Another winner from author Robert James WallerEvery since I read Bridges of Madison County by this author and fell completely in love with his writing style and the delivery and reality of his characters I've been itching to read more. He's written quite a few books and I didn't care which I picked up, I just wanted to read them all. I happened to run across this during one of many bookstore raids. I practically snatched it off the shelf and held it to my chest as if securing it from the envious hands of other shoppers. This was at the used bookstore and I'm absolutely convinced whomever turned it in either really needed the money, selflessly wanted to share or just did not know what golden nugget they were giving up. Obviously, I liked it. I'm getting the feeling, having read two books now, that Mr. Waller is either in some way very much like his middle aged, slightly sexy, rugged male characters or possibly lives vicariously through them. At any rate, here we are again with another man who is a little quiet but full of thought, walks to the beat of his own drum but when it comes to love for that special soul connected.. He loves good and hard. No matter what else life has for her path.. A Robert James Waller man will be the love of your life..your after life and your entire existence! You never know what life's path has in store for you. For Jellie (pronounced JahLAY) Markham-Velayudum-Braden her three last names each hold the key to the story of her life as three different women. Only one man has the fearlessness, determination and a love strong enough to unlock the truth of who she really is. Dr. Michael Tillman. He prefers just "Michael". He's a small town boy grown into a down to earth economics professor. He in his jeans, jean shirts, long hair and Shadow (old motorcycle which he keeps in his tiny apartment living room) are the complete opposite of what one would think a highly intelligent, tenured economics professor should look like in 1978. He's a rebel from a bygone age slipping quietly through middle age with riding his motorcycle through the Iowa hills and the terrorization of his students with hard work as his only thrill. Until in walks Jellie to a faculty party with her husband a new professor. This is where the adventure begins. The time period, late 70's to early 80's, it's historical fiction. There is travel and culture as well.I'm giving this book 4 stars. Really dig the writing style. Really enjoyed the story. I also became attached to the characters by the middle of the book. What I really like and it may be a trademark of this author I'm not sure, but there were 197 pages. Not 1000+ and there was still an enjoyable story, great writing and character connection. Not always is less more but not always is more better. I'm sure there could have been more in certain area but it was not necessary. Diva analogy: When it's needed the whole designer royal jewel set can be regal and amazing! But sometimes all that's necessary is one pure strand of pearls. Moral of the story: sometimes less wins best. I recommend it! Of course I'll read more by this author as soon as I can get my hands on the books.
Life is a messy business, full of bad choices and I-wish-I-could-take-it-backs, but that's life. Slow Waltz In Cedar Bend is about a man named Michael who finds himself drawn to his co-worker and friend's wife. Chaos insues.(Now I feel I must say that I am what they call a serial monogamist. You make a choice and stick with it or you don't and you get out. Harsh, it's true, but I believe it. That being said that is my belief and just as I don't think you should push religious beliefs on others the same can be said of my moral beliefs. Choice is important and monogamy is mine but it doesn't work for everyone.)Jellie made a choice as well. She married a man she wasn't in love with, out of fear or heartbreak or some such thing. Her husband Jimmy is a good man, hardworking, honest but also boring (really, really BORING) and Michael with his heavy-hitter brains and unorthadox style is naturally intriguing to her. This is an interestingly written story. It drags when the characters emotions drag, rushes when they rush and winds along the road quietly too. I enjoy the fact that Waller's characters lives exist in constant changeability. There is no cut and dried answer. It's all a choice. Life is messy.... and love is the messiest of all.
What do You think about Slow Waltz In Cedar Bend (1994)?
Authors have a purpose to write; whichever this one is, it is always meant to obtain the public approval. Slow Waltz in Cedar Bend by Robert James Waller is the love story of a middle age man, Michel Tillman, who falls in love with a married woman, Jellie Braden. When Jellie disappears Michael will leave everything to find her. Waller’s purpose to write this book was to entertain the public with another love story, to demonstrate how impulsive we can become due to our desires, and to make the re
—Yensy
Waller likes to justify adultery. The theme of both Bridges of Madison County and this novel is the dissatisfaction and stultification that sometimes a woman has in her marriage. Then, a more strong and exciting man comes along to 'awaken' her. These books probably serve as wish fulfillment for women in similar situations who would never dream of doing what Waller's heroines do. I don't approve of the theme, but the writing is evocative and descriptive, raising my rating of the book as a whole by quite a bit.
—Emily
Well, who didn't love the movie Brides of Madison County? I certainly did. So, when I saw this was a novel by the same author, I snatched it up hoping for the same feel of that first romance of Waller's. Unfortunately, no such luck. These characters, as much as they were made to seem multi-layered, came off as hurried, one dimensional characters that somehow, we, as readers, were expected to fall in love with immediately. I had the most difficult time even picturing these characters which seemed like cliches - the older misunderstood quiet yet bold professor who was single, in a tiny unkempt house who rode his motorcycles on the weekends and claimed to be a lonely keep to himself kind of guy; he inadvertently meets his stuffy, normal run of the mill coworker's wife who suddenly makes him lose his mind in a few short conversations. Then the author tries to lead us on a quick chase through a deep secret in India, which really is quite anti-climatic (how is a having a child some sort of terrible, hidden secret these days?) And then we are whisked into this one chapter synopsis of the woman's doubts in leaving her husband for this crazy motorcycle man. Oh, brother. So, there you have it. I think Waller should have just rode on Madison a bit longer and left this one in India. Can anyone say Lifetime movie?
—Melissa Lee-tammeus
