The Choice
by Nicholas Sparks
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Book Reviews of The Choice
Book Review: Terribly disappointed
Summary: 2 Stars
I have read almost every single book by Sparks and for the most part have loved them all. There's been a hit or miss along the way but overall he pleases me. That didn't exactly happen here. While I feel the main male character,Travis was well developed and highly likeable,I feel like Gabby (the female lead) was a bit under developed and not someone I ever really warmed up to. I will say I did love how well developed Travis's sister,Stephanie is in the book. She isn't a main character and is really just in one portion of the book. But her personality is intriguing and you instantly are drawn to her wit and sass. I had an issue (as I tend to in Sparks stories)with how fast these 2 feel madly in love. In a week's time Gabby goes from ice queen to a love sick woman. They have no real courtship other than a few days of seeing each other on the sly while Gabby's boyfriend,Kevin is out of town. (Another character that is under developed and swept under the rug.) But my biggest issue was that 'Book One' and 'Book Two' feel like two completely different stories. Book one ends at an spot that I personally wish had been expanded on. In Book Two,Travis speaks of many issues and events that have happened in a ten year span. Things,that I feel,should have been elaborated on. Like their wedding,child births,marital issues. I feel like Book Two was a tragedy for tragedy sakes. Something thrown at you to make the story "epic". Book Two is uninformative and utterly depressing. The ending,though happy, is highly predictible. I didn't hate this book but I wouldn't read it again and I doubt I would even recommend it.Book Review: Typical Sparks......
Summary: 3 Stars
Overall, I'm a fan of Nicholas Sparks. I've read many of his books and while some were quite enchanting, others just failed to hit the mark. While "The Choice" isn't a terrible read, it's not exactly top of the list. The main thing that irritated me, which is what a lot of Sparks books encompass, is that the characters "fall in love" almost immediately. There's practically no buildup over time.
Travis meets his snotty, standoffish, irritating, judgemental neighbor (who has a boyfriend and a chip on her shoulder), invites her to go boating (why, I'll never know), they steal glances at each other all day, his sister pushes her into liking him....next thing you know, she invites him to dinner (like what...a week later?) and before you know it, they're embracing on the deck saying "I've never loved anyone like I love you".
WTF? Seriously? Nick, you couldn't have added another twenty pages or so and let the relationship unfold just a TOUCH? I literally laughed out loud when I read the part about Travis and Gabby professing their undying love for one another so soon. So predictable! A minute later they're in bed of course. C'mon now.....
I will say that the ending...I didn't see coming. It was definitely a surprise. So at least there was some element of a twist...but again, he raced through it so fast you almost didn't get a chance to get emotionally involved. I don't know...maybe I'm not as soft-hearted as most of Sparks readers....
Book Review: Fighting insomnia? Buy this book.
Summary: 1 Stars
"Nights in Rodanthe" had a comfortable style, made me want more. "The Guardian" was exciting, had my adrenaline pumping. Couldn't wait for more. My next choice was "The Choice". BAD choice! It is achingly slow, thought I'd never finish it, kept having to force myself to read it. It was only near the end that I finally cared a little about any of the characters. Travis has traveled the world and stocked up on power toys, all on a small town vet's salary. (Unbelievable.) Gabby is overly emotional, judgemental, and irritating. They develop a relationship based on nothing. However, I write this review more as a warning to anyone suffering the recent loss of a loved one who has had a lengthy illness, long hospitalization, etc. That was my case. And the later chapters, hospital scenes, for someone experiencing this, can be very, very painful, effectively pouring salt in the wounds of your loss. That part of the book is pretty well-written as far as capturing that particular circumstance. For those people, currently coping with this sort of thing, please save this book for a later time, when you personally are farther along in your healing process. On the author, Nicholas Sparks can be a good author, but he's inconsistent. I wonder if he reads his own books after writing them and before publishing them. My review: 2 thumbs down.Book Review: Not what I expected at all
Summary: 3 Stars
The Choice begins like every other Sparks novel. A southern romance that has matured after two days of getting to know one another, which took up the first half of the book. I was getting tired of the "same-old story" that Sparks is known for. But, The Choice was not what I expected at all.
Part 2 of this book is about a tragedy this young couple faces and the promises that they made to one another and the choices these promises lead too.
Although, I would no...more The Choice begins like every other Sparks novel. A southern romance that has matured after two days of getting to know one another, which took up the first half of the book. I was getting tired of the "same-old story" that Sparks is known for. But, The Choice was not what I expected at all.
Part 2 of this book is about a tragedy this young couple faces and the promises that they made to one another and the choices these promises lead too.
Although, I would not have expected to have liked this book judging from the first half of the story; the ending was what captured my heart and led me to believe in having a little faith.
Book Review: Mr Sparks please clarify. Confusing, confusing, confusing!
Summary: 2 Stars
Mr Sparks please clarify what actually happened in Part II of your book, The Choices. Jumping back and forth chronologically may be an accepted literary methodology, but I'm sure I'm not the only confused reader. In the Prologue you refer to Travis's "mistake" but even up to the last sentence in the book you never clearly explain what mistake he made. Was it a mistake to not pull the tubes as Gabby had requested in her living will? And early in Chapter 16, you talk about "papers that officially signal the end of his marriage." But you never bother to explain what they are. If they ended up divorced because Travis violated Gabby's most serious wishes, shouldn't that have been in the Epilogue and Gabby's return to the living have been the proper end in the last chapter? And why was the most important tear jerking element of the book in the Epilogue in the first place? Would less talk about the two family dogs have benefited more writing about what happened? Did Gabby decide to divorce Travis because he violated her wishes? Please tell us. Where was your editor on this one?