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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Mother's Anguish, March 3, 2004
Every GI has a mom. And every one of those moms will identify with The Loved One. Authors Catherine Palmer and Peggy Stoks touchingly express the anguish that mothers of servicemen must endure. Meg Chilton has big dreams for 18-year-old Tyler, her only son. He's been awarded a full scholarship to Yale. Given such a dazzling opportunity, who knows what gallant feats the intelligent, talented Tyler John Chilton can accomplish for God? Meg's heart soars with pride-until Tyler announces his determination to join the army. She is devastated, and flatly refuses to give her blessing to his decision, even though Tyler insists that God is leading him to enlist. Lucky for Meg, the Lord anticipated her reaction and prepared a means of reaching her heart. She is an avid researcher of their family's ancestry, and during the course of preparing a scrapbook for Tyler documenting the lives of his forebears, she uncovers the heroic deeds of people who sacrificially gave of themselves for the good of their country. The Revolutionary War, the Civil War, World War I and World War II required extraordinary sacrifice from four of Tyler's ancestors. Meg eventually comes to realize that Tyler's obedience to God echoes the brave choices made by those who have gone before. And such obedience is imminently more admirable than getting a scholarship to Yale. In The Loved One, five separate stories are finely woven into one gripping tale. Today, with so many American soldiers giving their lives in the fight against terrorism, it's a particularly compelling read.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A familiar story for many, May 12, 2006
I was blessed to receive this book as a gift during a deployment which had both my brother and my husband in Iraq at the same time. Although I don't put my own feelings or needs before my husband or brothers duty, I can certainly identify with the fear.
The story gave credibility to the many moms of prospective recruits who may be too afraid to speak thier heart and to those who are bold enough to do so. Even if some of the reviewers found the book or the storyline "boring", the most amazing aspect is that it gives reassurance to the parents who struggle with their son or daughter voluntarily going off to war.
I would recommend this to everyone, even if they don't have a family member serving or considering the military as a career.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A little cheesy, but a good read., October 19, 2006
This is a wonderful story and was a joy to read, but for my taste, I found it to be a bit cheesy. It was just a little to perfect for the real world. By that I mean it borders on being unbelievable or unrealistic. At times, particularly during family conversations, it reads like a soap opera script, which is a shame because much of the narrative, particularly the depiction of battle scenes and traumatic events, is not only plausible, but at times exceptional!
THE LOVED ONE, by Catherine Palmer and Peggy Stoks is the story of a mother struggling with her only sons' decision to turn down a Yale scholarship to enlist in the military. The mother has spent several years tracing her husbands' family genealogy and through the stories of her sons' ancestors, she discovers more reasons to support his decision than she has reason to oppose it.
Other than being a little much at times, and I hesitate to use "far fetched" because it really isn't that, it's just a writing style that I personally find to be a bit of a stretch at times, this is a wonderful story and certainly serves a purpose. The story exhibits many forms of virtue including commitment, dedication, courage and sacrifice. There is just enough history, which is basically accurate, to attract readers of historical fiction, and the book poses several scenarios of why no one, regardless of social standing, intelligence or family situation should be exempt from serving their country. This book would also be invaluable for anyone having difficulty dealing with having a child in the military.
I hope my review hasn't come off as too harsh, because I truly did enjoy this book and give it a high recommendation. It may not be exactly my style of reading, but it was enjoyable, nonetheless and I'm sure many readers will find it to their liking.
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