O'Hara's Choice : a novel

by Leon Uris

Hardcover, 2003

Collection

Description

Fifty years after his first novel, Battle Cry, took the world by storm, Leon Uris returns to the topic that first inspired him to write books that captivate, educate, and thrill -- the Marine Corps. In the years following the Civil War, first-generation Irish-American Zachary O'Hara, son of a legendary Marine and a force of a man in his own right, finds himself playing a critical role in the very future of the Marines. If he can persuade the Secretary of the Navy that the Marines are more crucial than ever to America's safety and security -- all the while hefting a heavier secret weight in his heart -- he'll save the corps and make his career. But there's an obstacle in his path that this warrior had not planned on. Amanda Blanton Kerr, the daughter of a ruthless industrialist, is a woman on a mission of her own; passionate, obstinate, and whip-smart, she's an heiress poised to blaze a trail for her sex. O'Hara's Choice is the story of the inevitable collision of these two handsome, fighting spirits. Getting their souls' desire could jeopardize everything they -- and their parents before them -- scraped and struggled to achieve. Duty to country, love of family, and a tormented passion intertwine in this latest epic by Leon Uris, international bestselling author of such classics as Exodus, Trinity, and Battle Cry. A riveting, sweeping tale in inimitable Uris style, O'Hara's Choice is this master of the historical novel at his most brilliant.… (more)

Rating

½ (53 ratings; 2.9)

User reviews

LibraryThing member PointedPundit
A Promising Series Cut Short

Uris’ death, three months prior to this book’s publication, not only cut short the career of a great novelist, but also another sequel.

I loved his novels Trinity, Redemption and QBVII. They were great stories spun in the tradition of historical novels. His
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story-telling ability and character creation communicate the humanity of the age and culture about which he writes.

O’Hara’s Choice is no exception. Patriotic Duty and family loyalty duel in this tale set in the Gilded Age that followed the U. S. Civil War. Leon Uris was a great writer. He had the ability to create characters who communicate the age and times in which Uris set his novels.

The worst part of coming to the end of this book is the nagging awareness that this is the last Uris novel the reader will read.
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LibraryThing member fishhook7
I forgot how much I like Uris' writing style in the years since I've read any of his books. I enjoy his kind of history, which is saying a lot because history is very rarely something I want to read about. I have no idea if this story is one-sided or riddled with inaccuracies as some claim about
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his other books. I know that while I was reading it I was feeling history come alive for me - which was rare and enjoyable.I enjoy his strong and vivid characters, which were as strong in this book as in others. Perhaps stronger than in QB VII and not quite like Ari from Exodus.I will definitely recommend this book even though I haven't included in my must reads.
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LibraryThing member aketzle
I think I'm getting much pickier about what fiction is worth my time as I get more interested in non-fiction. This wasn't good enough to keep reading. Too many other good things waiting!
LibraryThing member pratalife
Leon Uris has written some genius books, but this isn't one of them. It starts as a promising historical fiction dealing with the formation of the US marine corp, but soon descends into a turgid and pointless romance novel. At that point I gave up too.
LibraryThing member pratalife
Leon Uris has written some genius books, but this isn't one of them. It starts as a promising historical fiction dealing with the formation of the US marine corp, but soon descends into a turgid and pointless romance novel. At that point I gave up too.
LibraryThing member gypsysmom
Unfortunately, not one of Uris's better works. According to the Publisher's Note at the front of the book "Leon Uris passed away in June 2003, shortly after reviewing his copyedited manuscript." Methinks that the man didn't have enough strength to do a proper job of editing and it shows.

Private
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Zachary O'Hara is in the Marines where he has found a family of sorts. His father, Paddy, also a Marine died of cancer just as Zach entered the Marines. His mother died of TB just after his birth and his father abandoned him to the care of his aunt Brigid for some years until Brigid became too ill to look after him. Paddy's old mates look after him as a way to repay the debt they owe Paddy for saving their lives. Then the lovely and rich Amanda Kerr comes across Zach and decides she wants him. What started out as a fling becomes a serious love for both of them but they know they can never have a life together. Or can they? That is O'Hara's choice.
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LibraryThing member JBarringer
The military history in this one was interesting, but I was bored otherwise with this book.

Publication

New York : HarperCollins, c2003.

Original publication date

2003

Pages

394

ISBN

0060568739 / 9780060568733

Language

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