Review of THE CHOICE by Nicholas Sparks

I recently finished listening to THE CHOICE by Nicholas Sparks, read by Holter Graham. I though the recording was GREAT! Holter has the perfect voice for this material. He does a good a job of voicing the male and female characters and I had no issues determining who was "speaking". There is original music on this program which was created specifically for this title - it really added to the dramatic impact of the story and was useful in determining when a CD was over so that I could get the next one ready.

I'm also happy to report (SPOILER ALERT) that although I was preparing for a typical weepy Sparks ending, I was pleasantly surprised with how this story turned out.

I am now listening to CHILD 44 (when I'm driving my car) and BAREFOOT (when I'm in my husband's car) both of which are off to a great start. BAREFOOT should be a great listen for any woman with an appreciation for the support of good friends and a love of Nantucket.

Happy Listening!

Thanks Megan for starting this up.

I just finished Hachette Audio UK's 84 Charing Cross Road, which I loved. A long time ago I saw the film, and only after listening to this program did I notice that the writer's name was the same as the main character's: that is, the work is non-fiction. (I'd assumed that it was fiction.)

The two readers are tremendous. We should consider Juliette Stevenson for anything with an English narrator. She is so adapt at the different English and Irish accents, though an odd choice to play Helene Hanff (the American author).

A nice extra element of the production is an interview of both narrators by the producer. If anyone wants to borrow my copy, feel free.

First Post!

Hi Everyone!
This is Megan. I started working at Hachette Audio a little over a year ago doing Marketing and Publicity, and I'm probably going to be the main poster and facilitator for this blog, so I thought I'd start out with this little intro and let you know what I'm listening to now: CHILD 44.

I already read the book in manuscript, so I was surprised that, while some of the plot twists are less shocking (obviously, second time around), the audiobook still seems really fresh and fast-paced. Listening to the audiobook lets me sit back and really take my time to savor the language and the subtleties of personality and politics and history Smith describes, stuff that I perhaps didn't linger over last time as I sped through the pages trying to find out what happens next. The pacing is fantastic, and I'm really enjoying the voices and accents so skillfully rendered by Dennis Boutsikaris. (I think I heard he has Russian family; that makes sense since his accents are so good.)

I highly recommend this title to anyone, especially people who like thrillers, mysteries, or anyone who wants to learn more about Stalin's Soviet Union and their inescapable State Police. Lots of great history and atmosphere. Oh, and I hear that it may be a movie soon; Richard Price and Ridley Scott are said to be working on it now, so it's sure to be as good as its source material; listen to the audiobook now, watch the film later!