The Choice [Mass Market Paperback]

Nicholas Sparks (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2009

#1 New York Times bestseller Nicholas Sparks turns his unrivaled talents to a new tale about love found and lost, and the choices we hope we'll never have to make.


Travis Parker has everything a man could want: a good job, loyal friends, even a waterfront home in small-town North Carolina. In full pursuit of the good life-- boating, swimming, and regular barbecues with his good-natured buddies--he holds the vague conviction that a serious relationship with a woman would only cramp his style. That is, until Gabby Holland moves in next door. Despite his attempts to be neighborly, the appealing redhead seems to have a chip on her shoulder about him . . . and the presence of her longtime boyfriend doesn't help. Despite himself, Travis can't stop trying to ingratiate himself with his new neighbor, and his persistent efforts lead them both to the doorstep of a journey that neither could have foreseen. Spanning the eventful years of young love, marriage and family, THE CHOICE ultimately confronts us with the most heartwrenching question of all: how far would you go to keep the hope of love alive?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In his 13th book, bestselling Sparks (At First Sight, etc.) limns the far-reaching implications of several seemingly ordinary choices made by Beaufort, N.C. veterinarian Travis Parker and his next-door neighbor Gabrielle Holland, a physician's assistant and recent arrival. After an inauspicious first meeting where Gabby accuses Travis's boxer of impregnating her purebred collie, the two fall hard for each other. Already dating someone else seriously, Gabby is faced with a dilemma: whether to stick with longtime boyfriend Kevin, or get involved with Travis. The first part of the tale paints a vivid picture of her decision-making process and its effects on Travis and Gabby's lives. That sets up Part II, which takes place 11 years later when Travis faces a life and death decision following a car accident. A tender and moving love story and a quick read, Sparks's latest does not disappoint.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Holter Graham gives a polished performance with his versatile skills and vocal range as he embraces the roles of Travis Parker, local veterinarian, and Gabby Holland, physician's assistant. In Part One, Graham captures the exquisite story of their attraction, love, and marriage with a warmth and rhythm that breathes life into the characters. Ten years later in Part Two, Graham portrays Travis's torment when Gabby falls into a coma after a car accident that is his fault. As Gabby fails to recover, Graham captures Travis's conflict over a decision he must make--a decision based on a promise Gabby extracted from him before her life took its tragic turn. A compelling story. G.D.W. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/ MAY 08] --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Vision; Reprint edition (April 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446618314
• ISBN-13: 978-0446618311
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.9 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (484 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,528 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Nicholas Sparks is one of the world's most beloved storytellers. All of his books have been New York Times bestsellers, with nearly 80 million copies in print worldwide, in over 45 languages, including over 50 million copies in the United States alone, and his popularity continues to soar.

Sparks wrote one of his best-known stories, The Notebook, over a period of six months at age 28. It was published in 1996 by Warner Books. He followed with the novels Message in a Bottle (1998), A Walk to Remember (1999), The Rescue (2000), A Bend in the Road (2001), Nights in Rodanthe (2002), The Guardian (2003), The Wedding (2003), True Believer (2005) and its sequel, At First Sight (2005), Dear John (2006), The Choice (2007), The Lucky One (2008), The Last Song (2009), Safe Haven (2010) and The Best of Me (2011), as well as the 2004 non-fiction memoir Three Weeks With My Brother, co-written with his brother Micah.

Safe Haven is scheduled for release on February 14, 2013, and marks Sparks's eighth film adaptation, following The Lucky One, Message in a Bottle, A Walk to Remember, The Notebook, Nights in Rodanthe, Dear John and The Last Song, which thus far have a cumulative worldwide gross of nearly three-quarters of a billion dollars.

Sparks lives in North Carolina with his family. He contributes to a variety of local and national charities, and is a major contributor to the Creative Writing Program (MFA) at the University of Notre Dame, where he provides scholarships, internships, and a fellowship annually. Along with his wife, he founded The Epiphany School in New Bern, North Carolina. As a former full scholarship athlete (he still holds a track and field record at the University of Notre Dame) he also spent four years coaching track and field athletes at the local public high school. In 2009, the team he coached at New Bern High School set a World Junior Indoor Record in the 4 x400 meter, in New York. The record still stands.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#35 Overall (See top 100 authors)

#5 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Literary

#5 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Literary Fiction

#7 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary

#7 in Books > Romance > Romantic Suspense

#8 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance > Suspense

#5 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Literary

#5 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Literary Fiction

#7 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary

#7 in Books > Romance > Romantic Suspense

#8 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance > Suspense

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

104 of 116 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars An Average Choice September 24, 2007

By Wantz Upon A Time Reviews

Format:Hardcover

Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer
on 09/22/2007

In a small coastal town, Travis Parker has almost everything he could wish. He loves his job, he gets to hang with long-time friends, and he enjoys water sports, motorcycling, and travel. All in all, it's a good life.

Everything he knows is thrown off-kilter when he meets his new neighbor, Gabby Holland, who happens to be in a relationship with another man. For her part, Gabby is excited, scared, and confused by the things she feels around Travis. She's been dedicated to her golf-crazy boyfriend for a long while, but Travis makes her feel new things. At some point, she'll have to make a decision.

Famous for his take on the sensitive hero and tender love, Nicholas Sparks latest offering is THE CHOICE, in which unexpected feelings lead to unexpected things. As the fun-loving guy with a big heart, Travis is easy to like from the beginning. Gabby, on the other hand, is a very mixed bag.

On the surface, Gabby seems to be kind hearted, but she comes across as someone who is easily upset, has doormat tendencies, and can't quite control her emotions. Travis sees her as sweet and having a great sense of humor. Readers are likely to see her as lacking a sense of humor until later, and even then it's sketchy. Characters are supposed to grow throughout a story, and Gabby does, but her introduction makes it difficult to sympathize with her from the beginning, especially in regards to her relationship with family and, well, her steady boyfriend.

A tragedy in the last hundred pages of the novel almost redeems all that went before. It's hinted at in the prologue, but Sparks elects to play a trick on the read, leading them to expect something quite different from what actually happens. It'd difficult to explain without giving it away, other than to say that it straddles the fence of cheap versus clever.

THE CHOICE is an average read for an average day. Sparks fans are likely to feel a bit let down, but there are far worse things a person could read.

3-Books

36 of 39 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Another love story from Sparks, slow beginning, good end, great characters October 8, 2007

By Bill Garrison VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

THE CHOICE by Nicholas Sparks is not a book I'd normally read. Not my favorite genre. My wife has read all of his books, and I've started reading them now too because they are easy to read and Sparks is a great writer. The summary on the inside cover tells you almost everything you need to know about the plot. Travis Parker is a 32-year old bachelor that loves having his married friends over for cookouts. Gabby is the new neighbor who is new to town, has few friends, and wonders when her boyfriend Kevin is going to ask her to marry him. Gabby at first doesn' t like Travis. He seems like an insensitive neighbor. From the plot summary, you know they are going to marry, so the first two thirds of the book covers a couple of days that Gabby and Travis spend together while Kevin is out of town. They go parasailing with Travis's friends. They ride motorcycles. And they fall in love. Sparks writes in a way that keeps you turning the pages, but the first part of the book seemed overly long because you know they are going to get together. There really isn't any conflict except Gabby's doubts about her relationship with Kevin. Even that isn't as strong as it could have been. The boyfriend doesn't really stand a chance when it comes to the true love Gabby and Travis discover. As usual, Sparks creates a girl in Gabby that is, while not perfect, a girl you could imagine falling in love with. Travis has similar qualites. He is adventerous, a gentleman, and although a bachelor, is great with kids and hopes to have them someday.

Part Two begins in the present, when Gabby and Travis have been married for ten years, and here, we find out what kind of "choice" Travis must face. Here, the plot thickens and the conflict increases. As with the two other Sparks books I've read, a lot of things have to be forced to happen for Sparks to come up with the kind of plot and conflict he wants. Still, the conflict Travis faces is real and sincere and there isn't really a right decision.

I enjoyed this book a lot. I wish that the first part, which lasts about two-thirds of the book, had told more of a story instead of detailing every last bit of interaction between Travis and Gabby over a two day period. Men, I'm sure your wives will love this book, and you might just enjoy it too if you are a sucker for a good love story.

79 of 92 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars If you loved THE NOTEBOOK, you will love THE CHOICE! September 21, 2007

By City Girl

Format:Hardcover

I love Nicholas Sparks' books. I am an avid reader and rarely am moved to tears by a male author, but find I am always reaching for the tissues when I read a N.S. book. I love the emotion, the "realness" of his characters. The plot centers around two people who meet and fall in love and the choices and promises they make to each other during their relationship. If you loved THE NOTEBOOK, and it's sequel, THE WEDDING, you will love THE CHOICE. I read this book in a day since it's a short book, but also because I was drawn into the story and couldn't put it down.