Silver Trumpet

by J. Wesley Ingles

Randall MacRae swept into this dynamic world by unusual circumstances, is held there by the adventure, pathos, and tragedies of the life-changing forces he encounters. Randall is caught in an entangling web of intricate situations that challenge all his old values.

His romantic involvements, athletic achievements and personal conflicts are the roots of this story which generated feelings of excitement, furor, and even hatred upon its release. The novel has contin-ually transmitted those emotions to the thousands who read one of the previous twenty-two cloth editions. Today that same realistic emotion will elec-trify the reader as he follows these characters who heard the . . .

Paperback

First published June 23, 2005

Reviews

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a book I judged by the cover, didn't want to read, but completely changed my perspective after I read it.
A must read for people struggling with their faith and truly a reader's delight. One of my favorite books!

[Yudit · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very much loved this book! I have some bias, having gone to Wheaton College and this book being based on the author's experience there. It is a fiction book but I believe a lot of it was autobiographical or at least semi.
I enjoyed learning more about what the campus was like in the mid 20s and was surprised to see many things haven't changed!
But other than being a glance at Wheaton history, this was so much more. This was about a man's personal journey in his relationship with God. The author is very honest about the struggles our main characters are feeling and it is all real and relatable. I enjoy dialog and there was also a lot of realistic dialog throughout as well.
My only fault with the book is that it may have felt a little too fairytale like at times, but this didn't take away from the heart of the novel.
It's too bad this story is out of print because even though the time period may feel a little dated, the struggles, thoughts, and many of the experiences and feelings our characters are going through still hold true today.
(Although the book is out of print, Amazon had a reprinting option and there are a lot of used books available online).

[Kimberlee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is based on a student's experiences at Wharton College in IL after he has spent four years at Princeton set in 1920s. Wharton College is a pseudonym for Wheaton College, and the story recounts Randall MacRae's faith journey during his time on campus. I loved the arch of the plot as well as the geographical descriptions of Wharton/Wheaton. Too the difference in campus culture one hundred years ago to today was very interesting to me, the clubs and societies, the difference between being a townie and a person who lived on campus, the way conflict was handled. One of the characters is a person in the Salvation Army, and that too was educational to me. The book has some musical themes, which I appreciated as well. Published in 1971, the cover of my paperback says that it cost $1.25. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to read this novel. It moved me to tears.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was written in 1930. As such, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised! The author wrote convincingly about life and especially of the fight between secular living and that of surrendering your life to Christ. All this is told through the eyes of Randall MacRae and his love interest, Fay Thurston.

[Reeds]

Hannah's review repeated here incase she erases hers: "D. Randall MacRae, called MacRae by his friends, is a handsome, young 1920's Princeton student who has it all. He is witty and popular with the ladies, a coveted football player on the Princeton team and his wealthy father has a New York office with MacRae's name on it for after his graduation. When MacRae hears unique and beautiful piano music on the streets of New York, he follows the music to a religious service in a tent and finds himself staring at a beautiful and talented girl. Instantly infatuated with her music and looks, MacRae attends the daily Summer services just to watch her play. When he hears of her return to the small, coed, and religious school called Wharton in Illinois, he decides to follow her there with the excuse of assisting the football coach. In this novel, the reader finds himself in MacRae's observant and judging mind (similar to Holden Caulfield's in The Catcher in the Rye) as he experiences life at Wharton with its crazy religious restrictions, unmatched school spirit, and admirably blunt and elusive Fae Thurston (the piano player)."
Written 1930
I think I read in the past that the Wharton College in this story was a re-named Wheaton College.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

D. Randall MacRae, called MacRae by his friends, is a handsome, young 1920's Princeton student who has it all. He is witty and popular with the ladies, a coveted football player on the Princeton team and his wealthy father has a a New York office with MacRae's name on it for after his graduation. When MacRae hears unique and beautiful piano music on the streets of New York, he follows the music to a religous service in tent and finds himself staring at a beautiful and talented girl. Instantly infatuated with her music and looks, MacRae attends the daily Summer services just to watch her play. When he hears of her return to the small, coed, and religous school called Wharton in Illinois, he decides to follow her there with the excuse of assisting the football coach. In this novel, the reader finds himself in MacRae's observant and judging mind(similar to Holden Caulfield's in The Catcher in the Rye)as he expirences life at the Wharton with its crazy religous restrictions, unmatched school spirit, and admirably blunt and elusive Fae Thurston(the piano player).

[Ilesanmi · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing book