Two Roads

by Chris Crowe

Jared Hills has been haunted by the car crash every night. It was the night everything changed. It was the night Leisel died.Now, two years later, as Jared reflects on his life, he can't help but wonder at the chain reaction of choices that led him to a black nametag and a calling to serve as a missionary of God.It had been Leisel who had first sparked Jared's interest in the gospel. She and Rob had befriended Jared early on in his senior year of high school. But even as all of Rob's choices seem to be leading him away from the Church, all of Jared's choices were drawing him closer to it--and to Leisel. And on the night of the horrible crash, Jared finally understands how life-changing the consequences of a choice can be.

Genres: Lds Fiction, Novels

177 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

My rating is 3.5. Interesting story with LDS perspective.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good book. A missionary companionship, a car crash, a conversion story. Not necessarily in that order.

[Chloe Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jared is on a mission. About two years ago he got in a car crash that still gives him nightmares. His High School experiences were painful but he looks back at it and realizes that things changed his life for the better. He becomes friends with Leisel and Rob. They all became best friends. Rob's choices started to lead him to the wrong path but Jared came closer to the church. Jared starts to fall for Leisel as he gets to know her better. Leisel leads Jared to the Mormon Church. Rob is a member of the church but likes to party. They get in a crash one night that changes everything. They learned to be strong through tough times.

This book is very good. It teaches a good lesson. "How life-changing the consequences of a choice can be, we need strength to make the most important choices of our lives." One wrong decision can change everything. If we are doing what we are suppose to then we can recieve comfort in the hard times that we have. The trials that we have will help us become a stronger person. This book helped my testimony grow. It helped me realize that I need to make good choices in my life. I would recommend this book to everyone!

[Liaken · Rating 1 out of 5]

Let's see, I'm probably supposed to say it was "inspiring" "a heartfelt story of a young man who finds the truth" and things like that.

Here's what I say instead: trite, formulaic, predictable, preachy. Exactly the type of low-grade propaganda fiction that makes check-list Mormons feel good, feel right, feel justified.

It's basically mental hygiene. Everything that happens serves the purpose of the plot; everything about each character is laid out in advance to keep that plot moving in its cheerfully paved rut. And the ending of the book felt so platitudinous and ready-made that I felt myself getting miffed with a book that could tie up so many loose ends with such astonishing neatness.

This book was supposed to be about life, from the way it is presented. But it isn't. It's just about the plot of the book. A feel-good Mormon story.

The writer, Chris Crowe, doesn't lack talent. He can put words down and manufacture dialogue better than many Mormon authors. But it takes more than knack to make a book work.

[Kalley · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS BOOK IS ABOUT A YOUNG BOY WHO FINDS HIS WAY INTO THE CHURCH AND BEFORE YOU STOP READING THIS BECAUSE IT IS A CHURCH BOOK, HEAR ME OUT! THIS KID MOVES TO A NEW SCHOOL AND MEETS THIS GIRL. SHE IS A VERY MORMONY GIRL WHO HAS A "BOYFRIEND", OR AT LEAST HE THINKS. AS THE STORY PROGRESSES, THIS GIRL BECOMES FRIENDS WITH THE NEW KID AND SOON THAT TURNS INTO SOMETHING MORE. HOWEVER, THEIR "FRIENDSHIP" IS CUT SHORT WHEN ANOTHER FRIEND IS DRUNK DRIVING, GETS IN A WRECK, INJURES HIMSELF THE BOY AND KILLS THE GIRL. THIS IS A TOUCHING STORY THAT I LOVE. MY EXPLANATION IS NOT ALL THAT GREAT SO JUST READ THE BOOK AND FIND OUT FOR YOURSELF IF IT IS WORTHWHILE.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jared, a high school senior, is a good kid who has a rotten father. His father hates everyone who is “different,” especially Mormons. So when Jared starts dating an LDS girl, his father is furious, and when Jared starts investigating the LDS church, his father is more than furious. Finally, his father gives him reluctant permission to be baptized, and things are going a little better. However, then Leisel, his girlfriend, is killed in a car accident. The book is about Jared trying to cope with Leisel’s death and also about coping with a new missionary companion. It was okay, but not outstanding. Kind of “high-schoolish.”

[Lacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good story. It is really short, only about 130 pages and I read it in less than a day. While I don't feel like I got the whole story and that it was somewhat rushed I still enjoyed it none the less. If you can tell, my book type is LDS novels. So if you enjoy LDS novels, this is a good one and it's a fast read. One thing I did like that this book displayed was the power of example for other people. Jared in this book wants to know more about the LDS church because of the wonderful example Liesel was. He could see the difference it made in her life.

[Bonnie Gwyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, I've read this book several times. And every time, I've gotten a different and amazing message. I really love this one. :) It's all about making both good and bad choices, and the consequences that come of both. It focuses on reality. - Mainly on one man who's on his mission, remembering how his life was before. I won't give spoilers, because it's amazing and I hope you can find that out on your own. Actually, I might be reading it again. - It just happens to be looking me in the face at the moment.

[Dorry Lou · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a young man that finds himself at a crossroads in his life. His father is totally against Mormons in fact writes anti- literature about them and distributes them. However, Jared has noticed something different about the Mormons and wonders how much of that way of life he wants dispite what his father does. When tragedy strikes it makes his decision even more difficult to make. Lots to think about in this book . I gave it 4 stars as I liked it, and it offered more than a lot of books I read.

[Marisha Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

The car crash still haunts Jared, for it was the night Leisel died. Its been two years and he is ready to serve his LDS mission. He cant help but think how much his life would be different if he hadn't met Leisel and been introduced to the gospel, as well as what choices he made to get him to this incredible chapter in his life.
This book is great for both boys and girls 14-18.
I would put a trigger warning on this book for anyone who might have lost someone they love to a car crash, yet it could also help them heal from it as well.

[Aubrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book!! I read it yesterday for about the fourth or fifth time. It's a quick read; only 150 pages or so. It is a sort of love story/ tragedy, and revolves around several LDS youth. It really makes me think how short life is, and how it can end at any moment. There is no time to "have fun now and shape up later." All we have IS now. A light, but thought-provoking story. (That's sort of an oxymoron...oh, well.)

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice little book. I liked how the two plotlines were juxtaposed on one another with the main one being told in a series of flashbacks. I would have liked more development of the mission companion plotline and a better fleshing out of Elder Newcomb's character he still seemed like a Peter Preisthood-Mama's boy-Nerd stereotype at the end, and I am not sure that is what the author really intended.

[Emmeli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book because it reminded me that even when loved ones pass, there is hope in the true church. If we do our part to serve and love others, we will find happiness even in the time of sorrow. The only thing that could have been better if it was just alittle longer of a story. Over all, it was really good.

[Shauna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jared, Leisel and Rob are friends and involved in a car accident. Leisel dies and Jared and Rob must decide how to live after the accident. The story starts when Jared and Rob become friends. Jared tells of his choices before the accident and after.

I enjoyed this easy light read. I finished it in two days.

[Universitybabe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of "high-schoolish" but I still enjoyed it and the take it puts on a teenagers conversion even after the girl who introduces him to the gospel dies. Crowe does a good job of helping the reader relate to the characters.

[Raya · Rating 3 out of 5]

An alright LDS novel. Not much of a page turner and it's pretty predictable, but it's still a good book.

[Kristi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Your typical LDS romance novel. A little cheesy, but a good story. I enjoyed it.

[Lynette · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is really short and quick to read. It's one that I would read if you can check it out from the library, but it's not worth buying.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story about 2 people and the choices they made that led them down different paths.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Life choices and the consequences of those choices make up who we are--pretty much.

[Sonja Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I was very sad. But a great story about growing up and making choices and living with those choices. I can't wait to read more from this author.

[Nadia Lund]

You gotta love a good mormon book :)

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't say that I hated it or that it was horrible, but the writing was poor, and the plotline was really bad and predictable.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. Things happen for a reason, even if we don't know what that reason might be at the time.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fast read. I liked the take on how the story was told: from one LDS Missionary to another. Definitely a Latter Day Saint-based story. If you want a quick and easy read, this is your story.

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing. Close to tears at the end (:

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interestingly told story about a missionary and his conversion--before and during his mission.