The Sunflower: A Novel [Hardcover]

Richard Paul Evans (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 4, 2005

"

"Seek not your destiny, for it is seeking you.""

Just a week before their marriage, Christine's fiance calls off the wedding, leaving her heartbroken. With hopes of helping her through a difficult time, Christine's best friend Jessica enrolls them both on a humanitarian mission in Peru, to work at an orphanage called El Girasol -- The Sunflower.

It is while working at the orphanage that Christine meets Paul Cook, a successful and charismatic American doctor who has fled the States after one fatal day took away his career, his faith, and the woman he loved.

Unplanned events lead Paul and Christine into the jungle of the Amazon, where Christine must confront her deepest fears, and she, and Paul, must both learn to trust and love again.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Author of the smash The Christmas Box and spinoffs, Evans delivers an entertaining albeit syrupy picking-up-the-pieces romance. Heartbroken and bereft when her fiancé backs out a week before the wedding, Christine Hollister allows herself to be talked into a volunteer work trip to Peru by best friend Jessica so that the pair can work together in an orphanage called the Sunflower. There she meets Paul Cook, the handsome but damaged former ER doc who left the U.S. after being blamed for a series of tragic Christmas deaths on the ward. The budding romance between Paul and Christine is totally predictable (including the awkwardness of their initial meetings). Evans adds a nice dramatic touch when Jessica's newfound boyfriend is seriously hurt while guiding a group of orphanage workers through the mountains near Machu Picchu, and he has a nice feel for framing devices, dialogue and scene-pacing. Evans also puts the jungle setting to good use during the couple's "dates." Although the various references to Christmas feel gratuitous, and a sudden appearance by jilter Martin doesn't do much to make the ending harder to anticipate, the finish nonetheless remains satisfying. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Evans, author of The Christmas Box (1994) and Perfect Day (2003), returns with a heartwarming tale about two people who have to pick up the pieces after their lives derail in unexpected ways. Paul Cook is a successful ER doctor, but one night he loses two patients in one evening and his taste for medicine. Dental hygienist Christine Hollister is preparing for her wedding when her supposedly perfect fiance, Martin, tells her a week before the big day that he can't go through with it. Heartbroken, Christine allows her best friend, Jessica, to talk her into a group trip to Peru for charity work. Christine reluctantly agrees, and once there she tries to distract herself with her work. But when her wallet is snatched and the culprit caught by handsome Paul, Christine becomes enamored of the mysterious stranger. She begins spending time with Paul at the orphanage he runs, and as they grow closer, both begin to wonder what kind of future they'll be able to have together once her trip ends. Sweet and uplifting, Evans'new tale is as enjoyable as his previous ones. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; First Edition edition (October 4, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743287010
• ISBN-13: 978-0743287012
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #218,873 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Richard Paul Evans
When Richard Paul Evans wrote the #1 best-seller, The Christmas Box, he never intended on becoming an internationally known author.

Officially, he was an advertising executive, an award-winning clay animator for the American and Japanese markets, candidate for state legislature and most importantly, husband and father. The Christmas Box was written as an expression of love for his (then) two daughters. Though he often told them how much he loved them, he wanted to express his love in a way that would be timeless. In 1993, Evans reproduced 20 copies of the final story and gave them to his closest relatives and friends as Christmas presents. In the month following, those 20 copies were passed around more than 160 times, and soon word spread so widely that bookstores began calling his home with orders for it.

His quiet story of parental love and the true meaning of Christmas made history when it became simultaneously the #1 hardcover and paperback book in the nation. Since then, more than eight million copies of The Christmas Box have been printed. The Emmy award-winning CBS television movie based on The Christmas Box starred Maureen O'Hara and Richard Thomas. Two more of Evans's books were produced by Hallmark and starred such well-known actors as James Earl Jones, Vanessa Redgrave, Naomi Watts, Mary McDonough and Academy award winner Ellen Burstyn. He has since written 10 consecutive New York Times bestsellers and is one of the few authors in history to have hit both the fiction and non-fiction bestseller lists. He has won three awards for his children's books including the 1998 American Mothers book award and two first place Storytelling World awards. Evans's latest book, The 5 Lessons a Millionaire Taught Me About Life and Wealth, is now available.

Of his success, Evans says: "The material achievements of The Christmas Box will never convey its true success, the lives it has changed, the families brought closer together, the mothers and fathers who suddenly understand the pricelessness of their children's fleeting childhood. I share the message of this book with you in hopes that in some way, you might be, as I was, enlightened."

During the Spring of 1997, Evans founded The Christmas Box House International, an organization devoted to building shelters and providing services for abused and neglected children. Such shelters are operational in Moab, Vernal, Ogden and Salt Lake City, Utah and Lucre, Peru. To date, more than 16,000 children have been housed in Christmas Box House facilities.

As an acclaimed speaker, Evans has shared the podium with such notable personalities as President George W. Bush, President George and Barbara Bush, former British Prime Minister John Majors, Ron Howard, Elizabeth Dole, Deepak Chopra, Steve Allen, and Bob Hope. Evans has been featured on the Today show and Entertainment Tonight, as well as in Time, Newsweek, People, The New York Times, Washington Post, Good Housekeeping, USA Today, TV Guide, Reader's Digest, and Family Circle. Evans lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, with his wife, Keri, and their five children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Recommended, October 15, 2005

By 

Ratmammy "The Ratmammy" (Ratmammy's Town, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Sunflower: A Novel (Hardcover)

THE SUNFLOWER by Richard Paul Evans
October 15, 2005

Amazon Rating: 4/5 stars

A romance set in the jungles of Peru, THE SUNFLOWER by Richard Paul Evans is the love story between a doctor and a woman running away from the memory of her ex-fiancé. Evan's writing is rather simplistic, but he makes up for it in the story he tells. A woman, Christine, is devastated when her fiancé breaks up with her just a week before the wedding. To console her, her best friend Jessica takes them on a trip to Peru, where the two of them experience an adventure that may be the highlight of their lives.

In Peru, Christine meets Paul, a doctor who once had a career in the States but forsake the life of comfort by moving to Peru to care for the poor. Christine is used to the pampered life, but meeting Paul and experiencing all she does in Peru changes her.

THE SUNFLOWER is a romance and an adventure story in one. Told in a rather simplistic prose, the story itself is a good beach read and for those who love clean, simple romances, this is for you. The backdrop of the jungles of Peru gives this romance a unique flavor. I enjoyed it for what it was - a simple love story with an inspirational message. A fast read, THE SUNFLOWER comes recommended.

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Educational Romance" is the Best Way to Summarize this Book!, October 22, 2005

By 

JJ Stark (Cicero, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Sunflower: A Novel (Hardcover)

I haven't read all of Richard Paul Evans' books, but I have read his last four releases, as well as the CHRISTMAS BOX and THE DANCE (a childrens' book), and so far, THE SUNFLOWER is my favorite.

Nearly all of Richard Paul Evans' novels carry some sort of message and lessons we all could use without sounding "preachy." The message of THE SUNFLOWER could be that those who have the least (as in material possessions) usually have the most to give.

This is the story of how Paul and Christine meet and fall in love under the most unusual circumstances. After spending an emotional and devestating Christmas in the ER, Paul packs it in and heads to South America where he finds an orphanage and a cause that needs him more than any hospital in the states. After her fiance backs out one week before their wedding, Christine is whisked away to the same jungles of South America on the adventure of a lifetime by her best friend Jessica. What starts as an accidental meeting, Christine and Paul travel on their own adventure, during which they fall in love and learn a little bit more about themselves.

The characters are extremely well developed and the settings well defined. The jungles of South America are described in such detail that readers feel that they are a member of the group, traveling right alongside Christine, Jessica, Paul and Jim. Along the way, we meet Pablo, Roxana and the other children at El Gurasol (the Sunflower) and learn of the circumstances that brought each of them there, and how there are so many other less fortunate children who have yet to find the safety and security that The Sunflower can offer. By the time Christine, Jessica and the rest of their group leave the orphanage, readers will be asking themselves what they can offer and how they might be able to help the children of South America.

After leaving the orphanage, the group travels to Sacred Valley, Urubamba, Machu Picchu, Puerto Maldonado and finally deep into the jungles of the Amazon where they stay in grass huts, go crocodile hunting and meet the chief (who just happens to have a bone through his nose!). As the characters arrive at each destination, they are provided with the history and details of each civilization. Through these brief explanations and descriptions, readers travel to the heart of South America, making them feel as if they are traveling the same roads, making the journey along with the characters.

Between building, painting, celebrating birthdays and Christmas, fighting off deadly insects and disease, and a near-fatal accident, Christine and Paul find themselves drawn together and slowly begin to open their hearts & minds, trusting the other as neither of them ever imagined they could. Although the story may seem somewhat predictable, readers are thrown a few "curveballs" along the way, giving them the chance to root for these characters whom they've come to know as friends. It's also not just the love story of Christine and Paul that will leave readers emotionally touched by this story. It's the love between the Paul and the children, Christine and Roxana, and all of the characters and their passion for the jungles of South America and those who inhabit there.

This story left me with a curiousity to learn more about these places, and what we can do to further help the people who live there. It would be interesting to know whether or not travel to these places and tours (such as the one Christine & Jessica signed up for) increases as the result of this story.

Overall, this was a quick read, yet satisfying. Rich in culture and geography, educational without feeling forced, while still maintaining the feel and pace of a modern day love story. This is what separates a Richard Paul Evans novel from say, an author like Nicholas Sparks. Although both authors explore the depth of human relationships and stories of the heart, Evans' stories educate readers providing them with lessons in life & love we may have missed out on, had we not picked up one of his books.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Sunflowers are everywhere, July 1, 2006

By 

Nancy R. Katz "NancyK18" (NJ) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Sunflower: A Novel (Hardcover)

While browsing at the library I came across the CD of The Sunflower by Richard Paul Evans. While I rarely if ever listen to a book, I thought this might be a good diversion while I was driving or even while in the house, cooking or cleaning. Unfortunately, as always, I switched to the book to finish it. I'm not sure if this had anything to do with how much I enjoyed this title since in the past I really loved Richard Paul Evans titles.

The author of the The Christmas Box which I first watched on television, I also gulped down his next two titles which is now known as The Christmas Box trilogy. I so enjoyed this author that I continued to read his books each time they were published. But somehow each new book seemed to go downhill a bit and this title with an important agenda is the book I least liked. Still, I did give it an average rating since there were some parts I did enjoy.

In a midwestern town a young woman is spurned only days before her wedding. Inconsolable and bereft, the young woman's friend encourages her to join a group traveling to Peru to help those less fortunate. Once there, the young woman meets a Doctor who also has left America under difficult circumstances. As they get to know each other, the healing of both of these two wounded individuals begins and while they wonder if their love can ever work out, circumstances force them to examine what brought them to Peru in the first place.

As in most of Evan's books which are considered inspirational, he writes with a personal agenda. And this book is no exception as he dedicates this title to an orphanage in Peru and the need for volunteers world wide to help out the poor and uneducated. Evan's makes an impassioned plea about this in the afterword and whiel one can only hold this man and his plea in high regard, this book wasn't one of his bette efforts. By the last pages I was wishing for something as enjoyable as The Christmas Box Trilogy or Timepiece or The Letter. I wonder now if I will continue reading his new books or simply choose to reread this older titles which I so enjoyed.