Melody





ISBN-13: 9780446698337
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: April 2008
304pp



I always look forward to Nicholas Sparks new releases. Though some of his books are tearjerkers and might not have a happy ending, I do enjoy them and find them meaningful and thought-provoking. Most of the times, his stories strike a chord in my heart even though they are fictional. His stories often reflect the reality of life and how the difficult situations always made the characters into better persons which I find inspiring. It is no wonder his books made it to the bestselling list.

Set in a small town in North Carolina, The Choice is a beautiful love story of Travis Parker and Gabby Holland. Travis first meeting with Gabby is not a pleasant one. Gabby, whose job is a physician assistant, thinks Travis is a good-for-nothing and organizes too many barbecues parties outside his house. Worse still, she thinks Moby, his boxer impregnates her collie, Molly and she has made up her mind to confront him because she feels she has had enough of his inconsiderate behaviour.

On the other end, Travis is intrigued by his new neighbour who moves next to his place, and despite his friendly attempt towards her, she seems to give him a cold shoulder. And when Gabby accused his dog for impregnating her dog, he tried to explain things to her but she refused to give him the chance to talk, leaving him bewildered and amused. Their second encounter took place in a veterinary clinic when Gabby decided to have Molly examined, and this time Travis is the vet. Gabby asked him why he didn't tell her about his position when she confronted him that day, he told her that she didn't give him a chance to explain anyway. And after the examination, it turned out that Moby wasn't the one responsible for Molly's pregnancy at all, and Gabby felt bad. She thought he would be angry at her but to her surprise, he didn't seem to mind after all. It was through this incident that she began to see him in a new light.

Although they are slowly attracted to each other, Travis isn't sure if this relationship works for him because not only he enjoys his single lifestyle, but he thought his previous relationships with women are a failure. And Gabby isn't sure of Travis either as she has a long-term relationship with her boyfriend although Kevin didn't show any sign of commitment to marriage. It is at this point that there is a turn for Gabby and Travis, as both couldn't fight the attraction off of each other anymore. I think Mr. Sparks had done a great job here writing about their dilemmas and how they had came to accept each other in the end.

In the later part of the story, Gabby and Travis are married and had two young daughters. Gabby and Travis met in a car accident on a windy, rainy night. Travis blamed it on his carelessness, but it was too late, as it resulted Gabby in a state of coma. And Travis had to make a tough choice in the whole of his life.

Although the plot in The Choice is not new, I still find it a good and meaningful read. There are questions that one will often ask while reading this: What would happen if Travis had handled the situation differently? Was it he or Gabby to blame? What would happen if he took the other choice? et cetera. But the top of all is, how far would you go to keep the hope of love alive?

I also love this part where it described marriage perfectly:
Marriage, each of them realized intuitively, was about compromise and forgiveness. It was about balance, where one person complemented the other.

This is an emotionally charged book which I find it worth reading, especially towards the end.
________________________________________________

Note: I have decided to temporarily give up reading Succubus in the City by Nina Harper. I just couldn't get sucked into the story, despite it has an interesting premise and the protagonist is a sexy succubus who works with a she-demon, Satan. I liked the part where the hero is a mortal man, but regrettably I just couldn't find myself reading more, and partly I blame it on my reading mood. I have picked up the book at a wrong time. Nevertheless, I hope I will enjoy it at a later date although I have no idea when I will pick this up again.

10 Responses
  1. Julia Says:

    I always like to read Nicolas Sparks books too. I have read a few and like the one I have read so far.

    Sound like "The Choice" will be another good one I want to read. And I'm glad to hear you like the book :)

    Great review


  2. Melody Says:

    Thanks, Julia! I liked most of his books, although I haven't read them all, yet. I hope you'll read this book soon. :)


  3. Julia Says:

    I will put it in my wish list, but won't read it sooner until the mood ask for it hehehe


  4. Debi Says:

    For whatever reason, I've never been able to make myself read one of his books. I have to say that you really have me tempted with this review though, Melody!


  5. Jane Says:

    Great review! I haven't read any of his books yet but I might start with this one!


  6. Kathy Says:

    Hey, Mel! Great review of a great book! I found myself thinking about the theme of "choices" when I was reading this and contemplating many of my own choices throughout my life.
    If that was N.Sparks' objective when writing this, well, it worked!!!
    Have a terrific weekend!


  7. Alice Says:

    Hi Melody, I've read a few of Sparks books and they all touched me deeply. This is a great review!

    Have a great weekend! :)


  8. Melody Says:

    Debi - I hope you'll pick up this book soon. :)

    Jaimie - Thanks! :) I really enjoyed reading this, so I hope you'll read his books soon.

    Kathy - Hello!!! I'm soooo happy to hear from you! Congratulations again! :D (Will write to you later at Flickr)

    I think Nicholas has done a great job in writing this story. I think he has a new book to be released soon? Hope you & your family have a GREAT weekend!!! :D

    Alice - Thank you. :) Indeed most of his books have touched us deeply! I hope you've a great weekend too! :)


  9. My mother is a big fan of Nicholas Sparks' books too. I have only read The Notebook by the author and it was such a beautiful love story--so heart-wrenching.

    I like the quote you shared from the book with us. It's very true!


  10. Melody Says:

    Wendy - I hope you'll read his other books. I agree The Notebook is a beautiful love story, but I haven't watched the movie yet!!


Post a Comment

Thanks for stopping by! I would love to hear from you.