Customer Reviews

Matters of Choice

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Unfortunately, most of the people writing the other reviews missed the point of the book, or did not comprehend the full meaning of this book. It is very well written and keeps your interest at all times. It is many things all coming together to a beautiful ending. I can not imagine what more anyone would want in a book. The more-than-adequate development of the characters made for easy reading. Frankly, I found this to be the perfect ending for two such strong prior books as "The Physician" and "Shaman".

Anyone that enjoys the wonderful writing of Noah Gordon will also love this book. Don't be midled by the less than glowing reviews of other readers. I very nearly did not read this book because of the reviews. I'm so very glad I read the book and made up my own mind as to its value. I found it very entertaining and so glad I got to know Dr. R.J. Cole. Try it - you'll like it.

I was forewarned that Matters of Choice was of lesser stature than the first two epics of the trilogy. The disappointment was that it wasn't and epic like the first two. Now sweeping history of the time and culture. Perhaps because it was so contemporary, Mr Gordon thought he could foregoe the historical development and character development so central in the first two volume. He was wrong if that is true.

He allows himself the freedom of not being constrained by history and he actually begins to almost preach on certain subjects. He is obviously disappointed by the failure of HMO's, the failure to pass universal healthcare, the real physical pitfalls of abortion as well as the real social threats involved. He wants it all to work out.

As a physician, to me the book played like a three cord song instead of the symphonies of his other work. HE clearly is some one I would love to talk to though.

Matters is clearly worth reading. Its much better than most of these reviewers allow. It shouldn't be downgraded simply because it falls short of what people expected. If you read the first two parts of the trilogy, then you owe it to yourself to finish the circle and read Matters.

I would have given it four stars except for the ove abundance of liberal rhetoric that he should have worked out better before writing the story. Instead he gnaws on the failures of his beliefs in the book and one grows weary.

After reading the physician, the rabbi and Shaman, I felt like Noah Gordon couldn't surprise me anymore. Those were such great books. So, when I heard that there was a new book, completing the trilogy of the Cole's saga, I thought it would be some repetition from the other. I was shocked to realize he did even better this time. The book doesn't only speak of the "gift", but it tells the drama of a woman touched by it, and by several tragedies on her life, that changes her world upside down, finding new challenges,and new tragedies, and overcoming them all. It's a heart-touching story, that makes the reader think over some thing in his own life, and start giving life and its simple and small pleasures its true value. It's a "must" to read, for anyone who liked his first books, or not

...What happened to Noah Gordon when he was writing this?

"Choices" is ostensibly a second and last sequel to the massive historical best seller "The Physician" and "Shaman." However, unlike those books, both of which were detailed, emotional, educational and just overall excellent, this book is...well, it's just bad.

There is next to no detail is this novel, the story of a female R.J Cole who likes her predecessors, became a doctor. We get to read about two years in her life when she's about forty and there is no great conflict, nothing to make this plot as vibrant and grabbing as the past books. Just some stuff about the abortion controversy and even that was not in any way interesting. And in the back story for R.J. (which took up about two pages to cover the first 40 years of her life) there was a lot of stuff that would fleshed out the novel and made it much better if it had been started at an earlier point in time.

I was so happy when I found out that there was a third novel in the Cole series but this just isn't really worth reading. It's scant on detail and even worse with character personality. The magic that Gordon had when describing the past seems to dissipate when he's writing about the present. Unless your really dedicated to reading this book I would stop at "Shaman" so you can have happy memories of the amazing (first 2/3) of the Cole books.

Two stars.

This is the first time I have read Noah Gordon and I was really surprised to see some of the lesser reviews of this book. It grabbed me from the very beginning and wouldn't me go. If this book is not up to par with the first two of the trilogy, I can't wait to read them.

I own and have reread Physician and Shaman several times, and fully expected another great read in the series. Instead, all the right ingredients appeared to suborn themselves to a politically correct agenda. Each of the first two novels left me with a profound feeling of satisfaction and respect for a wonderful tale, well told. Matters of Choice seems to go nowhere, portraying episodes in sequence while merely reflecting current social unrest and dwindling off to a very unsatisfactory conclusion.

interesting spin, much more political, addressing current society issues. The connection to the previous 2 in the trilogy is not as straight forward as it may seem. Good read, though I would have liked to see a stronger connection. Noah Gordon's strength is in the historical novels more so than in this contemporary one.

as is customary with all noah gordon books it is very well written and easy to read.

great choice of subject matter.

i continue to read all his books. one by one.

hope he is working on new ones.

Wow, how disapointed I found myself today with a book, that I need to write an online review. XD

I like the Cole family trilogy because Noah's way of writing, no lose endings, very well written chapters and parts of a book. Matters of Choice even had a lose ending.

* Noah Failed to develop a good female character. Hiding behind the mask of a hard woman, R.J.Cole in many ways fails to be a well written Female, he misses a lot of good oportunities in this book to create a Rich, first R.J Female cole.

* It fails to follow the spirit of the other 2 books, as part of a trilogy, this book fails incredible when following the past two, not only because it doesn't have the epic taste of the previews two, but because the main dilema of the book: a woman caught in the abortion dilema, does nothing but fill space on the book.

* In many ways this book is "A Romantic Novel" - Love + Sick relationships.

I was very disappointed in this book. I loved The Physician and Shaman, and looked forward to the final "chapter" in this trilogy. But I found this book did not "fill the bill". The character of Roberta Cole was, I felt, poorly developed -- I could not identify nor sympathize with her. I mostly just found her annoying. In fact, I didn't learn enough about any of the characters to feel I "knew" them by the end of the book. The most interesting part of the whole book was when David was relating his experiences with the Jewish scholars at Kidron. Mr. Gordon was infinitely more interesting writing about the past than about modern medicine, and perhaps more accurate. As a nurse with an obstetrical background, I found the childbirth sequence unrealistic ---- I have never seen anyone scream with the contractions that occur while the placenta is being delivered!