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The Choice

by Nicholas Sparks

3.90 · rating details · 27,337 ratings · 2,950 reviews

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 n...more

Mass Market Paperback, 336 pages

Published April 1st 2009 by Vision (first published September 24th 2007)

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Jan 06, 2008

Elise rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Nicholas Sparks fans

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 21, 2008

Laura Cashavelly rated it

· review of another edition

Mr. Sparks, All my life I believed in order for a wonderful marriage all you needed was true love. And now, knowing that for a relationship to work it needs much more then love, reading your books is honestly quite pathetic and sad. All your books are the same, have you ever thought about writing a book that doesn't involve two people falling in love over the course of twenty-four hours?

like 29 likes

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Oct 20, 2008

Kristianne rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Nicholas Sparks Fans

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This man has the uncanny ability to shatter my heart into a million pieces and put it back together again with the precision of a surgeon. Why is it that life seems so much sweeter after tragedy? Maybe gratitude isn't a natural state - it's just something we come to through experience.

I just finished Nicholas's new book The Choice which tells the love story of Gabby and Travis. Even though Sparks devoted most of the novel to the cute yet predictable narrative of their history togeth...moreThis man has the uncanny ability to shatter my heart into a million pieces and put it back together again with the precision of a surgeon. Why is it that life seems so much sweeter after tragedy? Maybe gratitude isn't a natural state - it's just something we come to through experience.

I just finished Nicholas's new book The Choice which tells the love story of Gabby and Travis. Even though Sparks devoted most of the novel to the cute yet predictable narrative of their history together, he made one smart move at the start: a captivating prologue. Oftentimes I believe the prologue is a sign of weak writing. A good author shouldn't need one to draw you into the story - if they do then they're beginning the story at the wrong place. However, this book really needed that. It lent a depth to the first half of the novel which would have been absent otherwise and encouraged readers to keep going even though it seemed a little too fluffy at times.

The other interesting topic he raises is cheating. I have to say this made me a little uncomfortable and did make me a little ticked off. I mean, just because the characters are meant for each other does not justify dishonesty and deception. The other thing is that I am SURE I read in an interview that Nicholas Sparks said he'd NEVER write about adultery. You see, he is openly Christian and doesn't believe in writing about things against his own moral code. If I can find the quote where he says that, I'll post it here. It was a case of 'just when you thought the story was a bit dull the character does something morally repugnant'. That was actually enough to keep me interested. I wanted to see why Sparks made that particular literary decision.

Sparks had some ground to make up after this incident though because as the reader, I thought there was no reason for it. Not having Gabby confront her boyfriend made her seem a little weak. That's when you jump to the next part of the story and where Sparks really shines...the tragedy! God I love it. The thrilling part of reading his work is that you never know if you'll get a happy ending. Right up until the second-last page of The Choice I wasn't sure which it would be. And I cried like a baby the whole time. This wouldn't be Sparks' best work but he's one of those authors you usually can't go wrong with. Well, except maybe for True Believer and Dear John. They seemed a little like mid-career slump novels to me.

He is such a quick-read and the world seems such a richer place when you're finished. People argue that the kind of drama he writes about isn't realistic. I beg to differ. You only have to read an interview with him to know that most of his stories are inspired by real life. Guess what folks, life is tragic. It's the meaning that we gain from tragedy and the love that touches us that makes it all worthwhile.

Aah Nicholas, a man after my own heart. I'll forgive you the cheating but only cause it was such a satisfying ending. (less)

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Jul 16, 2008

Julianne rated it

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Oct 20, 2007

Bethany Andrews rated it

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Shelves: fiction

For all you Nicholas Sparks fans out there, rest assured, he's done it again. He's written another ridiculously perfect, impossible not to cry over, romance. I'm usually not a fan of this type of work, but as I've said before, there's something about a Nicholas Sparks book I can't resist. It's like my guilty pleasure or something.

This one is about Travis, a small town vet, who has everything he could ever want out of life. He's got excellent friends, a cool dog, his own house and...more

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Oct 04, 2008

Lisa rated it

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The Choice has assured I will never read another Nicholas Sparks book. I found this novel to be a long-winded, tedious waste of time. And I got really irritated with his lack of research. If you are going to write about a dog whelping – get your facts right. If you are going to write about comatose people – get your facts right. Oh yeah, and if your leading lady is an accomplished P.A. , you might want to try giving her a brain. And I’m sorry, but I see nothing redeeming about defying a...more

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Mar 16, 2009

Vivian rated it

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Recommended to Vivian by: mom

This has been my favorite book and my plan is to read every Nicholas Sparks book. I read this book last summer and this book is also about love and promises. I learned not all promises should be kept (even though they should). This married couple has been together quite some time and they had there good and bad times. In the time of there marriage a promise came up- If anything ever happened to Gabby and needed be put on life support, then her husband Travis, would only let her be connected for ...more

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Nov 26, 2007

Becky rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: fans of Nicholas Sparks, readers who like sentimental love stories

Shelves: adult, romance

When a new Nicholas Sparks novel comes out, you know what you're in for - a southern romance between a romantic, lovable, handsome man and an intelligent, independent, naturally beautiful woman. It will be a fast read that makes you long for the simple, small town life. I'm not a big fan of romances, but Sparks books are simply good stories and always enjoyable reads. Also, one never knows whether the ending will be a certifiable tear-jerker or joyful happiness. "The Choice" is abo...more

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Apr 25, 2008

Nikki De Los Santos rated it

· review of another edition

Pulled at my heart strings and ended up crying for about 5 mintues at the end. His writting has a way of getting in your head and you can imagine yourself in the situation. What would you do......

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Apr 18, 2009

Kit rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: any silly romantic lover

Shelves: romance

This book is very interesting. Like most of Nicholas Sparks romance books you fall in love with the characters and what the best to happen for them, but in a small way some thing goes wrong, but it always ends up leaving you all warm inside.
I find this one different because even though the back cover describes the book to be about Travis, most of the story line is about Gabby's side of view in there whole time of getting to know each other.
The first part of the story starts out in ...moreThis book is very interesting. Like most of Nicholas Sparks romance books you fall in love with the characters and what the best to happen for them, but in a small way some thing goes wrong, but it always ends up leaving you all warm inside.
I find this one different because even though the back cover describes the book to be about Travis, most of the story line is about Gabby's side of view in there whole time of getting to know each other.
The first part of the story starts out in Feb 2007, and Travis is going to the hospital where is wife worked to see her. Unsure of the choice he was going to make. It dates back to when they first met and how they came about to fall in love. Gabby moved in next door to Travis. She has a purebred collie who is pregnant and believes Travis' dog is responsible. As she goes over to his house to tell him to take responsiblitiy everthing thing goes wrong. She ends up leaving like a stupid person and finds out that Travis is the vet. Evenutally they spend a weekend together while Gabby's boyfriend is out of town, as friendly neighbors with all of Travis' married friends. By the third day they know they are in love and she decides to be with Travis.

In the second part of the story, Travis is sitting at the hospital going over his memories of the past and how they get married and have two girls. Some of the fights they have, and why things started to go wrong. Travis and Gabby were in a horrible car accident and she went into a coma. As Travis sits at the hospital he is trying to make "the choice" that will change his life. Gabby made Travis sign a living will, where if she was ever in a coma; after three months if she didn't wake up, he promises to let her die. She made him do it because of some one she met a hospital who the husband went insane because the wife was put in a nursing home and after six years was still in a coma. The kids went off the deep end too, and Gabby didn't want that to happen to her family. After three months Travis makes his decision . . . I can't spoil the ending for you all, you'll just have to read it.
I will say during the second part have some tissues handy it was a tear jerker. It does end well as all his books do, I closed the book feeling satisfied. (less)

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Dec 18, 2009

Jana rated it

· review of another edition

I surely have a problem. I read another book from Sparks. He is trying to be Jodie Picoult, but it's not going for him. His characters are awfully shallow and stereotypical - his story is so so, but he doesn't know how to describe it.

He is a Budweiser guy, she is shy and naive. He is uber sexy, she is not so. And he tells her he loves her after 2 days (although he was a complete vagabond for his 30something years), and she does as well, but he tells her that first.

Sparks...more

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Nov 21, 2008

Becky rated it

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I have to be in a certain type of mood to read a Sparks book. A friend told me this was a good, but I get irritated with Sparks tendency to kill off his protagonists by the end.

The Choice is a great read (and thoughtful...who doesn't need to be reminded that we all need Living Wills.) I loved the Part One where Travis and Gabby "grow" in love. Part Two moves too quickly, but this might not be a bad thing. As a reader, I wanted more details, but admit this would have mud...more

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Feb 03, 2009

Lesli Spafford rated it

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This book wasn't one of my favorites, although it did have a happy ending which isn't that common with books written by Nicholas Sparks. I think the reason that I didn't love the book was because of the female character, Gabby. I thought she was rather dull and kind of bratty.
I was inspired by Travis Parker. I loved his zest for life, his commitment to family, friends and good health. He had a good head on his shoulders. He gave me a renewed appreciation for the simple things in life...espe...more

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Mar 21, 2011

Jo-Ann Guasque rated it

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Shelves: tear-jerker

Liked it but a little drag. I like Travis a lot since where can we find a guy like him huh? Very vocal about her feelings towards Gabby. I mean, I would love to have someone like him. Don't you? Well I like this book mainly because I love the way it was written. I so love the way Nicholas Sparks wrote those words. I mean, It really do made Travis desirable. haha. light read but it took me months to finish it since the first few chapters are very boring but in the middle, I cannot put it down. ha...more

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Jan 03, 2012

Amira rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: animal-story, family-drama, medical-forensic, relationships, romance

There are really two choices in this book. The first is Gabby's choice between Travis (the hunky neighbour she spent the weekend getting to know) or her long term boyfriend, Kevin (FYI the real victim) who is hesitant about making a lasting commitment. The second choice comes later and this one is the more interesting of the two. When Travis has to decide whether to turn off Gabby's IV, effectively starving her to death after an accident puts her in an extended coma.
There is nothing insp...moreThere are really two choices in this book. The first is Gabby's choice between Travis (the hunky neighbour she spent the weekend getting to know) or her long term boyfriend, Kevin (FYI the real victim) who is hesitant about making a lasting commitment. The second choice comes later and this one is the more interesting of the two. When Travis has to decide whether to turn off Gabby's IV, effectively starving her to death after an accident puts her in an extended coma.
There is nothing inspiring about the writing or plot in this book, its a straight forward story about a couple that meet, settle down and then have a medical crisis.
The character of Travis is the more developed and interesting of the couple, but Sparks seems to have watched too many rom-coms and drafted up a list of cliched attributes that apparently women look for in a man:
i.e.
Charming next door neighbour - ✓
Athletic (good body and eats healthy) - ✓
Numerous references to his desire for domestic life/fatherhood and love of children - ✓
Slightly dangerous and adventuresome extreme sports (wake boarding, parasailing, motorbike, numerous overseas travels) -✓
Veterinarian (Educated, stable job, love of animals) - ✓
Great listener - ✓
Yeah we get it Sparks, he's perfect but not boring.

Gabby on the other hand has no list of recommendation. She is often whining about her over protective/controlling mother (wow she has mummy issues, shocker!) and is always frustratingly anxious to try new things ("The sharks might eat me if I go parasailing!", "Isn't it illegal to learn to ride motorbikes??"). She's also the cliched undecided woman, who flirts with Travis and then adamantly states "No Travis, this is wrong I have a boyfriend!!", "Whats he like?", "I don't want to talk about him, but I have a boyfriend that I love. Now lets go stick our 'feet' in the hot-tub ok". ???
In fact, its fine that she's in a coma because it makes her character more exciting (ouch! too far?).

Aaah The Writing:
Sparks still has this annoying habit of getting the characters to explain their life story in extended dialogue to other characters, which is totally implausible. When is it socially acceptable to ramble on about personal issues to complete strangers? This occurs in the book, but Sparks has also tried to rectify it by adding pages of backstory to the characters, which I would much rather discover throughout the story and SUBTLY through dialogue and behaviour. Its a sort of 'treat the reader dumb' approach where the author states that 'this is what has happened to the character', therefore 'this is how you should feel about them'.
A lot of the plot is predictable, from Travis' dog being neutered (a simple glance would have saved Gabby - the Physician Assistant!!- embarrassing accusations about the paternity of her dogs puppies), to the 24 hour romance and love fest and apparent finding of soulmate. I also found Sparks' writing style preachy at times.
Even though I've highlighted the issues I had with the book, Sparks does a good job of evoking emotion and moral uncertainty about the choices the characters have to make. And you do start to wonder and question what you would do in the same situation.
However you're mostly wondering whether Sparks will break away from his literary tradition and allow the characters to have a happy ending.
The book is good for a simple summer read, but don't expect to be overwhelmed with interesting prose or exciting characters. Its not horrible, but its not great. All pretty beige. (less)

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Dec 26, 2011

Kirsti rated it

· review of another edition

Yech. So I thought the Notebook was a little disappointing, but suspected that was because I'd seen and adored the movie so much that it overrode the contents of the book. Now I decide to read another of the Sparks books, only to be terribly disappointed AGAIN. I must be a sucker for punishment.

First, Travis is perfect. Utterly perfect, and I would punch him in the face if I met him in real life, not fall madly in love with him. All he seems to do is exercise, so accordingly, he is p...more

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Dec 05, 2011

Gbernice rated it

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I got this and one other Nicholas Sparks book from a book exchange and have had them on my shelf forever. They've never held much interest for me, but I finally decided to read them this week because I was out of alternatives.
What I liked about the two books was the attempt Sparks makes at making his endings surprising. I also find much of his dialogue and experience in marriage realistic. He's married with 5 kids in real life and it's obvious that he's not just imagining what married lif...more

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Dec 01, 2011

Sophia rated it

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Warning: This review will contain spoilers!

The author wrote this book in two separate parts. In the first part of the book, we meet the main characters, Gabby Holland and Travis Parker. Gabby moves into Travis's town and is her new neighbor. She moved in order to be closer to her long-time boyfriend, Kevin. Background story of Gabby's relationship: Gabby was in love with Kevin, but he always avoided the subject of marriage. She felt rather lonely at times when he didn't have time wi...moreWarning: This review will contain spoilers!

The author wrote this book in two separate parts. In the first part of the book, we meet the main characters, Gabby Holland and Travis Parker. Gabby moves into Travis's town and is her new neighbor. She moved in order to be closer to her long-time boyfriend, Kevin. Background story of Gabby's relationship: Gabby was in love with Kevin, but he always avoided the subject of marriage. She felt rather lonely at times when he didn't have time with her. Soon after she moves in, she begins to spend time with her neighbor, Travis. He was a veterinarian who was single, attractive, along with a great personality. She prayed that she would not being to have feelings for him. There was something about him that made her see life from a different perspective and she loved his spontaneous ways whereas Kevin would stick to the simple ways of life. After one weekend of spending time and getting to know each other, Travis fell completely in love with her. He confessed to her and by then Gabby already knew that she too was in love. She had a choice to make between her current boyfriend and this new man that had made her feel alive and wanted. By the end of part one, she did end up choosing to be with Travis. Something just made it feel like it was the right thing for her. Now we get to part two of the story. This takes place eleven years later. Travis and Gabby were married and had two daughters named Christine and Lisa. They still had their old friends and their careers. Everything seemed perfect for them. But then, one night, they were driving home from a concert and it was raining. It was also late and they both had work the next day so Travis was trying to get them home as fast they could because they were 2 1/2 hours away. They got into a horrible accident due to his lack of attention. They both were unconscious when they were brought into the hospital. Travis woke up the next day with pain, while Gabby never woke up. Gabby was in a coma. Travis was devastated. Months passed by and he knew he had to make a choice soon. He either had to move her to a nursing home or remove the feeding tubes. He remembered having a conversation with Gabby a while back about a couple who also got into an accident. The man’s wife was also in a coma and she never woke up for years. Gabby asked Travis to promise her that if anything like this were to happen, he would take her off the feeding tubes at a certain time and let her go. Travis was torn between keeping her alive or going through with her wishes. He made the choice to move her into the nursing home. He couldn’t let her go neither would he give up hope. A few months later, he gets a call from the nursing home asking him to come right away. When he arrived, he walked into Gabby’s room with the greeting of her smile. She had awoken.

I really enjoyed this book. I only gave it four stars though because it got slow at some parts with details I didn’t care too much for. But overall, this was a beautiful story of love. There were difficult choices each main character had to make which ties back to the title, “The Choice.” In part one, Gabby had to make the choice of choosing between the mad she has loved for so long and the man that made her feel loved. “’In the last few days, you’ve made me feel…alive. You make me feel beautiful and intelligent and wanted…. But Kevin is important to me too.’” (184-185) This shows how hard it was for Gabby and how the decision she made would change her life forever. This part of the book made it suspenseful and kept me reading because I couldn’t predict who she was going to choose. I liked that because in a lot of love stories, it’s quite obvious.

In the second part of the book, it’s Travis’s turn to make a choice. To me, his choice was even harder than Gabby’s. He had the woman of his dreams as his wife with a beautiful family. Now, she was in a coma and couldn’t talk or touch him as she once did. He had to choose between keeping her alive on the feeding tubes or disconnect her from the tubes and let his love of his life go. “How far should a person go in the name of love?” (255) I really like this quote because it shows how hard love can be. The person he loves now has to go to a nursing home or else be taken off the feeding tubes. Travis still had hope that she would wake up. And he didn’t care how long it would take her to wake up. He will still come to see her almost every day, for years if he had to. He was not about to give up and let her go. I think this is so beautiful and shows what true love really is. This is why I enjoyed the book so much because true love does exist if found with the right person. They will always wait for you.

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Nov 20, 2011

Abby Gacad rated it

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The Choice by Nicholas Sparks is a heart wrenching and powerful book. As with the other works of Nicholas Sparks, his unique style of writing is touching and has a heartfelt way of reaching out to both the heart and soul. There is something about his writings that get to me every single time. The portrayal of emotions and the obvious chemistry between the two main characters, Travis Parker and Gabby Holland, make this into a fun, fast and easy read. The development of the characters and how rel...more

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Nov 10, 2011

Kara rated it

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Shelves: covers-i-love, emotional, romance, reviewed, i-own-it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Surprising enough I had to add a whole romance shelf for this. You have to believe me when I say I don't like books about people older than their twenties, I hate romances, and I haven't the faintest idea why I picked this up. So, to put it lightly, there is no possible reason out there that I could have ever liked this book in a million years. However, is it just me or was this author's writing phanonomal? (sp) This is what made me like this book. It made me realize that romance is just too fra...more

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Aug 27, 2011

Sumando Libros rated it

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Comencemos!!!

Para dar inicio a esta reseña debo recomendar que si decides leer este libro tomes la sensata sugerencia en cuenta: compra un Pack de pañuelos desechables!!!, en serio, los necesitaras, me hizo llorar como magdalena así que sin dudas terminas igual o peor… porque es un libro que te llega al corazón de tal forma que… bueno, derramas lágrimas y lágrimas y mas lágrimas.

Aclaración: el libro encaja en 'Romance Contemporáneo' pero con esos toques de drama y comedia que...more

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Aug 07, 2011

Vovka rated it

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"un choix" m'a tiré quelques larmes, j'ai vraiment beaucoup aimé les personnages notamment Travis <3 mais je ne lui met que 3/5 car je pense que d'ici quelques temps j'aurais oublié la plupart du livre... ce n'est pas qu'il est mal écrit ni qu'il est inintéressant mais c'est un livre qui malgré le thème abordé risque de passer aux oubliettes de mon cerveau :)

le sujet est super intéressant et bouleversant : c'est l'histoire d'amour de Gaby et Travis, on revit leur rencontre...more

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Jul 19, 2011

Ryan Sweeney rated it

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OK, So I needed a book for the flight to Vietnam and this was the first English book I could find that remotely interested me. That's my story and I'm sticking to it - we'll forget the fact that I'm a big soppy sucker for love Nicolas Sparks love stories and sweep that under the rug for the purposes of this review. In fact, please imagine that while I write this I'm drinking a manly mug of ale and watching some kind of ball related sport on the Television, cheering loudly every time my team gets...more

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Jul 17, 2011

Andrew Hildreth rated it

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Shelves: favorites

The Choice is a wonderful and sad, heart-breaking love story. It wasn't what I expected when I first started it—which isn't a bad thing—but I still very much enjoyed the story. Being that it only took me 3 total reading days to finish it, it was very hard to put down.
By page 20, I was already hooked into the story and much liked the all the characters that were introduced at that point. I'm not sure how many times I laughed out loud during the first half of this book, especially the first...more

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Jun 29, 2011

Jennifer rated it

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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 19, 2011

Rebecca rated it

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Shelves: chicklit

You know, I have never read a Nicholas Sparks book! I finally saw The Notebook over the hols, which was not as good a movie as everyone said. I mean, it was fine and McAdams and Gosling have total chemistry, which I think made the movie more then anything, but everyone said it was soooo good so I thought something actually happened in it to make it good. So I kept waiting and waiting. AND NOTHING HAPPNED!!! This book was the same thing. From the second the girl neighbour yelled at her male neigh...more

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May 28, 2011

Ashlee rated it

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Sparks does it again...but differently this time. Usually Sparks makes me weep. I mean, all out, sob. (This is embarrassing to admit, but whatever.) But I didn't cry a single time in "The Choice", and that was refreshing. Something else I found nice was the fact that it didn't focus around death or dying....really. The choice that the title gets it's name from is a difficult choice to say the least, but reading it, I didn't really see why it was even a choice. I know what I would have ...more

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May 09, 2011

Lara Marwan added it · review of another edition

The novel is called “The Choice” Nicholas Sparks wrote it. It talks about Travis Parker a happy man with good or even great friends, also has a good life. He thought his life is full of joy and that he has a good life filled with happiness. His life completely changes when Gabby Holland moves in the house next door, they started going out together and they were happy, together they faced a lot of stuff but they were able to deal with them. They got married and they got two girl Christine and Lis...moreThe novel is called “The Choice” Nicholas Sparks wrote it. It talks about Travis Parker a happy man with good or even great friends, also has a good life. He thought his life is full of joy and that he has a good life filled with happiness. His life completely changes when Gabby Holland moves in the house next door, they started going out together and they were happy, together they faced a lot of stuff but they were able to deal with them. They got married and they got two girl Christine and Lisa.
One day Gabby was at work, and her friend had a very bad headache, but then her friend goes into a coma for 10 years, it was very bad for Gabby knowing that she’s the one that should tell her friends husband about it, when she got home she sat down with Travis and she told him about what happened and then she told him that if this ever happen to her or be in her place, Travis didn’t understand what she meant when she said that but he was just being supportive and told her ok and he promised if it happened to her he would let her go, she didn’t want them to feel the pain if she ever died, but then he promised her that she’d never be in this kind of situation.
Gabby and Travis were invited to a wedding in a town nearby on their way back they had an accident, something bad happened Gabby went into a coma but Travis was fine. After a couple of weeks the doctor told Travis that she would be in a coma for a while. Travis was depressed and he was devastated, this made him have a lot of problems because he couldn’t focus on anything, but he tried to deal with them all but he still wanted her and missed her.
After 6 months in coma, the doctor told Travis that she needs to be in the nursing house because she’s going to stay in the coma for a while longer, Travis kept thinking about the promise he made with her, but he just couldn’t let her go like this because she’s the one he loves, he keeps on telling himself that I should have faith in this and I want her to wake up, and one day the doctor calls and he tells Travis that she woke up he went as fast as he could.

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Apr 21, 2011

Rafael A. rated it

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Certain genres have elements that distinguish them from the others, giving them an identity and flavor that please the fans. When reading an exemplary piece of literature in said genre it brings great satisfaction and desire to read more. Nicholas Sparks has a fair catalog of novels and notoriety from his work, staking his place as great writer in a genre that is often dominated by women; certainly a noteworthy accolade. The Choice possesses several elements of a functioning and potentially exce...moreCertain genres have elements that distinguish them from the others, giving them an identity and flavor that please the fans. When reading an exemplary piece of literature in said genre it brings great satisfaction and desire to read more. Nicholas Sparks has a fair catalog of novels and notoriety from his work, staking his place as great writer in a genre that is often dominated by women; certainly a noteworthy accolade. The Choice possesses several elements of a functioning and potentially excellent romance novel but unfortunately it faltered at times when it could have shined. The story commences with Travis, a family man who is stricken with a horrible dilemma, details of which are not disclosed in the early pages leaving the reader one down. There is a jump several years earlier, before Travis’ predicament, showing him as he was as a bachelor and outdoors enthusiast. A new neighbor moves in next to him, introducing Travis’ love interest, Gabby. The two meet under less than friendly circumstances with Gabby accusing Travis’ dog of impregnating her own. From this meeting spawns the connection between these two characters that treads the territories of self realization, mutual understanding and the conflict of choosing between two lovers. Gabby meets Travis while she is already in a relationship, thus creating tension between her newly developing (thought not yet definitive) feelings for Travis and her established feelings for her boyfriend. This is where the novel falters as it does a great job of pacing the relationship, giving the characters fair time to decide how they feel but in literally a matter of two pages this pace goes into a full sprint as Travis and Gabby find themselves admitting their love for each other and consummating their declaration with a week of love making. This sort of dramatic change will obviously be viewed as hopelessly romantic and beautiful by some but in truth is weak means of cementing the two characters’ relationship. The narrative then jumps back to Travis years later. Now in his forties, Travis has two daughters and has been married to Gabby for eleven years, prompting the latter half of the book. Gabby has fallen victim to a coma caused by head trauma during a car accident and Travis faces the decision to whether or not take out her feeding tube as it has been several months with no sign of recovery. This section of the book appeared to have more substance than the first but still leaves the reader with questions. The romance/marriage between Travis and Gabby is described as nearly perfect, an unlikelihood for any modern reader to completely stomach. Of course such loving relationships are possible but not without their tribulations. There is also the issue of the (ex)boyfriend that Gabby left behind. A few pages describing the parting, whether it be smooth or difficult would have made for more complete story. To reveal the end of the story would not better serve the appraisal of this novel, instead it is best to see the book in its entirety as an adequate read though rushed at times. At a little under three hundred pages it almost seems as is Sparks was just dishing out another book, despite length or quality, in order to take advantage of the desires of his fans. In this regard he succeeds, but to readers who are not sheerly devoted to the romance genre The Choice higher quality in their narratives, regardless of their genre. The Choice should not be anyone’s first romance novel but will surely please fans of the genre.(less)

· see review

Feb 01, 2011

Valerie B rated it

· review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Let me begin by saying that I have to be in the mood to read Sparks' novels in order to read them without scoffing at how ridiculous they are. Once you've read one Sparks novel, you've read them all.

I happened to be in the mood for a mind-less read when I found this at the library. I'm reading Dune and I love it but I needed something to balance it out with.

In this novel, Travis Parker falls in love with Gabby Holland. Their love story is Part One. Part Two is where the t...more

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About Nicholas Sparks

As a child, he lived in Minnesota, Los Angeles, and Grand Island, Nebraska, finally settling in Fair Oaks, California at the age of eight. His father was a professor, his mother a homemaker, then optometrist's assistant. He lived in Fair Oaks through high school, graduated valedictorian in 1984, and received a full track scholarship to the University of Notre Dame.

After breaking the No...moreAs a child, he lived in Minnesota, Los Angeles, and Grand Island, Nebraska, finally settling in Fair Oaks, California at the age of eight. His father was a professor, his mother a homemaker, then optometrist's assistant. He lived in Fair Oaks through high school, graduated valedictorian in 1984, and received a full track scholarship to the University of Notre Dame.

After breaking the Notre Dame school record as part of a relay team in 1985 as a freshman (a record which still stands), he was injured and spent the summer recovering. During that summer, he wrote his first novel, though it was never published. He majored in Business Finance and graduated with high honors in 1988.

He and his wife Catherine, who met on spring break in 1988, were married in July, 1989. While living in Sacramento, he wrote his second novel that same year, though again, it wasn't published. He worked a variety of jobs over the next three years, including real estate appraisal, waiting tables, selling dental products by phone, and started his own small manufacturing business which struggled from the beginning. In 1990, he collaborated on a book with Billy Mills, the Olympic Gold Medalist and it was published by Feather Publishing before later being picked up by Random House. (It was recently re-issued by Hay House Books.) Though it received scant publicity, sales topped 50,000 copies in the first year of release.

He began selling pharmaceuticals and moved from Sacramento, California to North Carolina in 1992. In 1994, at the age of 28, he wrote The Notebook over a period of six months. In October, 1995, rights to The Notebook were sold to Warner Books. It was published in October, 1996, and he followed that with Message in a Bottle (1998), A Walk to Remember (1999), The Rescue (2000), A Bend in the Road (2001), and Nights in Rodanthe (2002), The Guardian (2003), The Wedding (2003), Three Weeks with my Brother (2004), True Believer (2005) and At First Sight (2005) all with Warner Books. All were domestic and international best sellers and were translated into more than 35 languages. The movie version of Message in a Bottle was released in 1999, A Walk to Remember was released in 2002, and The Notebook was released in 2004. The average domestic box office gross per film was $56 million -- with another $100 million in DVD sales -- making the novels by Nicholas Sparks one of the most successful franchises in Hollywood.

The film rights to Nights in Rodanthe, True Believer and At First Sight have been sold, and Nicholas Sparks has written the screenplay for The Guardian, though he has not offered it for sale at this point.

He now has five children: Miles, Ryan, Landon, Lexie, and Savannah. He lives in North Carolina with his wife and children.

His ancestry is German, Czech, English, and Irish, he's 5'10" and weighs 180 lbs. He is an avid athlete who runs daily, lifts weights regularly, and competes in Tae Kwon Do. He attends church regularly and reads approximately 125 books a year. 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.(less)

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“Spending time with you showed me what I’ve been missing in my life.” — 509 people liked it

“How far should a person go in the name of true love?” — 316 people liked it

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