2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Ivory and Milk Cows and Life, July 19, 2006
This review is from: The Recital (Paperback)
I didn't meet Joan and Gerrit in The Duet, so I wasn' present at the first blush of their new romance. I met them in The Recital where they had already become a couple and were growing into each other.
The sweetness of their relationship reminded me of a recent event at my church. A couple celebrated forty-three years of marriage with the renewal of their wedding vows. A celebration of romance so unlike what the world calls love. And that is a very good thing, as is the story in The Recital.
The poignancy, yearning and the reality of mature love is captured by Mr. Elmer. So much so, that I didn't miss not knowing Joan and Gerrit at the beginning of their relationship.
The faith of the characters is realistically portrayed. The banter between those who both know and love God but see Him differently is humorous, and it's always nice to have the reminder that our carefully guarded God-boxes are ours, not His.
I didn't expect a major event in the final chapters of the book. I can't say I liked it, but I can say it added another layer to the depth of the book, and to the characters. I don't always like what happens in real life, either. Nor do I care for twenty-two (or is it even less now) minute resolutions to major problems in sitcoms.
If you hate surprises, The Recital may not be your type of symphony. But if you want sweet reminder of why we fall in love, The Recital hits some poignant notes.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable reading with touching messages, September 7, 2006
This review is from: The Recital (Paperback)
When retired farmer Gerrit Appeldoorn marries piano teacher Joan Horton, he doesn't realize it will lead him far from his quaint hometown to the chaos of downtown Chicago. The Recital by Robert Elmer tells the compelling tale of Gerrit's devotion to his wife and to God, in the midst of confusing circumstances.
Gerrit has lived in a small farm town called Van Dalen his entire life. But when the Gaylord Conservatory of Music in Chicago offers Joan the position of senior piano professor, Gerrit sacrificially trades the green fields of Van Dalen for the gray avenues of Chicago. He tells her that she is his home now. But when they reach Chicago, loneliness and a feeling of being out of place gnaw at him.
The story also addresses the struggle Gerrit and Joan face to overcome their theological differences. For example, while they agree on the basics of Christianity, Gerrit is a staunch Calvinist, and Joan is an Armenian. Gradually, they learn not to let these differences come between them. Without siding with either the Calvinist or Armenian camp, The Recital promotes a happy unity in the body of Christ.
Some readers may be uncomfortable with a few issues in the book. Joan's son Randy and his girlfriend have premarital sex, but it is not condoned. Instead, the author focuses on Gerrit and Joan's struggle to know how to respond appropriately to the news. Elmer also acknowledges the beauty of sex inside of marriage, but some readers may not approve the implied references to sex, which is not explicit or graphic.
Written in a very conversational style, the book provides enjoyable reading with touching messages. Occasionally the attempts at humor seem a little cheesy, but it had me laughing out loud at other times. Overall, The Recital is an emotional, compelling story with a positive theme. - Jonathan Young, [...].
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderful addition to any Christian fiction bookshelf, July 10, 2006
This review is from: The Recital (Paperback)
In THE RECITAL, the sequel to THE DUET, Robert Elmer pens a sweet story about the challenges of putting away the past, the transforming nature of love, and the power of faith. THE RECITAL picks up the story of the widowed dairy farmer Gerrit Appeldoorn and his city-slicker romantic interest, piano teacher and music professor Joan Horton. Now 60 years old, Gerrit has retired from his dairy farming days in Van Dalen, Washington, and he's busy selling tractors and pondering his love for Joan. But there's the little matter of religion: Gerrit's stubborn Calvinism runs deep to his bones, and Joan's own Nazarene brand of Christianity is a lot more emotional. For Gerrit, everything is predestined by God.
But is the prestigious job offer Joan has in Chicago, 2,163 miles from the farm, part of God's will for Gerrit's life? He isn't sure. All he knows is that he wants to marry the dark, beautiful Italian widow who has come into his life (a love affair sparked over piano lessons in THE DUET). But will a "mixed marriage" between a Calvinist and a non-reformed Christian work? And how can Gerrit leave a town he's loved and known all his life? But "You're my home now, Joan," he tells her, and with this sweet statement, their immediate future is decided.
Elmer does a nice job portraying Gerrit's adjustment to big city living, avoiding clichés and sidestepping quick adjustments. The man who loves the constellations and the birds finds little of either on Lakeshore Drive in Chicago. For Joan, however, going from little girls playing "Itsy Bitsy Spider" at homespun recitals in the small town of Van Dalen to teaching advanced students at the Gaylord Conservatory of Music is a dream come true. But she hasn't counted on the devoted attentions of Dr. Porter Chambliss, recently divorced and uninterested in her newly-married status. Does her dream job come with a price?
In a poignant moment, Gerrit wakes up in the middle of the night in Chicago and reflects: "The Lord only knew how much he missed the quiet nights in Van Dalen, when he still lived on the farm and the loudest sounds were the wind rustling the row of maple trees out on the front drive or the low moos of the cows in line for their first milking.
"Maybe you'd hear one of Marty Middelkoop's raspberry pickers in July or a tractor off in the distance during August haying. And goose music in September, or the soft patter of October rain on the roof. Even Mallory's sweet giggling out in the yard when she and Missy played fetch with a Frisbee. He remembered how the farm spoke to him with every slam of the back-porch screen door....Now he imagined that Joan's soft up-and-down breathing was his winter rain and rustling wind and sweet giggling."
One of the most enjoyable things about Elmer's two protagonists is that they are older than usual for Christian fiction, and they lead interesting, active lives. It's absorbing reading, discovering how two people can reconcile very different pasts and let their love for each other help them create a new future together. And heck --- as Elmer shows --- just because you're over 60 doesn't mean you're not interested in sex anymore! Very refreshing.
The flaws are tiny (he writes Lake Shore Drive instead of Lakeshore Drive), but a totally unexpected turn of events will leave readers in disbelief. Unlike so many Christian fiction novels, you won't be able to say this one has a predictable ending. It's a measure of how much Elmer makes us care about the characters that the final pages are so shocking.
An added bonus is the often humorous epigrams that kick off each chapter. I knew I was going to like the book when it began with a Dave Barry quote: "What Women Want: To be loved, to be listened to, to be desired, to be respected, to be needed, to be trusted, and sometimes, just to be held. What Men Want: Tickets for the World Series."
Elmer is a competent author (THE CELEBRITY and six Christian children's series), and this is another example of his ability to craft an enjoyable story. THE RECITAL is a wonderful addition to any Christian fiction bookshelf.
--- Reviewed by Cindy Crosby. Contact Cindy at phrelanzer@aol.com.
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