It has happened twice in the past month. I have read a new book only to a week or so later get a book with the very same plot show up on my paperback swap wish list. It’s hard to read the second book with out constant references to the first one you read, yet, I could not and did not want to wait to read the second, newer book. So instead I write about them today.
All 4 books were good, but of course I have my favorites and I have my reasons. The fist books deal with the loss of a husband and the second set deals with wives in comas.
The first two: Anybody Out There by Marian Keyes and P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern. The second two were The Choice by Nicholas Sparks and The Dead Don’t Dance by Charles Martin.
Okay- the fist set. The dead husbands.
The second set- Wives in Comas.
I give my top spot Charles Martin in the Dead Don’t Dance. The story is just so poignant and real. The writing is eloquent and beautiful. As for Mr. Sparks and The Choice, I enjoyed it, but things happened a bit too fast for me. Mr. Martin takes time to build and tell the story while I felt rushed during The Choice. All in all Mr. Sparks did not disappoint, I just felt the Mr. Martin’s story so much more. A word of caution here about Mr. Martin- the novel could be classified as Christian Fiction and is definitely southern-lit. If you do not appreciate or like either of these, I suggest you stick to Mr. Sparks, but I must tell you that you are missing out on one hell of a story.
The premise for both books is the same. Their beloved wives end up in a coma. One from a car accident which causes Travis much guilt and one from childbirth which is also the cause of the death of his son.
In Spark's novel the beginning most deals with the main character Gabby and Travis courtship and kind of glosses over the intricate details of the married relationship. They fall in love over a long weekend that kind of takes up about half the book. I was kind of disappointed by that. Based on the synopsis, I thought the choice (both the title and the book) would be Gabby choosing between Travis and Kevin; however that was not the case. Sometimes I felt the book didn’t have a clear and coherent story line, but I enjoyed the book nonetheless and it was still a touching love story. On the Nicholas Sparks scale this book definiltley beat out last years Dear John, but still does not live up to my favorite Sparks novel- The Wedding.
The Dead Don’t Dance on the Other hand, begging’s with Maggie becoming pregnant and quickly follows her pregnancy until childbirth. It is then that we learn of their courtships, their past while at the same time living the future with D.S. I just felt that the story was fuller and easier to follow. Of course, I might be just a little partial to this book since it is southern lit, but still, I just enjoyed The Dead, a lot more than The Choice. Both are fine additions to any bookshelf and should make and fall evening more glorious.
There is a sequel to The Dead Don’t Dance, Maggie, which is in transit to my local library and I can’t wait to read it.
