1. The Chance
    Karen Kingsbury
    Howard Books / 2013 / Trade Paperback
    Our Price$13.49 Retail Price$17.99 Save 25% ($4.50)
    4.7 out of 5 stars for The Chance. View reviews of this product. 25 Reviews
    Availability: In Stock
    Stock No: WW672985
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  1. Nicola1
    Merritt BC Canada
    Age: Over 65
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    A fascinating read
    March 26, 2013
    Nicola1
    Merritt BC Canada
    Age: Over 65
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 4
    Meets Expectations: 5
    This review was written for The Chance.
    Once again we are surprised by a story that draws you in to the life of the characters. Karen Kingsbury has a unique ability to make the characters real and human.
  2. VicsMediaRoom
    Irvine, CA
    Age: 55-65
    Gender: male
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Emotional Trauma, Friendship, Healing and Romance
    March 16, 2013
    VicsMediaRoom
    Irvine, CA
    Age: 55-65
    Gender: male
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    This review was written for The Chance.
    Karen Kingsbury in her new book, "The Chance" published by Howard Books takes us into the lives of Ellie Tucker and Nolan Cook.

    From the back cover: The day before a teenage Ellie moved from Georgia to California, she and her best friend Nolan sat beneath the Spanish moss of an ancient oak tree where they wrote letters to each other and buried them in a rusty old metal box. The plan was to return eleven years later, dig the box up, and read the letters. But now, as that date approaches, much has changed. Ellie has abandoned the faith she grew up with, her days consumed with loving her little girl and trying to make ends meet. Sometimes she watches TV to catch a glimpse of her old friend Nolan, now an NBA star, whose faith is known by the entire nation. But few know that Nolan's own personal tragedies have fueled both his faith and athletic drive. Despite his success, Nolan is isolated and lonely, plagued by a void in his heart that has remained since that night beneath the old oak tree with Ellie. For both Ellie and Nolan, the coming date is more than just a childhood promise. It's the chance to make sense of it all--the chance to find out if it's ever too late to find love again.

    Karen Kingsbury weaves a moving tale of heart-wrenching loss, the power of faith, and the wounds that only a forever kind of love can heal. She delves deeply into a theme that resonates within us all: Hope lives for those willing to take a chance.

    It is not that often that we get to have a do-over, a second chance when we blew the first chance completely. Karen Kingsbury has given us a story where Ellie and Nolan get just that; a second chance. But it is more than that. Ellie has changed, given up her very beliefs because of the trauma that life has given her. Nolan is a superstar but he is lonely. Now God gives them one more opportunity to replace that which they have given up and have this one do-over. "The Chance" is one inspiring, romantic book. Issues of faith, emotional healing, dealing with trauma and loss and love fill the pages. Ms. Kingsbury has given us a great ride in this book and she has provided us with wonderful characters that we rally around and root for.

    Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Howard Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
  3. bookwomanjoan
    Oak Harbor, WA
    Age: Over 65
    Gender: Female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    a touching novel of forgiveness and reconciliation
    March 11, 2013
    bookwomanjoan
    Oak Harbor, WA
    Age: Over 65
    Gender: Female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    This review was written for The Chance.
    What a great novel. This is what Christian fiction is all about!

    Ellie and Nolan have been best friends since grade school. When Ellie is fifteen, it comes out that her mother has been having an affair and is pregnant with another man's child. Ellie's father, a legalistic Christian, throws his wife out. He takes a military reassignment across the country and tells Ellie they are leaving in a day.

    Ellie and Nolan meet one last time, write letters to each other, bury them in a park and vow to meet again in eleven years. What follows are years of heartbreak and pain. Ellie never hears from her mother — not even a letter. And, even though Ellie has written to Nolan, he never responds.

    After several years, Ellie, desiring love, reaches out to a young military man. When she becomes pregnant, she can no longer take her father's harsh words and leaves. She is making her way as a single mom, now estranged from both her parents. And Nolan, what about Nolan? He is a successful NBA star. Does he ever think about her? She thinks about him every day.

    Angry at God, Ellie is resigned to her future. But God has other plans.

    This is what Christian fiction is all about. It is about how God works in the lives of those who love Him. It is about forgiveness and restoration, even when it seems all is lost. It is about hope in the midst of a hopeless situation. It is about God loving us even when we have given up believing it is so.

    There are some serious issues Kingsbury addresses in this novel. One is legalism. Ellie's father is very legalistic and alienates his wife and daughter when they fail to live up to his godly standard. Other issues include infidelity, pregnancy outside of marriage, and more. Kingsbury has given us much to think about in this novel.

    Be sure and have a tissue handy when you get close to the end of this touching novel.

    By the way, those who read The Bridge will be happy to read a bit about Ryan and Molly in this novel.

    I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review.
  4. Heart2Heart
    Victorville, CA
    Age: 45-54
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Hope lives for those willing to take a chance!
    March 9, 2013
    Heart2Heart
    Victorville, CA
    Age: 45-54
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    This review was written for The Chance.
    Hope lives for those willing to take a chance.

    Ellie Tucker would be considered rich beyond measure to some. She carried with her the love for both of her parents even despite the odds now challenging their marriage, but most of all she carried the love of her childhood friend Nolan Cook. Now it seemed like everything she had come to love and accept was slowly being ripped apart from her by the choices her parents had made.

    When her father confronts her mother late one evening after coming home late from work again, the truth spills out from their bedroom door during an argument, that her mom, Caroline was having an affair and is now pregnant. Her father, Alan, has asked her to leave and move out. He can't raise another man's child under his roof and he no longer loves Caroline after this. Thinking only of her best interests, Alan arranges for him and Ellie to move from Savannah, Georgia to Camp Pendleton in California. He believes the further away from her mother she is, the more he can control what is happening in her life.

    On the eve of her move, she spends her final night like most every night previously, hanging out in Gordonston Park, where they claimed their very own personal spot in the park. Their spot was the same every time. The patch of grass, alongside the biggest oak tree in the park - maybe the biggest in the city. The one dripping with Spanish moss, with gnarled old roots big enough to sit on. They had come here to talk about life since the summer before sixth grade. Back then they played hide-and-seek among the trees, with the enormous oak serving as home base. During the school year, when it was warm enough, they'd do their homework here. And on nights like this, they would do what came easiest for them.

    They would simply crack open their hears and share whatever came out. Nolan had always confessed to Ellie that he loved her and would marry her someday and now it seemed that someday would never ever come. Not with Ellie living so far away. So they made a plan. Like always they ran past the smaller trees to the biggest one in the park, thirty yards from the gate. Their tree. Nolan set the down the box he had brought and the shovel beside the largest root., the one they used as a bench. "Here's the plan. We'll write each other a letter and put it in the box. Today's June first. We'll bury tour letters here by the tree, and eleven years from now, on June first, we'll meet here and read what we wrote." They agreed to write and call each other and hopefully find a way to see one another before the eleven years, but at least they had hope that one day things might be different then they are now.

    In the latest novel by Karen Kingsbury, The Chance, is an inspiring look at what the power of faith, hope and love can offer to those dealing with such a profound sense of loss. The loss of her parents marriage, the loss of her friendship with Nolan, and the loss of ever seeing him again like she had been every single night since the sixth grade. This is the story of the eleven years since that day and seeing what Ellie and Nolan's lives have gone. Did Nolan make it to the NBA after all? Did Ellie ever write her best selling novel? Or did God have far different plans for all of them that they never saw coming? You'll have to pick this one up to find out!

    I received The Chance by Karen Kingsbury compliments of Howard Books, a division of Simon & Schuster Publishers for my honest review. I have never read a Karen Kingsbury novel that didn't impact my life in some way. This one really makes you appreciate what you have and to never take for granted one day. It's too easy to miss the bigger picture happening right in front of you, thinking you will always have a tomorrow. This is more than just a novel about hope but also one of forgiveness. The message is one you won't want to miss. I compare her novels to Nicholas Sparks in the Christian world of publishing and she really makes an impact in the way you see your own personal life. I love her dedications in her novel, each a personal letter to her children and husband to inspire and encourage them in their own lives. You can honestly feel she puts a part of herself in each of her books. I easily rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars and can't wait for her next book, Fifteen Minutes that you get an excerpt to read at the conclusion of this novel. If you've never read a novel by Karen Kingsbury, pick one up and see if it doesn't impact you on a deeper level than you ever thought possible!
  5. Irene
    United States
    4 Stars Out Of 5
    Well written main characters
    March 16, 2013
    Irene
    United States
    Quality: 4
    Value: 4
    Meets Expectations: 4
    This review was written for The Chance.
    This is another great book by author Karen Kingsbury. She is known for her series about the Baxter family. If you have not read any of her other books though this one would be a great one to start with. It does have a couple characters from one of her books called The Bridge. You do not have to read that book to enjoy this one.

    I gave this book 4/5 stars as I had positives as well as negatives about this book. On the positive side the two main characters, Ellie and Nolan, were well written and their relationship was believable. I also thought the story of how they part and reunite was interesting. On the negative side there was a bit of jumping around between what was happening now and what had happened over the past years. There was also a few other characters that played important parts and reading their thoughts made for a lot of introspection and not enough conversation. There is also the relationship of Ellie and her daughter. How Ellie talks to her and opens up about her life just was not believable. I thought the author should have given Ellie a friend to talk to about the issues not a very young girl. It just was not something I think you would see in real life. All that said I felt the ending was perfect for the situation and all will enjoy the story!

    I would like to thank the publisher for the copy of this book I enjoyed reading. I gave an honest review based on my opinion of what I read.
Displaying items 16-20 of 25
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