The Recital

By Robert Elmer

New Song, Second Verse Gerrit and Joan discovered the beauty of second chances when they fell in love. But life isn't "happily ever after" when the widowed dairy farmer and big-city piano teacher get... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 140007164X
• ISBN13: 9781400071647
• Release Date: June 2006
• Publisher: WaterBrook
• Length: 290 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.2" x 1.0" x 5.4"

Customer Reviews

A Special Love Story

Timing is everything. When Gerrit Appledoorn proposed to Joan Horton, standing in the smoking kitchen she had accidently set on fire, it might not have been the world's most romantic setting. But when she said yes, he knew he'd got it right. Gerrit loved living in Van Dalen, it was home to everything he treasured, but Joan was a city girl. When she had an opportunity to head the department at the Gaylord School of Music in Chicago, how could he stand in her way? Gerrit knew his Bible, particularly the part about "Whither thou goest." So this retired farmer moved to the city. Chicago wasn't ready for Gerrit, and Gerrit definitely wasn't ready for Chicago. He wore jeans and a cowboy hat in the elite school of music atmosphere. he was vocal and opinionated. He could be sarcastic and judgmental. But in the things of the heart, he was rock solid. You won't forget this story. It made me laugh, it made me cry, and it ripped out my heart and stomped all over it.

Enjoyable reading with touching messages

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, [...].

Music For The Mind

The Recital By: Robert Elmer Some books are read to absorb, others to study and still others for times of quiet. The book The Recital by Robert Elmer is like treating yourself to a recital for your mind. When you open the front cover and begin to read, time will pass quickly and you will not want to put it down. Joan Horton and Gerrit Appledoorn are two very different people with very different backgrounds and a very strong love for each other. Somewhere in the pages of the book they become real, believable people in your mind. Like bass notes blend with treble notes and form a beautiful composition, their lives blend. Joan is a concert pianist in a small Dutch town in Washington state. Gerrit is a retired farmer. The two travel a journey into marriage that leads them from the comfortable community Gerrit knows to the city life in Chicago that Joan loves. Joan learns the depth of a man's heart when he is devoted to his wife. Gerrit learns when you spend too much time looking to the past you may miss the beauty of the present. Through the laughter, tears, heartaches and joys they learn the true meaning of cleaving to one another. This is a love story, a life story. It will make you laugh and cry. The characters captivate and drive you forward. When the last page is turned and the book is closed, your heart hears the recital and you will need to hug someone you love.

Ivory and Milk Cows and Life

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.

A wonderful addition to any Christian fiction bookshelf

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