Choice (Sparks)

The Choice 
Nicholas Sparks, 2007
Grand Central Publishing
288 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780446618311


Summary  
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 heart wrenching question of all: how far would you go to keep the hope of love alive? (From the publisher.)

Author Bio
• Birth—December 31. 1965
• Where—Omaha, Nebraska, USA
• Education—B.A., University of Notre Dame
• Currently—lives in New Bern, North Carolina


Nicholas Charles Sparks is an American novelist, screenwriter and producer. He has published some 20 novels, plus one non-fiction. Ten have been adapted to films, including Message in a Bottle, A Walk to Remember, The Notebook, Nights in Rodanthe, Dear John, The Last Song, The Lucky One, and most recently The Longest Ride.

Background
Sparks was born to Patrick Michael Sparks, a professor of business, and Jill Emma Marie Sparks (nee Thoene), a homemaker and an optometrist's assistant. He was the middle of three children, with an older brother and a younger sister, "Dana", who died at the age of 33 from a brain tumor. Sparks said that she is the inspiration for the main character in his novel A Walk to Remember.

His father was pursuing graduate studies at University of Minnesota and University of Southern California, and the family moved a great deal, so by the time Sparks was eight, he had lived in Watertown, Minnesota, Inglewood, California, Playa del Rey, California, and Grand Island, Nebraska, which was his mother's hometown during his parents' one year separation.

In 1974 his father became a professor of business at California State University, Sacramento teaching behavioral theory and management. His family settled in Fair Oaks, California, and remained there through Nicholas's high school days. He graduated in 1984 as valedictorian from Bella Vista High School, then enrolled at the University of Notre Dame under a full track and field scholarship. In his freshman year, his team set a record for the 4 x 800 relay.

Sparks majored in business finance and graduated from Notre Dame with honors in 1988. He also met his future wife that year, Cathy Cote from New Hampshire, while they were both on spring break. They married in 1989 and moved to New Bern, North Carolina.

Writing career
While still in school in 1985, Sparks penned his first (never published) novel, The Passing, while home for the summer between freshman and sophomore years at Notre Dame. He wrote another novel in 1989, also unpublished, The Royal Murders.

After college, Sparks sought work with publishers or to attend law school, but was rejected in both attempts. He then spent the next three years trying other careers, including real estate appraisal, waiting tables, selling dental products by phone and starting his own manufacturing business.

In 1990, Sparks co-wrote with Billy Mills Wokini: A Lakota Journey to Happiness and Self-Understanding. The book was published by Random House sold 50,000 copies in its first year.

In 1992, Sparks began selling pharmaceuticals and in 1993 was transferred to Washington, DC. It was there that he wrote another novel in his spare time, The Notebook. Two years later, he was discovered by literary agent Theresa Park, who picked The Notebook out of her agency's slush pile, liked it, and offered to represent him. In October 1995, Park secured a $1 million advance for The Notebook from Time Warner Book Group. The novel was published in 1996 and made the New York Times best-seller list in its first week of release.

With the success of his first novel, he and Cathy moved to New Bern, NC. After his first publishing success, he began writing his string of international bestsellers.

Personal life and philanthropy
Sparks continues to reside in North Carolina with his wife Cathy, their three sons, and twin daughters. A Roman Catholic since birth, he and his wife are raising their children in the Catholic faith.

In 2008, Entertainment Weekly reported that Sparks and his wife had donated "close to $10 million" to start a private Christian college-prep school, The Epiphany School of Global Studies, which emphasizes travel and lifelong learning.

Sparks also donated $900,000 for a new all-weather tartan track to New Bern High School. He also donates his time to help coach the New Bern High School track team and a local club track team as a volunteer head coach.

In addition to track, he funds scholarships, internships and annual fellowship to the Creative Writing Program (MFA) at the University of Notre Dame. (Adapted from Wikipedia.)

Book Reviews
In his 13th book, bestselling Sparks 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.
Publishers Weekly

Discussion Questions
1. When the novel opens, Travis is feeling guilty about an argument he had with his wife. His friends assure him, however, that guilt is “the cornerstone of a good marriage.” What do they mean by this and do you agree?

2. Travis says that his father knew he would marry his mother the minute he touched her hand. How do you know when you’ve met “the right one”? Do you believe in love at first sight?

3. Do you think it is right for Gabby to get intimately involved with Travis while she insists she loves someone else? Is it possible to be “in love” with two different men at the same time?

4. Gabby is in a committed relationship with Kevin, but he doesn’t offer to marry her. Travis does. What are the differences between a committed relationship and a marriage? Do you think marriage is always a better option?

5 Travis says “There’s no such thing as being friends, not with single men and women our age.” Do you agree? Is it possible for men and women to be friends?

6. The small town of Beaufort has a significant presence in the book. What are the advantages and disadvantages of small town life? Why do you think Nicholas Sparks sets so many of his books in small towns?

7. Travis is a veterinarian and both Gabby and Travis own dogs. What does their relationship with animals reveal about their characters?

8. During the course of the novel, Travis decides having close friends isn’t enough for him and he needs Gabby in his life. How important are friends in having a happy, fulfilled life? Can they be more important than a spouse? More important than family?

9. Did you believe that Travis was responsible for the car accident? Why or why not?

10. The free-spirited Travis adapts readily to married life and his role as a father. Do you think it’s common for men who shy away from commitment to change dramatically when the right woman comes along?

11. Does anything positive result from the terrible accident that Gabby has?

12. What is the “choice” Travis must make? What do you make of his choice and what would you have done if you were in his position?

13. Gabby and Travis discuss the fate of Kenneth and Eleanor Baker frequently, yet view what happened to this couple somewhat differently. Whose view do you share, Gabby’s or Travis’s? What do you think accounts for the difference in the way Kenneth and Travis deal with their tragedies?

14. Travis asks, “How far should a person go in the name of love?” How far is Travis willing to go? What is the most difficult choice you’ve made in the name of love?

15. What do you make of the novel’s ending? Were you surprised by the story’s conclusion?
(Questions from author's website.)

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