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Caught in the Winds
Morrie Schiller is a new philosophy student at an evangelical college in the Midwest. Try though he may, he just doesn't fit into the Christian campus scene. The girl he loves sees him only as a 'brother', and he's in the crossfire as religious extremists rage against the school. Add to the mix, he's haunted by an obsession to become a Roman Catholic.Enter Jack Joplin, a mysterious stranger, offering a "new" philosophy, promising to 'transcend' religious conventionality. Morrie accepts and is catapulted into adventures that go beyond his wildest dreams.Time was when Morrie only wanted to meet a nice Christian girl and settle down as an ordinary evangelical. However, the Socratic dictum: 'Know Thyself' seems to be his sacred calling. Spiritual maturity comes only by passing through the refiner's fire.
338 pages, Paperback
First published October 26, 2010
11 people want to read
About the author
L.D. Wenzel
3 books2 followersL. D. Wenzel is an American novelist based in Oslo, Norway. He writes religious fiction that blends themes of faith, existence, and the complexities of the evangelical experience with elements of adventure, intrigue, and subtle romantic tension. His debut novel, A Witch in the Wardrobe, was developed over a ten-year period and reflects his commitment to exploring spiritual questions through imaginative storytelling.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 18, 2024
Rating: 5 Stars!!
Review:
Thank you to Speakeasy for sending me this FREE ARC Copy to promote and review for LD as part of their Review Crew last month.
This was my first time reading a Contemporary Christian Fiction by LD so I wasnt sure what to expect but I have to say I really enjoyed this one especially when it talked about how sometimes life makes you question your own religion.
Thankful I've always been comfortable with my Religion and Faith in God that I've never had to question it no matter how many people have left me in this life.
The Characters were fun and interesting to read about. Morrie was interesting to read about but not my favorite, same with Tracy.
The Setting was beautifully described which made me feel like I was actually in St Paul Minnesota while reading especially when the scenery was described.
Overall a Good Contemporary Christian Fiction Novel. Can't wait to read more by LD in the future!!
Review:
Thank you to Speakeasy for sending me this FREE ARC Copy to promote and review for LD as part of their Review Crew last month.
This was my first time reading a Contemporary Christian Fiction by LD so I wasnt sure what to expect but I have to say I really enjoyed this one especially when it talked about how sometimes life makes you question your own religion.
Thankful I've always been comfortable with my Religion and Faith in God that I've never had to question it no matter how many people have left me in this life.
The Characters were fun and interesting to read about. Morrie was interesting to read about but not my favorite, same with Tracy.
The Setting was beautifully described which made me feel like I was actually in St Paul Minnesota while reading especially when the scenery was described.
Overall a Good Contemporary Christian Fiction Novel. Can't wait to read more by LD in the future!!
November 27, 2024
The Many Loves of Morrie Schiller
L. D. Wenze’s novel Caught in the Winds tells the story of Morrie Schiller, a young man intent on becoming a philosophy student at the evangelical Bethlehem College in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The innocent main character and setting cause the reader to expect another coming-of-age story, a popular genre in fiction.
In the beginning of the story, Morrie Schiller is probably like some college freshmen. He comes to Milwaukee with his friend Frank, who pops in and out of the story, to provide Morrie with basic conservative wisdom. Morrie immediately falls in love--maybe infatuation is a better word--with the first girl he sees, even before meeting her. But Tracy sees him only as a brother. When she drops out of school to marry a better prospect, Schiller is devasted.
Most of the middle third of the novel centers around Schiller’s attempt to find another girlfriend. But now, he is aided by a shady character, Jack Joplin. Jack is one of a number of characters who hang around the campus. Schiller makes a kind of Faustian bargain with Jack to find the right girl for himself. Most of the middle of this novel recounts Schiller’s dealing with Jack’s “phenomenological method.” Schiller seems to seldom attend class, spending most of his time studying a strange philosophy. The reader has to endure page after page or quasi-philosophical dialogue, including pages of syllogisms about what defined the ideal girl. (I assume that the author intentionally uses “girl” rather than the more common “woman” to describe the college-level female.) Jack does manage to connect Schiller to another girl, the musician-artist Emily, a relationship which leads to one night of heated passion before she drops of our college. At least, our main character has lost a little of his innocence along with his virginity.
The final third of this novel portrays our hero caught in the middle of nefarious campus mysteries, involving lots of under-handed dealings by various school administrators. On the surface, the students are caught up in rivalries between the Fundies (i.e. the fundamentalists) and Arties (the progressives.) Bethlehem College is wracked by turmoil between competing parties looking to control the school, and Schiller is caught in the middle. However, he does manage to find another girlfriend of sorts, Marquerite who after attempting suicide is hospitalized. Schiller visits her often, and at the end, before going off to summer vacation, promises to visit her, to which she says, “Well, okay, but only if you promise not to fall in love with me.” (p.328)
This coming-of-age novel would have been better with less philosophy and more realistic dialogue. It comes close to being satire of the state of evangelicalism today with its portrayal of the befuddled patriarchy of the administration.
Robert Otte
LaGrave Church Librarian
L. D. Wenze’s novel Caught in the Winds tells the story of Morrie Schiller, a young man intent on becoming a philosophy student at the evangelical Bethlehem College in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The innocent main character and setting cause the reader to expect another coming-of-age story, a popular genre in fiction.
In the beginning of the story, Morrie Schiller is probably like some college freshmen. He comes to Milwaukee with his friend Frank, who pops in and out of the story, to provide Morrie with basic conservative wisdom. Morrie immediately falls in love--maybe infatuation is a better word--with the first girl he sees, even before meeting her. But Tracy sees him only as a brother. When she drops out of school to marry a better prospect, Schiller is devasted.
Most of the middle third of the novel centers around Schiller’s attempt to find another girlfriend. But now, he is aided by a shady character, Jack Joplin. Jack is one of a number of characters who hang around the campus. Schiller makes a kind of Faustian bargain with Jack to find the right girl for himself. Most of the middle of this novel recounts Schiller’s dealing with Jack’s “phenomenological method.” Schiller seems to seldom attend class, spending most of his time studying a strange philosophy. The reader has to endure page after page or quasi-philosophical dialogue, including pages of syllogisms about what defined the ideal girl. (I assume that the author intentionally uses “girl” rather than the more common “woman” to describe the college-level female.) Jack does manage to connect Schiller to another girl, the musician-artist Emily, a relationship which leads to one night of heated passion before she drops of our college. At least, our main character has lost a little of his innocence along with his virginity.
The final third of this novel portrays our hero caught in the middle of nefarious campus mysteries, involving lots of under-handed dealings by various school administrators. On the surface, the students are caught up in rivalries between the Fundies (i.e. the fundamentalists) and Arties (the progressives.) Bethlehem College is wracked by turmoil between competing parties looking to control the school, and Schiller is caught in the middle. However, he does manage to find another girlfriend of sorts, Marquerite who after attempting suicide is hospitalized. Schiller visits her often, and at the end, before going off to summer vacation, promises to visit her, to which she says, “Well, okay, but only if you promise not to fall in love with me.” (p.328)
This coming-of-age novel would have been better with less philosophy and more realistic dialogue. It comes close to being satire of the state of evangelicalism today with its portrayal of the befuddled patriarchy of the administration.
Robert Otte
LaGrave Church Librarian
December 23, 2011
This isn't a raving review, but I'll be doing my best not to be overly negative. The main reason why I couldn't like Caught in the Winds is because many aspects seemed unrealistic. Something that immediately caught hold of my attention when I started on the book was the conversations. They were full, polite conversations and that made me want to shake the primness in the characters away.
Morrie's longings to be a Catholic was strange, but faintly interesting. I've never encountered anyone with a longing to be a Catholic, more so with a vague reason. When his longings to become a Catholic was first mentioned in-depth, it seemed as if it stemmed from guilt. I read on, and as more of his Catholic longings were mentioned, I got confused as to the real reason behind his longing to be a Catholic. Was it because of a dream? Or because of guilt?
The first "romance" in Caught in the Winds is Morrie's infatuation with Tracy (I'm putting romance in "" because I don't think infatuation is in the romance category). I thought the whole thing was a farce and cringe-worthy. Many times, they behaved like a pair of teenagers with childish tendencies, rather than college students. Just the way Morrie fell for Tracy spoke volumes of his maturity. Morrie is the most immature character I've ever read in any book. This sounds harsh, but I got annoyed with his behavior less than 20 pages into the book.
I thought that it didn't make sense the way Morrie shared personal details with Crusader almost immediately after meeting him for the first time. No one talks about their love interest and struggles to a person they have known for less than 15 minutes! How more unreal can an encounter be?
The author had told me that this is an unusual book in the Christian genre (not his exact words, I'm paraphrasing), but I wasn't prepared with the way Protestants were portrayed. Denominations were highlighted. Protestant characters held those from other denominations in abhorrence. Most of the Protestant characters were either radicals, non-stop talkers about religious stuff, or they were drifting (on the verge of drifting for some) off-course from Christianity. I'm mentioning this here because I think that some Protestants will be offended by this (I did not take too kindly to this aspect myself). I really wished there was a Protestant character on the middle ground, which is where most of us are.
I've just listed a few points I noted here. I don't want to drag Caught in the Winds in the mud anymore than I've done through this negative review. I wanted to like the book, but I just couldn't. It's difficult to like the book when the story and characters did not connect with me and seemed very unrealistic most of the time. How someone could be drawn into Jack's play, I do not know and that puzzled me most of the book.
Morrie's exploration and efforts to find himself made an interesting theme for a coming of age book. I was relieved when he had more maturity at the end of the book. Actually, the ending was okay, better than I had expected it to be. One thing, it definitely made me very interested to know what happened to Morrie when he faced his parents.
Morrie's longings to be a Catholic was strange, but faintly interesting. I've never encountered anyone with a longing to be a Catholic, more so with a vague reason. When his longings to become a Catholic was first mentioned in-depth, it seemed as if it stemmed from guilt. I read on, and as more of his Catholic longings were mentioned, I got confused as to the real reason behind his longing to be a Catholic. Was it because of a dream? Or because of guilt?
The first "romance" in Caught in the Winds is Morrie's infatuation with Tracy (I'm putting romance in "" because I don't think infatuation is in the romance category). I thought the whole thing was a farce and cringe-worthy. Many times, they behaved like a pair of teenagers with childish tendencies, rather than college students. Just the way Morrie fell for Tracy spoke volumes of his maturity. Morrie is the most immature character I've ever read in any book. This sounds harsh, but I got annoyed with his behavior less than 20 pages into the book.
I thought that it didn't make sense the way Morrie shared personal details with Crusader almost immediately after meeting him for the first time. No one talks about their love interest and struggles to a person they have known for less than 15 minutes! How more unreal can an encounter be?
The author had told me that this is an unusual book in the Christian genre (not his exact words, I'm paraphrasing), but I wasn't prepared with the way Protestants were portrayed. Denominations were highlighted. Protestant characters held those from other denominations in abhorrence. Most of the Protestant characters were either radicals, non-stop talkers about religious stuff, or they were drifting (on the verge of drifting for some) off-course from Christianity. I'm mentioning this here because I think that some Protestants will be offended by this (I did not take too kindly to this aspect myself). I really wished there was a Protestant character on the middle ground, which is where most of us are.
I've just listed a few points I noted here. I don't want to drag Caught in the Winds in the mud anymore than I've done through this negative review. I wanted to like the book, but I just couldn't. It's difficult to like the book when the story and characters did not connect with me and seemed very unrealistic most of the time. How someone could be drawn into Jack's play, I do not know and that puzzled me most of the book.
Morrie's exploration and efforts to find himself made an interesting theme for a coming of age book. I was relieved when he had more maturity at the end of the book. Actually, the ending was okay, better than I had expected it to be. One thing, it definitely made me very interested to know what happened to Morrie when he faced his parents.
September 1, 2011
My thoughts are really divided about this book.
I think the concept was good, as the author pictures a young student trying to sort it all: he is at a crossroad in his life, with his new student life; with his relationships with new girls he meets on campus; his family background was rather confusing as for religious choices, and he has to face that and make his own choice; and he has to make a stand as for his philosophical positions, which will translate in the life he will eventually choose.
It was interesting to get Wenzel’s version of parabolic figures of bad and evil, though to be honest CS Lewis and Tolkien do a much better job.
I enjoyed some religious and philosophical debates in there, while finding Descartes’s character presented too much as a demonic caricature, but what can I tell you, I’m French, and we can’t but like some of his systematic turn of thought.
If you are a reader starting at college, in the US, I’m sure this book will resonate a lot with you, and it may even help you to think deeper about your own personal choices, and what stands behind them: will you follow your “good angels” or easily follow the suggestions of some evil force that promise you to succeed in life, whatever may be the price?
Well, my first college year is way way back, and my student life was in France, so no College life actually; I didn’t even attend university per se, as I prepared this tough top school. So there was room for nothing but books and studies. Morrie’s studies seem to be something totally marginal in this book, and that troubled me: is this really how a typical American student live his/her college years?
Also, is there really that type of political/power struggle on a regular American campus?
I listened recently to an interview of the author of The Girl Who Fell From The Sky. It was enlightening to hear her explain the process of book birth giving, how her editor helped her amend her texts over and over again, and even delete over 100 pages of her first original draft. I believe that Wenzel’s book would have benefited much by going through such a process: it is definitely too long (though you know 400-500 page long books don’t scare me), some conversations could be much tighter, more to the point.
But again, if you are yourself at the beginning of your college life, struggling with figuring where you fit in, and what to do with your religious belief and unbelief, you may very well enjoy this book.
Read more about it on my original post:
http://wordsandpeace.wordpress.com/20...
Emma @ Words And Peace
I think the concept was good, as the author pictures a young student trying to sort it all: he is at a crossroad in his life, with his new student life; with his relationships with new girls he meets on campus; his family background was rather confusing as for religious choices, and he has to face that and make his own choice; and he has to make a stand as for his philosophical positions, which will translate in the life he will eventually choose.
It was interesting to get Wenzel’s version of parabolic figures of bad and evil, though to be honest CS Lewis and Tolkien do a much better job.
I enjoyed some religious and philosophical debates in there, while finding Descartes’s character presented too much as a demonic caricature, but what can I tell you, I’m French, and we can’t but like some of his systematic turn of thought.
If you are a reader starting at college, in the US, I’m sure this book will resonate a lot with you, and it may even help you to think deeper about your own personal choices, and what stands behind them: will you follow your “good angels” or easily follow the suggestions of some evil force that promise you to succeed in life, whatever may be the price?
Well, my first college year is way way back, and my student life was in France, so no College life actually; I didn’t even attend university per se, as I prepared this tough top school. So there was room for nothing but books and studies. Morrie’s studies seem to be something totally marginal in this book, and that troubled me: is this really how a typical American student live his/her college years?
Also, is there really that type of political/power struggle on a regular American campus?
I listened recently to an interview of the author of The Girl Who Fell From The Sky. It was enlightening to hear her explain the process of book birth giving, how her editor helped her amend her texts over and over again, and even delete over 100 pages of her first original draft. I believe that Wenzel’s book would have benefited much by going through such a process: it is definitely too long (though you know 400-500 page long books don’t scare me), some conversations could be much tighter, more to the point.
But again, if you are yourself at the beginning of your college life, struggling with figuring where you fit in, and what to do with your religious belief and unbelief, you may very well enjoy this book.
Read more about it on my original post:
http://wordsandpeace.wordpress.com/20...
Emma @ Words And Peace
August 21, 2016
L.D. Wenzel is a good writer. I enjoyed this book concerning a student who arrived at a Christian College, dealing with his identity by looking for his place, where he'll fit in, how he'll make his living, how his major fits in with his plans, finding his plans, and of course, who he'll marry. Guess this book should really be called 'The Many Loves of Morrie Schiller', because the main character goes through three (yes, 3) girlfriends in less than a school year! Morrie is the sensitive type, a student with an interest in journalism, who attends this college against his better judgement, so while there he majors in girls and winds up befriending the Devil, named Jack, who teaches him how to woe and win any female he picks. Another character Morrie befriends doesn't even have a name, just a title, named 'Crusader', who discusses philosophy and theology with Morrie on a level he respects. He looks up to Crusader, but has difficulty living up to high standards. Crusader disappears a lot during the school year, but Jack is always just around the corner ...
Morris also somehow gets mixed-up in the politics of the Christian College; it seems that choosing a school president is the main issue with every Christian school, and there are dark forces wanting that position of power and influence; Morrie finds out more than the normal student should be privy to learn.
I enjoyed the read, and like I said, L.D. Wenzel is a good writer.... I hope to find more books from him! I'm giving this a '4', because it's not for everybody, but I'd recommend it if you have any kind of Christian College background ... you might see people you know on these campus pages!
Morris also somehow gets mixed-up in the politics of the Christian College; it seems that choosing a school president is the main issue with every Christian school, and there are dark forces wanting that position of power and influence; Morrie finds out more than the normal student should be privy to learn.
I enjoyed the read, and like I said, L.D. Wenzel is a good writer.... I hope to find more books from him! I'm giving this a '4', because it's not for everybody, but I'd recommend it if you have any kind of Christian College background ... you might see people you know on these campus pages!
October 11, 2011
As the author of this novel, I add the summary statements of the following reviewers. Hope Goodread members find this helpful. 2 of them gave 5 stars.
* Mr. Wenzel: I have read ... Caught in the Winds with a great deal of interest. I must say that it is not like anything else that I have read, which is a compliment, since I read many hours every day.(The Writers Edge, Wheaton, Ill)
* thoughtful read of Christianity and coming of age, Caught in the Winds is a fine read and solidly recommended. (Midwest Book Review, May 2011) --5 stars
* L.D. Wenzel weaves an intriguing story that meanders through a variety of thought-provoking topics … does an admirable job of character development and creates believable plots that make Caught in the Winds an entertaining story. (Foreword Clarion Review, March 2011) --5 stars
* Wenzel masterfully captures the struggle between love, faith and modernity with a prose that is effective and discerning. Spare, tender and full of surprises, Caught in the Winds makes for a perfect summer getaway. (Best Damn Creative Writing Blog, June 2011)
* Mr. Wenzel: I have read ... Caught in the Winds with a great deal of interest. I must say that it is not like anything else that I have read, which is a compliment, since I read many hours every day.(The Writers Edge, Wheaton, Ill)
* thoughtful read of Christianity and coming of age, Caught in the Winds is a fine read and solidly recommended. (Midwest Book Review, May 2011) --5 stars
* L.D. Wenzel weaves an intriguing story that meanders through a variety of thought-provoking topics … does an admirable job of character development and creates believable plots that make Caught in the Winds an entertaining story. (Foreword Clarion Review, March 2011) --5 stars
* Wenzel masterfully captures the struggle between love, faith and modernity with a prose that is effective and discerning. Spare, tender and full of surprises, Caught in the Winds makes for a perfect summer getaway. (Best Damn Creative Writing Blog, June 2011)
August 22, 2011
A tale of three parts full of philosophical and moral ideas to challenge the Christian mind. I really enjoyed the discourse that this book took about a wide-range of issues. Although sometimes reading like a university text-book, it was worth perceivering with for the pure inventiveness and originality.
I think that this story could possibly have been told over three individual books, since the sections were so different in style. In places the descriptions were unecessary to the plot, in others I would have liked to know more of the character's feelings. Having said that, I did truly feel for the main character.
I'm glad that I got a chance to read this book annd am hoping to get a chance to read the sequel sometime in the future.
Book source: This book was sent to me by the author in return for an honest review
August 27, 2017
This book didn't originally appear on my reading list but I felt compelled to read it after its author and I spoke briefly on our very different opinions of J.D. Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye." To put it bluntly, I hated "Catcher in the Rye." I could appreciate that Holden Caulfield spoke in a real way and felt like a real person, but I was frustrated by his immaturity and his lack of growth as a character. Another problem I had was there wasn't much of a story. It was just a series of events in a span of days that didn't really make me want to keep turning the pages.
But this isn't a review of "Catcher in the Rye." Where that book failed to make me want to read on to find out what happened next, "Caught in the Winds" more than succeeded. It is a story divided into three parts and I thought each part got progressively better. I must admit I found the characters somewhat artificial feeling due to their all too polite matter of speaking but it's set in an Evangelical College so maybe that was intentional?
I thought the book worked well as a coming of age story as Morrie begins the story somewhat naive and shows growth and maturity by the end. The story is heavy on both theological and philosophical ideas. I loved the theological parts and one of the standout subplots of the book was Morrie's desire to join the Roman Catholic Church. The philosophical parts were plentiful but easy enough for non-philosophy students (like myself) to get through and not get lost and confused as a philosophy textbook may otherwise do.
This is an ambitious book that sets out to do a lot of things. If you're well versed in either theology or philosophy, you're bound to get something out of this book. What it lacks in depth in regards to some plot points it makes up for in breadth. I have yet to read the follow up dream sequence in L.D. Wenzel's website but intend on doing so in the near future.
But this isn't a review of "Catcher in the Rye." Where that book failed to make me want to read on to find out what happened next, "Caught in the Winds" more than succeeded. It is a story divided into three parts and I thought each part got progressively better. I must admit I found the characters somewhat artificial feeling due to their all too polite matter of speaking but it's set in an Evangelical College so maybe that was intentional?
I thought the book worked well as a coming of age story as Morrie begins the story somewhat naive and shows growth and maturity by the end. The story is heavy on both theological and philosophical ideas. I loved the theological parts and one of the standout subplots of the book was Morrie's desire to join the Roman Catholic Church. The philosophical parts were plentiful but easy enough for non-philosophy students (like myself) to get through and not get lost and confused as a philosophy textbook may otherwise do.
This is an ambitious book that sets out to do a lot of things. If you're well versed in either theology or philosophy, you're bound to get something out of this book. What it lacks in depth in regards to some plot points it makes up for in breadth. I have yet to read the follow up dream sequence in L.D. Wenzel's website but intend on doing so in the near future.
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