Recessional [Hardcover]

James A. Michener (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 27, 1994

The challenges and rewards faced by older adults and their families is the subject at the heart of this provocative new novel. Set in a Florida retirement center called the Palms, the book follows a group of unforgettable residents over the course of a year as their humorous, triumphant narratives unfold.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The veteran author's extended exploration of the world of geriatrics is an up and down affair, alternating inspiring episodes with cliche-ridden narratives. Andy Zorn, a young doctor running from a past scandal, has been hired by geriatric mogul John Taggart to revitalize the Palms, a Tampa retirement community that's fallen into a minor malaise of both profits and morale. Michener sets up his usual labyrinthine sprawl of secondary characters, but what's missing is the unique sense of place that's driven his best works in the past. This time, Michener applies his research to the ravages of old age that plague the Palms' population, but the level of detail often seems unnecessary for the story he's telling. Some episodes and characters are touching: the tale of a seemingly mismatched couple in which the husband cares for the wife after she contracts Alzheimer's; a series of stories about four elder statesmen in the home who conspire to build and fly an airplane; and the saga of a widow who must make some difficult decisions after a biopsy for breast cancer. On the negative side, the romantic subplot between Zorn and a handicapped woman whom he rescues after a car accident reads like fodder for a bad TV movie; the doctor's efforts to provide care for an AIDS patient outside the home have similar problems with realism-the worst offense being a series of passages told from the perspective of a rattlesnake. It's obvious that Michener, who turns 87 this year, finds his subject engaging-but there's not quite enough inspiration here to place this with his top-shelf work. Major ad/promo; Random House Audiobook.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Unjust malpractice suits have driven Andy Zorn, M.D., from obstetrics, and he begins a new life as director of a retirement community, The Palms, more than a thousand miles away from his Chicago home. The Palms offers well-off retirees comfortable apartments as well as nursing home and hospice facilities if the need arises. Andy's main job is to turn this place into a moneymaking proposition for its wealthy owner. Predictably, the staff and most of the residents have a story to tell. This novel shows Michener at his worst: long-winded and stultifying. Implausible characters abound, and the background research is shallow at best. In the case of a resident who discovers she has breast cancer, the author's simplistic explanation is misleading. Nevertheless, the author is well known, and major publicity will result in plenty of demand. Buy accordingly.
--Patricia Altner, Dept. of Defense Lib., Bolling Air Force Base, Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 484 pages
• Publisher: Random House; 1st edition (September 27, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 067943612X
• ISBN-13: 978-0679436126
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,020,608 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Michener's Retirement Book, January 1, 2004

By 

kone "kone" (USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: Recessional (Mass Market Paperback)

James A. Michener must be anticipating his own retirement in this book as he writes a compelling and interesting novel about a retirement facility in Florida. What to most might be a very boring subject, Michener once again enlivens his characters and makes them so interesting that the book is a real page-turner. In our contemporary society, the aged are packed away into retirement homes and forgotten. In Michener's view, the elderly live interesting lives, have meaning and purpose, and are thinking, feeling people. Particularly facinating is the attempt of four of the elderly men who attempt to build and fly an experimental aircraft!

Michener invites the reader to ponder the intricate problem of medical science extending human life, and when life ceases to be meaningful. In 2003, the media was buzzing with the attempt by a husband to end the life of his brain damaged wife in a nursing home. Michener has stong opinions on this subject and appears to be a prophet in dealing with a topic that only recently came to the american public's attention.

This is perhaps Michener's last great novel. I believe the reader will find it engaging and worthwhile. Although it is not as superb as "Texas", "Centennial", or "The Source", Michener will not disappoint you in "Recessional".

Jim Koenig

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A true Michener again, December 30, 2003

By 

Axel Berger (Odenthal, Deutschland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Recessional (Mass Market Paperback)

If you enjoy Michener's style at all, you'll find this a good read too. It is true, as others have noticed, that the author may be getting old. Where before, when my first impulse was "nobody talks that way" I could remind myself that English is not my native language and America not my home, in this book many dialogs are clearly contrived. Nevertheless, the thing that matters is how much Michener managed to put into them, and believe me, he still does.
A point noone else commented on: The whole book, from beginning to end, is a royal slagging off of the one profession I despise most. So if you happen to be a lawyer, it may be you will not enjoy the book as much as I did - but especially then I recommend you to read it and try to take it to heart.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars this book touched me, February 15, 2000

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Recessional (Mass Market Paperback)

While I have read a great number of his other books and enjoyed most of them thoroughly, this book touched me like no others. I have two grandmothers living in similar retirement communities to that in the story and this gave me some great insight and understanding to their lives in there. It felt like a true story based on their lives and those of their friends. I highly recogmend the book although it is certainly not like his other epics.