Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1210168 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-24
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 288 pages

Review
'Will have you weeping for the joy and tragedy of it all' - Daily Mail 'A page-turner . . . Sparks's fans won't be disappointed' - Glamour 'Deeply moving, beautifully written' - Booklist 'Very moving' - Closer 'Sparks's writing is superb' - Woman 'Worth spending a night with' - People 'Moving' - Daily Express 'Sparks addresses the difficulties and struggles of people adjusting to sharing their intimate lives' - Irish News 'Sparks writes with a depth of feeling and a tenderness rarely seen in male authors, and at times he brought tears of both joy and sadness to my eyes' - Peterborough Evening Telegraph 'Written with real affection and honesty' - Southern Daily Echo 'Every now and then you stumble across an extraordinary book that at first appears like countless others, but then you read it and are amazed at the treasure hidden within' - New York Sunday Post 'Sparks engrosses readers from the first page to the last. He breathes life into his likeable yet imperfect characters and crafts a novel that tugs at the heartstrings' - Romantic Times 'Extremely powerful' - Borders.com 'First-rate . . . Such well-turned books establish him as a writer of skill and persuasiveness, with a particular knack for wry, well-rounded characterisations' - Amazon.co.uk 'Nicholas Sparks writes with a depth and sincerity that have awarded him many fans' - Lovereading.co.uk 'Sparks achieves the unlikely feat of making the predictable enjoyable, especially the faithful recording of period detail' - Good Book Guide 'Snuggle up with Nicholas Sparks' latest offering and be swept away. Make sure you've got tissues at the ready for this smashing weepy from a master of the genre' She magazine 'We have a soft spot for Nicholas Sparks . . . his stories are a reminder of the man we wish our boyfriends could be (4 stars)' Heat 'They don't come better than this . . . an irresistible will-they-won't-they that will reel you in' Glamour 'Set to be a bestseller' Good Housekeeping

Heat
'We have a soft spot for Nicholas Sparks . . . his stories are a reminder of the man we wish our boyfriends could be' ****

Western Daily Press
`Nicholas Sparks tops the bestseller lists with every novel he writes . . . there's no better'

Customer Reviews

Could do better
I've been aware of Nicolas Sparks since my teenage years and distinctly remember devouring A Walk to Remember on a Greek beach the summer I graduated from school. Since then I've known that his novels are not 'whenever, wherever' creations - I, at least, have to be willing to cry to read them. They fit a certain masochistic mood that will always leave the reader in tears but believing in the hopeful love he depicts.

The Choice is separated into two parts, the first centred on the beginning of Travis and Gabby's relationship. She has recently moved next door to him; things get off to a bad start when she accuses his dog of getting her collie pregnant. After a few personality mishaps they agree to start over again, fall crazily in love in the space of week and this section ends with Gabby left to make a decision.

The second part of the book moves us 11 years into the present and it is Travis' turn to make a decision. This is where the tears began, thank the lord it was shorter than the first half otherwise I might not have emerged from the tissue box for days. While the first half of the novel detailed how they came together Gabby's choice was inevitable. It is here, in the part two, that the reader must ask themselves the same question as Travis does. Could you do what he must? Sparks introduces this question cleverly as he has the readers' mind going down a completely different path before revealing what Travis is facing. Cunning, to say the least. What he best succeeds at here is emphasising the importance of the choices that we make. Particularly effective is that there are two almost identical choices made, I can only mention it in passing as to give more would could completely spoil the premise of the novel but it is extremely effective in getting the reader and the protagonist to consider all possible outcomes.

The above being said this was not the Sparks that I'm used to. There was a superficial depth to the novel that when you scraped at it came away. It's not the epic tale of love, endurance and loss that this author usually produces and I'm inclined to say that the intensity I'm used to from Sparks was missing (which is not to say that there were no tears, just fewer of them). It is due to this diminished intensity and the knowledge that he can do better that I have awarded this novel three stars (three and a half realy)- while good; The Choice was lacking in places.

Lightweight and enjoyable
When i first looked at the cover in my local library, I was intrigued. I read the blurb and thought I might as well give it a try. I've never read any of Nicholas Sparks' stuff before, but I'd certainly heard of The Notebook and A Walk To Remember due to them being favorite films among my friends.

Reading it, I found that it was very lightweight and does not require a lot of concentration. The story was pretty predictable, but it was well worth reading. You can relate to the main characters, Gabby and Trevor, because they are very true to life characters.

It has encouraged me to read more of the author's books. A great summer book!

Great and not so great
I can't decide, if I think this book worthy of three, four or five stars (I am settling on the middle). The book starts out with a glimpse on events that reveal themselves towards the end of the story, yet they don't give the true ending away. Part One of the book is wonderful. I enjoyed reading it immensely. I easily identified with the main female character, which made reading fun. I found it interesting and amusing to find out about both Gabby's and Travis' viewpoints and emotions during their encounters. True to life. Part Two, however, ruined the story a little for me. Having read only a few of the author's works, I don't know, if it is the case, but there seems to be a pattern. One can expect tragedy and pain and finally a remarkable ending. I felt drained after finishing the book.