The Ones We Choose

By: Julie Clark

Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld

Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Lisa Genova meets 23andMe in this exploration of the genetic and emotional ties that bind, as debut author Julie Clark delivers a compelling story about a young boy desperate to find his place in this world, a mother coming to terms with her own past, and the healing power of forgiveness.

The powerful forces of science and family collide when geneticist Paige Robson finds her world in upheaval: Her eight-year-old son Miles is struggling to fit in at his new school and begins asking questions about his biological father that Paige can’t answer - until fate thrusts the anonymous donor she used into their lives.

Paige’s carefully constructed life begins to unravel as the truth of Miles’ paternity threatens to destroy everything she has grown to cherish. As Paige slowly opens herself up - by befriending an eccentric mother, confronting her own deeply buried vulnerabilities, and trying to make sense of her absent father’s unexpected return - she realizes breakthroughs aren’t only for the lab. But when tragedy strikes, Paige must face the consequences of sharing a secret only she knows.

With grace and humor, Julie Clark shows that while the science is fascinating, solving these intimate mysteries of who we are and where we come from unleashes emotions more complex than the strands of DNA that shape us.

©2018 Julie Clark (P)2018 Audible, Inc.

I never write reviews

This is an amazing book. The insight into genetics, a world so complex, is made easy to understand. It is far from dry science and is woven into a beautiful story.

Excellent!

Easy listening, engaging, Informative, and well constructed, this book is smart and brings up important issues worth considering. I really enjoyed it and will look for more from this author. (I have already loved the narrator from past listens.)

pretty good

this book is worth it! it's a light listen with a story line I have never heard anywhere else. :)

OK but did get on my nerves a bit!

To begin with, I didn't care a lot for the main character and her obnoxious little kid (not surprising that he had no friends!).

It drove me crazy the way that kid behaved - the way he was ALLOWED to behave - and it was all written off as "poor Miles, came from a sperm donor". Ugh!

The narrator was OK, but every man sounded pretty much the same. I don't think male voices are her forte.

Spellbound

This book held me spellbound. I love the way she wove the relationships between the characters and injected scientific knowledge regarding this new frontier of genetics and its impact in our lives. Very well written. I truly enjoyed this book!

I loved this book

The science nerd in me loved this book. But I got mad at Paige several times. Her character would have greatly benefited from some therapy to deal with her issues. She was self absorbed and lacked any ability to see how her decisions effected others. She did get better in the end but she expected Jackie to just come around and forgive her despite the fact that she had spent her whole life resenting her own father. This book also drove home why I am against sperm banks and children being conceived that way.

Not the norm but in a good way

I really enjoyed the book. It had unexpected twists. I would like to hear the story five years from where they left off.

very interesting listen

This book has me captivated from the very first chapter. I loved that the author taught me about generics along the way.

Amazing book!

I loved this book, not just for the story, wonderful writing, and character development but for all I leaned about genetics and how they influence behavior, attitude and perception. Great book!

Good story

Enjoyed the story, liked the ending and the character growth. Liked the way it was read.