Like Always [Paperback]

Robert Elmer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 19, 2007

When Will and Merit Sullivan decide to escape midlife blues and buy a small, dilapidated resort in northern Idaho, their dreams finally seem within reach. More importantly, their twenty-year-old son Michael has just returned from Iraq, thrilling his younger sisters and making their family complete again.

So the morning Merit discovers she is pregnant, at the age of forty-five, she is shocked. Can their lake lifestyle adjust to having a little one in the house? It seems too much to ask–until devastating news forces the biggest decision of all. As Will and Merit face the greatest trial of their lives, the couple must re-examine their faith and their devotion to each other in a truer way than they could ever have imagined.

Inspired by a true story, Like Always explores the triumph of real-life love and asks if we can ever go back to the way things used to be.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this sentimental Christian novel, the Sullivan family faces a variety of trials both timeless and timely: mid-life career dissatisfaction, reentry into civilian life after military service in Iraq, unexpected pregnancy and terminal illness. As they cope with these challenges, parents Merit and Will, as well as their adult son Michael, find themselves drawing closer to God and to each other. Set against the beautiful backdrop of rural northern Idaho, the narrative unfolds in brief vignettes in which the Sullivans and their friends renovate a dilapidated resort, go fishing and camping, and hunker down companionably during dramatic weather. While these bucolic scenes are likely to appeal to fans of light Christian fiction, Elmer's heavy-handed treatment of the plot's central crisis nearly transforms the novel into a political screed. Rather than acknowledging that Christians of good conscience could come to different conclusions regarding the heartbreaking moral dilemma his main characters face, Elmer rushes to paint characters who endorse one point of view as shrill and godless, and those who hold the other as holy and heroic. While socially conservative readers looking for fiction that affirms their values may appreciate this book, those hoping for multidimensional characters who grapple genuinely with hard questions will probably be disappointed.
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Review

Praise for
Like Always

“Like Always is proof that God’s finest miracles are wrapped in hope and tears.”
—DIANN MILLS, author of Leather and Lace and When the Lion Roars

“Robert Elmer has proven his genius in his latest novel, Like Always. He combines the gentle touch of a poet with the astute intelligence of a skilled instructor to delve into the heart-tugging story of one woman with an agonizing choice to make. Very powerful.”
—HANNAH ALEXANDER, author of the Hideaway series

“What a tender, moving, triumphant novel! Robert Elmer delivers another perfect love story…like always.”
—DEBORAH RANEY, author of Remember to Forget and Leaving November

“With style and prose reminiscent of Nicholas Sparks, Like Always weaves a tender thread of love and faith, and offers an intimate glimpse into the depth and breadth of one couple’s devotion…and heart-breaking conviction.”
—TAMERA ALEXANDER, bestselling author of Rekindled, Revealed, and Remembered, Fountain Creek Chronicles

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: WaterBrook Press (June 19, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400071658
• ISBN-13: 978-1400071654
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 0.8 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,607,547 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent novel, January 16, 2008

By 

Audra Silva "Writer, Reviewer" (US) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Like Always (Paperback)

As a mother, I had to know the story of a pregnant woman who discovers she has an aggressive form of cancer. Merit Sullivan has to make a choice between her own life and the life of her unborn baby.

I found myself captivated by her strength, her faith, her vulnerability. She made a decision and stood by it even when faced with opposition, and her own doubts. I was moved by her husband's devotion and love for his wife. Will Sullivan faced his own battles as he wrestled with his wife's decision and the fear of losing her. My thoughts turned to how such a choice would impact loved ones as well as those indirectly affected.

Robert Elmer weaves a touching story with deep characterization and rich description. He draws you in, carries you along an intimate journey and brings you to a beautiful conclusion. Like Always, a novel inspired by a true story, is about faith, sacrifice and perseverance.

Come prepared: You will need tissues. This novel will stir your heart and leave you wanting more from this author.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Always, February 28, 2009

By 

L. Phipps "book lover" (CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Like Always (Paperback)

Robert Elmer is a talented writer and I loved the Celebrity. I was so excited to receive this novel and yet when I read it, I felt like I was being preached at throughout the book. More time should have been spent on Merit and the girls. I am a Christian and I read a lot of Christian books, but this one spent way too much time on faith. The character got left out and for me it left a story that was dull and non-feeling, not the way I know Mr. Elmer was trying to create the story. He is a talented author just not with this book.

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Christian fiction work, February 1, 2010

By 

Carolyn J. Gernentz (Indiana) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Like Always (Paperback)

This book has a very good plot and keeps you reading to find out if you have it figured out correctly. I thought the title was going to be used more frequiently.