Customer Reviews

The Sunflower: A Novel

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3 star:		(5)
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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.

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.

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.

Richard Paul Evans does it again with a captivating novel about love, sacrifice and hope for better things. You will fall in love with the characters, especially Paul Cook. He is sexy rugged doctor who dedicates his life to helping street children. Do I need to say more. I also really enjoyed the imagery in the book. I personally have been to Peru and let me tell you Richard did his research. Reserve a couple of hours for reading because once you start the first chapter you won't be able to put it down!! I highly recommend this book.

I listened to this book on CD and I really enjoyed it. It is a great love story! I actually looked forward to my commute to hear what would happen next!

I have read all his books and this was the very best of them all. I want to move to Peru...well maybe visit. I have given this book to 3 people and they all read it in a day like I did.

Once again, Richard Paul Evans takes me to another place. He captured all five senses in Peru. My mind is still there and my heart wants to help the The Sunflower orphanage. In The Sunflower, just as he did in The Last Promise, Richard Paul Evans has a knack for making a different country come to life. I feel like I know Christine and Paul and I would like them as friends. He also changed my perception of South America. He made an adventure there seem real and not as scary as I thought it would be. He made me want to sign up for the same trip Christine and Jessica took. The events that brought Christine and Paul to Peru felt so real, I experienced it right along with them. I felt their pain and also admired their strength and courage. This is Richard Paul Evan's best work so far. I can't wait for his next!

THE SUNFLOWER has introduced me to Richard Paul Evans, and I think I'm hooked. Although his writing is very simple and somewhat predictable, he tells a good story. For those who enjoy romances in foreign settings, touched with a bit of adventure, here's a book you can get into pretty quickly. It opens with a man and his daughter (unnamed characters) on a tour in the jungles of Peru to help out with the poor. During this trip, the man encounters Paul Cook, who then proceeds to tell his story.

Paul's story begins on Christmas Eve in the ER back in the United States. He's on duty that night and thinks he could have saved his two main patients, but unfortunately they do not make it. One is a young boy who had a tiny toy soldier lodged in his throat. The other is a middle-aged man who had a heart attack. Following the end of this scene, the story moves on to Christine, who has just been dumped by her fiancé a week before their wedding. She is devastated and cannot understand why this is happening to her. All her life she has dreamed of her wedding day, and now it's not even going to happen.

Best friend Jessica tries to cheer Christine up by taking them both on a trip to Peru for a tour that will allow them to work with the poor, helping the villagers while also learning about the native jungles and what it is like to live there. Despite Christine's protests, they end up in Machu Picchu anyway. Christine is a city girl and is very high-maintenance. She does not do well at all during the initial part of their trip, complaining nonstop. But on her first day in the village, she bumps into a man, Paul Cook, not realizing that it's his orphanage they will be helping out during their stay in Peru.

While Evans's writing is rather simplistic in nature, the focus is the story and the characters he creates. He paints an exciting and exotic portrait of the jungles of Peru, and the reader will be able to imagine the life these people lead. Paul Cook left the States to devote his time to these poverty-stricken children, and while he seems very content, it is Christine who awakens something in him. He's almost ready to ask her to commit to a relationship, despite the fact that he lives in poverty and has nothing to offer her except his love.

Christine starts off as a very high-maintenance prima donna who I didn't care for, but Peru changes her and helps her grow up. Working with the poor also helps her forget Martin, the fiancé who abandoned her a week before their wedding. I found Jessica to be rather irritating as she seems to be the exact opposite of Christine. While Christine is rigid and follows the rules, Jessica is very free-spirited and blase about her relationships with men. The casual affair means nothing to her but fun and excitement. Christine needs something more than just fast sex and a roll in the hay. She is touched by Paul's devotion to the villagers, admires him, and finds him to be very attractive. While Christine and Paul get to know each other as friends, Jessica also meets a man who may change her life --- or maybe he will pass through her life before she meets yet another eligible bachelor. Her actions, however, endanger her life and the lives of others, as readers will find out.

THE SUNFLOWER is what I like to call a comfort read, a simply written love story that is clean and almost old-fashioned in its contents. This is the story of two people who meet by chance and whose lives are changed forever because of it. Recommended.

--- Reviewed by Marie Hashima Lofton (Ratmammy@lofton.org)

A journey of love, love that captures your soul!
I was fortunate enough to read "The Sunflower" by Richard Paul Evans and let me tell you that you will not want to miss out on reading Evans new book! I actually felt as though I was on the Peru expedition with Christine and Paul. Evans took me on a journey of love, love that captures your soul. Just be sure to have a box of tissues nearby as you read this novel! This is a book that you will want to pass on to all your friends.

Enjoyed this book. It caused me to look inside my own heart.