Counting Miracles: A Novel
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the acclaimed author of The Longest Ride and The Notebook comes an emotional, powerful novel about wondering if we can change—or even make our peace with—the path we’ve taken.
“Sparks is superb at what he does. The setting is postcard perfect. The characters are immensely likable. . . . This is a tidy miracle you can count on.”—The Washington Post
Tanner Hughes was raised by his grandparents, following in his grandfather’s military footsteps to become an Army Ranger. His whole life has been spent abroad, and he is the proverbial rolling stone: happiest when off on his next adventure, zero desire to settle down. But when his grandmother passes away, her last words to him are find where you belong. She also drops a bombshell, telling him the name of the father he never knew—and where to find him.
Tanner is due at his next posting soon, but his curiosity is piqued, and he sets out for Asheboro, North Carolina, to ask around. He’s been in town less than twenty-four hours when he meets Kaitlyn Cooper, a doctor and single mom. They both feel an immediate connection; Tanner knows Kaitlyn has a story to tell, and he wants to hear it. To Kaitlyn, Tanner is mysterious, exciting—and possibly leaving in just a few weeks.
Meanwhile, nearby, eighty-three-year-old Jasper lives alone in a cabin bordering a national forest. With only his old dog, Arlo, for company, he lives quietly, haunted by a tragic accident that took place decades before. When he hears rumors that a white deer has been spotted in the forest—a creature of legend that inspired his father and grandfather—he becomes obsessed with protecting the deer from poachers.
As these characters’ fates orbit closer together, none of them is expecting a miracle . . . but that may be exactly what is about to alter their futures forever.
“Sparks is superb at what he does. The setting is postcard perfect. The characters are immensely likable. . . . This is a tidy miracle you can count on.”—The Washington Post
Tanner Hughes was raised by his grandparents, following in his grandfather’s military footsteps to become an Army Ranger. His whole life has been spent abroad, and he is the proverbial rolling stone: happiest when off on his next adventure, zero desire to settle down. But when his grandmother passes away, her last words to him are find where you belong. She also drops a bombshell, telling him the name of the father he never knew—and where to find him.
Tanner is due at his next posting soon, but his curiosity is piqued, and he sets out for Asheboro, North Carolina, to ask around. He’s been in town less than twenty-four hours when he meets Kaitlyn Cooper, a doctor and single mom. They both feel an immediate connection; Tanner knows Kaitlyn has a story to tell, and he wants to hear it. To Kaitlyn, Tanner is mysterious, exciting—and possibly leaving in just a few weeks.
Meanwhile, nearby, eighty-three-year-old Jasper lives alone in a cabin bordering a national forest. With only his old dog, Arlo, for company, he lives quietly, haunted by a tragic accident that took place decades before. When he hears rumors that a white deer has been spotted in the forest—a creature of legend that inspired his father and grandfather—he becomes obsessed with protecting the deer from poachers.
As these characters’ fates orbit closer together, none of them is expecting a miracle . . . but that may be exactly what is about to alter their futures forever.
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Community Reviews
I liked this book and its characters. At first, I was a bit confused about Jasper and his role in the storyline, but it becomes apparent later on. Tanner is looking for his roots and travels to Asheboro, NC in search of his father, however, with a last name like Johnson, he is not easy to find. After a slight fender bender, he meets Cassie and her mother, Caitlyn. He is immediately drawn to Caitlyn and the feeling is mutual. However, Tanner is scheduled to leave the U.S. to start a job in Cameroon in a few months. Jasper is an old man, a survivor of a horrific fire that killed his entire family and left him disfigured. He is a kind man, but a loner, and seeks solace in whittling. He begins teaching Mitch, Caitlyn's son, how to whittle. Jasper is also an environmentalist of sorts, and is very concerned about the irresponsible teenage hunters who looking for a rare albino deer, so he sets off into the woods with the hope of frustrating them by stealing the corn they had left out to lure the deer and also spraying the area with deer repellent. He takes his faithful dog, Arlo, with him. However, Jasper is injured in the woods and needs to wait for rescue. He begins to reminisce about his wife and six children.
The start of the book was great! Really drew me in. The 3 different viewpoints threw me off though because the stories didn’t align until the very end. But overall a great read!
Light read about a former Army Ranger who journeys to NC to find his biological father after his grandmother died. There he meets a single woman, and falls in love.
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