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The Choice
- A Prequel to 'The Returned'
- Narrated by: David Ledoux
- Series: The Returned, Book 0.75
- Length: 39 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Anthologies & Short Stories
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Publisher's Summary
In this short story by Jason Mott, author of The Returned, a man is forced to choose between the life he has now, and the one he thought was gone forever.
Peter Galvin was just 17 when Tracy Whitland - the love of his life - vanished without a trace. In the years after her death, he had finally moved on, gotten married, started a family. He is content with his life now - happy, even - until Tracy suddenly and inexplicably returns.
For weeks, Peter and his wife, Samantha, have been watching mysterious reports of people's loved ones returning from beyond, the world spinning into uncertainty and chaos. But they never imagined it would happen to them. With Tracy's unusual homecoming, Peter and Samantha must decide where they can possibly go from here, and whether their family can survive.
Listen to more stories of the Returned in The First and The Sparrow. And don't miss Jason Mott's haunting debut novel, The Returned, a story of one family given an extraordinary second chance.
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What listeners say about The Choice
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Performance
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- AudioAddict
- 10-03-13
My least favorite of the three prequels
STORY - I liked the first two prequels, especially for short freebies, but this one didn't do it for me. Perhaps the novelty of loved ones returning from the dead has worn off, or maybe it's the fact that something about this one just seemed stupid. Tracy (the one returning in this prequel) is 17. I don't want to give too much away, but I thought there was way too much indecision regarding how Peter, 20 years her superior, might react to her return.
I am curious where these returned loved ones are coming from and why, but not curious enough to buy "The Returned."
PERFORMANCE - Good enough, nothing special.
OVERALL - I would recommend listening to "The First" and "The Sparrow." If you like those two, then make up your mind about this one. I think women might enjoy these more than men.
3 people found this helpful
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- Brian PDX
- 04-01-15
Prequel - not a stand alone short story
Maybe worth the couple of bucks it cost, this 40 minute prequel is fairly blah. I purchased all 3 prequels after I'd heard the story and frankly, it is a waste of money by them. Listen to them first if you plan on listening to The Returned.
1 person found this helpful
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- Elisabeth
- 07-04-21
2.5
An interesting little snippet that in the end feels shallow. It starts out with a teenager returning from the dead. The story then does an about face centered around the family of the man, now 37, who was the 17 year old love of her life to the returned teenager. This is followed with some angst over how he feels after all these years. There's not a lot of depth here, but it was free.
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- The Book Junkie Reads . . .
- 08-22-19
present is present past is past
This was a great follow up to the introduction to the series (The Returned). This was a demonstration on what was happening around the world from different standpoints. I found it intriguing the differences in the reactions to the returned. I found it amazing that Peter was a man that even present with the things of his present make the choice to accept the life he built and walk away from the one that was lost to him years ago.
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- Lisa
- 10-25-18
short and sweet
short and sweet. Very nice story that caused some reflextion . What if...what if only
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- Heather
- 01-26-16
The choice
This 3rd prequel was my favorite I believe. For some reason I related to it more. I must say I was worried the husband wad going to make the wrong decision. At the end I smiled.
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- Mary Gorman
- 08-31-15
annoying voice
The reader's voice wa very annoying but the story was actually very cute if you can make it to the end.
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- Wanda
- 12-10-14
Stark contrast makes it cold and chilling.
As I said, I first saw the TV series then found these three books for free on audible and I was delighted. These are short stories, each depicting the return of one person and the impact it has.
The narrator is very cool and calm in his story telling method which adds to the over all chilling effect of the stories.
That said, I found these stories to be very dark and for now, although I think this is a brilliant way to promote the full length novel, I will wait a bit before I buy the novel.
The TV series, although dark enough does not really convey the start reality of what it is like to have a loved one return from the dead, in that aspect these books should get a 5* rating for in these stories that reality is all too clear. Unfortunately the narrator is so good at his job that these stories, although I did not listen to them one after the other left me drained.
If dark and gloomy is your thing, then you will adore this. If not, why not give these a try in anyway they are free after all.
WaAR
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- All#4
- 10-01-14
Reader kills the story
Would you try another book from Jason Mott and/or David Ledoux?
I like the premise of Jason Mott's short stories but the reader left much to be desired. I really can't even tell you if the story was good or bad because the reader made it so difficult to get through. Every sentence was read as if there were an exclamation point at the end. There were high fluctuations in his voice where there shouldn't have been any. At times words were squeezed out because the reader refused to stop to take a breath. It was all so annoying. This was a short 40 min production so I was able to get through it although I was tempted to just turn it off on several occasions.
Would you be willing to try another one of David Ledoux’s performances?
I will bypass any book performed by this reader. I feel that any story, no matter how wonderful, would be ruined by his reading style.
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- Melody
- 03-30-14
The Prequels worked!
I have now read all three prequels. While I wasn't sure in the first two, now I am truly interested and want to read The Returned. I do like that each prequel had a different angle and considered the different reactions and emotions. The concept is definitely thought provoking.
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- Susan D
- 10-17-21
Interesting short story
This is an interesting short story which brings up what ifs and gets you thinking. looking forward to listening to more of his books.
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- Amazon Customer
- 07-18-15
Love Life and Longing...
Life moves on without anyone's consent. If you had the change to redo, with one that was torn from your life... Would you? Or would the life you lived into be your choice?
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- toveyc1
- 01-24-15
Interesting dilemma.
An interesting dilemma for anyone to think about. What would you do if in that position?? Another nice short to the original The Returned book. If you've read the other shorts, don't miss out on this one either.
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- Kindle Customer
- 01-10-15
Great
Enjoyed listening to it very much. Look forward to listening to 'The Returned'. Jason Mott is a very excellent author.