The Rescue

Taylor McAden is a volunteer fireman who is always the first to plunge into danger. But there is one risk he can't bring himself to take: falling in love. Then he meets Denise Holden, a single mother who has moved to the small town of Edenton, North Carolina, to build a new life. A near fatal car crash will bring these two together, but before that can happen, Taylor must look into his past and see if it's not too late to take a chance on the future.

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The book starts with Kyle, a missing four year old that has limited language skills and understanding. After a car wreck where his mother, Denise Holten is knocked unconscious, he has wandered away and is now lost somewhere in the swamp on a stormy night. With limited resources, a child that won't answer if called, and the temperature dropping we are off to an interesting beginning. Sparks molds his characters with such deference and intimacy. He grants us insight into the undaunting trials and tribulations of a mother faced with what appears to be an impossible task, the love and strength of heart of a little boy and Taylor who steps in and is eventually saved from himself.

This is an excellent book that will leave you in tears as well as make you smile. I've read all of Spark's books and I must admit I liked this one the best. He just keeps getting better...

54 of 61 found the following review helpful:

Romantic, tearjerker with a dash of fire-fighting adventure!Sep 19, 2000

As usual, I'll let you read the synopsis above and just tell you what I liked/disliked about the book. No point in being redundant.

While this book has similar main characters to Message in a Bottle (single mother, loner guy), it definitely carries its own weight. I was so relieved that the author has not fallen into the "formula writing" style that so many bestselling authors have these days.

The plot is new but the author's style of writing is still there. He does an excellent job of introducing the characters and letting us go through their range of emotions with them. The book flows nicely as I was able to finish in a weekend. (I obtained an advance reader copy about a month ago)

If you have enjoyed his previous novels, you'll like this one too. You'll also enjoy it if this is your first Nicholas Sparks book. You should also check his others as they are all available in paperback now.

43 of 48 found the following review helpful:

Excellent Christmas Gift!Sep 19, 2000
By Cheyenne
I grabbed an advanced reading copy of this book at work one day for a friend, and it sat in my car waiting to be delivered. There it sat... and sat... untill I had a doctor's appointment. I grabbed it on my way in for the long wait and boring medical journals that waited inside. This book sucked me in on the first page. The characters, Denise and Taylor were so realistic. They had everyday struggles and convictions that made these people alive in my mind. This is a page turner book that leaves you with a warm fuzzy feeling and a little faith in people and the power of love. I had never read this type of book before, but now I am an addict. A must read!

27 of 30 found the following review helpful:

Finding love and making peace with one's pastSep 28, 2002
By Ratmammy "The Ratmammy"
THE RESCUE by Nicholas Sparks

The book opens with a horrific storm, and Denise Holton is driving home on the highway with her son Kyle. She loses control of the car and ends up in an accident, losing consciousness. If it hadn't been for volunteer fireman Taylor McAden coming to the rescue, she would have surely died.

As Taylor is seeing to it that Denise is ok, Denise looks behind her car seat for her son Kyle, and discovers he is missing. The back door is open, and Taylor admits he did not know there was a boy in the car with her. She's in a panic, mainly because Kyle is not a normally adjusted child. For some unknown reason, Kyle has a problem with language, and will not come if someone were to call out his name. Knowing this, the search for Kyle would be impossible, especially since the car crash was near a swampy area known to lose people in normal weather. The odds of finding Kyle were pretty slim.

Denise is taken to the hospital, while the search continues for the young 5-year old. Taylor, who seems to have the gift of finding and rescuing people, miraculously finds Kyle hiding in a duck blind, unharmed. Mother and son are reunited.

Denise and Taylor develop a mutual attraction for each other, and slowly they start up a friendship that soon becomes a romance. Taylor seems to be the man of Denise's dreams, and to top it off he loves Kyle. Most persons who have met Kyle are awkward with him, because of his speech impediments and his learning disabilities. But, not Taylor. He treats little Kyle as a normal healthy boy, and soon Kyle becomes attached to his mother's new friend. Taylor is Kyle's hero and the father he never had. Denise watches as Kyle begins to develop better language skills and he does things he never was able to do before. He plays catch with Taylor. He rides on roller coasters. Kyle's life is totally changed. He slowly comes out of his shell.

In the meantime, Denise and Taylor become closer. Things are going wonderfully well until they attend a party held by Taylor's closest friends Mitch and Melissa. Mitch is his childhood friend and together they are part of the volunteer fireman group. Melissa is like the sister Taylor never had, and she teases him throughout the gathering, asking whether he is going to marry Denise. Taylor reacts by choking on his food, and becomes distant the rest of the evening.

Unsurprisingly, their relationship turns for the worse. Instead of seeing Denise every day and every night, Taylor uses work as an excuse for not coming by. He shuts her out, just as he did with every other girlfriend he's had. But, the difference between the other women and Denise is that Taylor really loves Denise, and he had felt that she was someone special in his life. So, why the change in behavior? Denise spends many nights in tears, wondering what had happened to the relationship that she so hesitantly opened her heart to. After years of not trusting any man to come into her life, she decided to trust Taylor.

Obviously, there was a reason for Taylor's turnabout behavior. No one knows why he is unable to commit to any woman, but Denise eventually finds out. It's a tragic past that has held Taylor a prisoner, and it is up to those around him to set him free.

I thoroughly enjoyed THE RESCUE. I've read a number of books by Nicholas Sparks, and I have to say that this is one of my favorites so far. For those of you who enjoy a good romance and tearjerker, this one is for you.

14 of 14 found the following review helpful:

Beautiful love storySep 22, 2000
By Harriet Klausner
At twenty-nine in Edenton, North Carolina, single mother Denise Holden wonders how her dreams turned into nightmares. Currently, she lives in the home of her mother struggling to raise her four-year-old son Kyle who suffers with central auditory processing disorder.

While driving in a torrential storm, Denise crashes. Firefighter Taylor McAden rescues her and leads the search for the missing Kyle. When Taylor finds Kyle, the two hit it off in a way that the child has never done before. Soon Taylor and Denise fall in love, but he has demons that reject the concept of a lasting, loving relationship, which leaves Denise and Kyle wondering if soon they will become excessive baggage.

THE RESCUE is an emotional love story starring three damaged individuals. The story line is extremely powerful when the characters ride their feelings into activities that they normally would avoid. The two lead adults, supported by a child with a learning disorder, are incredibly drawn and their respective "interfering" mothers provide the sparks that inspire the story line. Nicholas Spark's tale is must reading for those fans that cherish a deep-rooted love story like the author,s previous works (see MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE and A WALK TO REMEMBER).

Harriet Klausner

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