Thoughts on the book:
Travis Parker is a confirmed bachelor, perfectly happy with his life of serial monogamy. That is, until he meets his new neighbor Gabby Holland, who despises him. It takes time, but he eventually wins her over. They fall in love and she chooses Travis over her longtime boyfriend. The first 3 quarters of the book is the story of how they fall in love and her decision to follow her heart. The last quarter of the book deals with "The Choice". Gabby is in an accident that leaves her comatose. After months in the hospital, against the advice of doctors and even Gabby's own wishes, Travis decides to move her to long term care. After 3 months there, she wakes from her coma and is able to resume her life with no complications.
Thoughts on the movie:
The movie follows closely to the book, perhaps a little too closely. The actors dutifully learned and repeated their lines. I think the movie lacked feeling and the actors felt like they were cut from cookie cutters.
Conclusion:
I was really put off by the fact that I read almost the entire book before getting to "the choice". I was also really put off by the fact that in the midst of a seemingly random story, Gabby specified that after a certain amount of time, she did not want to be kept alive by machines. Yet, her husband ignored his wishes and made his own decision.
I thought the book and the movie were both quite boring. This was, admittedly, the first Nicholas Sparks book I've ever read and the third movie I've ever seen. I felt that it lacked passion and purpose.
Brandi
