supposed to be. But at the end
of the day, we learn that it is ourselves who are responsible for the actions that we take. We
should live with the choices we make. I think that the story is also about sacrifice as Dawson let
Amanda go in order for her to fulfill her dreams. He also sacrificed his happiness by choosing to
be alone because he still believes that maybe theres a second chance for him and Amanda. In the
same way, Amanda made a sacrifice too, by choosing her family over Dawson even if its against
her will because she was thinking about the welfare of her children.
I like where the story took place, it is in a small town called Oriental in North Carolina
which seems peaceful because it is surrounded by oceans where you can really feel tranquility
through nature. The story was told through two alternating events the past which took place in
the spring of 1984 where they are still in high school and the present which occurred twenty-five
years after, which is the funeral of their mentor. It was presented delightfully, since it contrasts the
difference of the then and now which told a lot about the development of the characters.

The main characters in this story are: Dawson Cole--a young man raised from a family of
notorious criminals and Amanda Collier, his rich and pretty high school sweetheart who came
from a wealthy family. The two fell in love but has soon parted ways because of the conflicts that
they faced. The character that I commend the most was Dawson because throughout the years, he
still loved Amanda and remained faithful to her. He is a man with strong convictions and is
willing to do everything for the one he loves. On the other hand, I think Amanda is the opposite
of what defines a strong woman. Even at 42, she still cant decide for herself and not strong
enough to fight for what she really wants. She seems like a passive character who I think is very
indecisive and just deals with the life she has now even if she is not happy with it anymore.
Other characters are: Tuck Hostetler the mentor of Dawson and Amanda and Ted and
Abee Collier, the evil cousins of Dawson. Besides Dawson, I also like the character of Tuck.
Even when hes old, he still is a passionate man. He loved his wife very much and he is also
compassionate towards others as he treated Dawson and Amanda as his own children. He is a
father-figure and a representation of what the main characters should have been. Ted and Abee,
were very pathologically violent characters and I think they are heartless because they planned
killing Dawson to seek for revenge.
The Best of Me is the story of Dawson Cole and Amanda Collier, two high school
sweethearts that has been separated due to unfortunate circumstances, family disapproval, and
their class differences. Twenty-five years after, we see Dawson in oil rig explosion that nearly
killed him. An unknown vanishing individual saves his life. We consider it a ghost which played a
big role and symbol in this story. Throughout those years, he still loved Amanda even without
knowing that she was already married with another guy, named Frank with three kids this is the
representation of the theme, ghosts wherein Dawson is haunted with the memories of his past.
Similarly, Amanda is preoccupied with her regrets and the life decisions she made when she was
younger. She still cant forgive herself thats why she stays with the life she have now even if she
is suffering, because maybe she thinks that these are the repercussions for the mistakes she have
done and that she deserves it.
Later on, the two main characters found themselves in a reunion as their mentor, Tuck
had passed away. The two were assigned different tasks such as scattering his ashes in the cottage
that his late wife owned. For me, the most remarkable part in this event was the funeral where
they read letters that Tuck wrote for them. In those letters, Dawson and Amanda reminisced the
love that they had for each other back when they were still young. After 25 years, they realized

that their love for each other never faded away. The two faced the conflict that second chance for
them may be impossible as it was too late because of Amandas responsibilities for her family.
Soon, Amanda decided to go back to her family which left Dawson lonely.
Another conflict arises as Dawson met his cousins, Ted and Abee in a bar. The two are
long ago plotting to kill Dawson to seek revenge. So when they had the chance and met him in a
bar, Ted killed Dawson though a gunshot. At the same time of this incident, Amandas son, Jared
got into a car accident as he was driving his way to bring his drunken father home. The accidents
severity required Jared a heart transplant, and fortunately, he got a donor and survived. As the
story progresses, Amanda found out that the heart Jared had received was Dawsons. In the end,
Dawson fulfilled his words that he once said to her, I gave you the best of me, and with every
beat of her sons heart, she knew that he had exactly done that. In connection with one of the
themes, sacrifice, Dawson made the biggest sacrifice he could give to the one he loves his life.
Though he didnt directly give his life to Amanda, he gave it to his son because he knew how
much she loves her children.
My final thoughts on The Best of Me were that it is an emotionally moving novel that
deals with the complexities of love. It affected me in many ways such as that we should think
thoroughly about something before making a decision because you might regret it in the future.
This novel revealed that change isnt always for the better and that second chances are not for
everybody. Love isnt always about being together, but rather how willing you are to sacrifice and
give the best of yourself for the one you love.
The book itself has been adorably written and I like the way the author presented it in
different perspectives of the main characters which will make you feel more acquainted to their
personalities. In my own opinion, the plot has been predictable for me especially in the part
where Dawson and Jared got into a tragic incident at the same time. I also think that the story has
been quite presented in an unrealistic way, specifically the ghost part that saved Dawsons life
at the beginning of the story. For me, the novel shouldnt have ended tragically because it could
have a better ending where everybody finds peace with their situations at present. But knowing
Nicholas Sparks, he is an author known for killing his main characters and writing tear-jerking
novels.
Overall, I would recommend this book because it drifts away from the usual and clich
cheesy romance stories with happy endings because it has a hint of suspense that definitely made

this book a page-turner. Though it ended tragically, this novel proved that love clearly can save
lives and love is a sacrifice that people do for the one they love.