The Loved One

by Catherine Palmer

When Meg Chilton's son announces that he wants to join the military, Meg is devastated. Her husband suffered physical and emotional trauma while fighting in Vietnam, and Meg is afraid that she will lose her only son to war if he enlists. But as Meg researches her family tree, she discovers the deep sacrifices and triumphs of those who went before her, serving this country.

Genres: Christian, Christian Contemporary Fiction, Christian Fiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Catherine Palmer lives in Atlanta with her husband, Tim, where they serve as missionaries in a refugee community. They have two grown sons. Cathy is a graduate of Southwest Baptist University and holds a master's degree in English from Baylor University. Her first book was published in 1988. Since then she has published over 50 novels, many of them national best sellers. Catherine has won numerous awards for her writing, including the Christy Award, the highest honor in Christian fiction. In 2004, she was given the Career Achievement Award for Inspirational Romance by "Romantic Times" magazine. More than 2 million copies of Catherine's novels are currently in print. The Author's Work With her compelling characters and strong message of Christian faith, Catherine is known for writing fiction that "touches the hearts and souls of readers." Her many collections include A Town Called Hope, Treasures of the Heart, Finders Keepers, English Ivy, and the Miss Pickworth series. Catherine also recently coauthored the Four Seasons fiction series with Gary Chapman, the "New York Times" best-selling author of "The Five Love Languages."

Reviews

[booklearner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a few books by Catherine Palmer on my TBR and this is the first I’ve read of her, co-authored with Peggy Stoks. Actually, this was more of a novella and I zipped through it pretty quickly. Published in 2007, it is a little dated but the content and story is still good.

The story has a strong, patriotic bent. But by the time I got to Chapter 2, I could see where the story was going and it was predictable. However, the book flips back and forth between present day and the story of the Chilton forbears and it is the historical fictions that are the most interesting even if the contemporary scenes were repetitive. I appreciated that the stories from the Chilton past were not wrapped up with nice little bows at the end. Rather, the characters sacrificed family, emotional well-being and physical safety in order to do what they knew needed to be done: defend their country.

If you are interested in family history, or are looking for something patriotic to read this season, this short book will probably be just for you!

[Margie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meg's eighteen year old son wants to join the military instead of going to Yale on a full scholarship. He is her only child so no she is not happy nor will she give him her blessing. He claims it's God's will that he join the service. As Meg traces her family history through four wars, the families military service really surprises her. Genealogy, Religion

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

dang this made me cry. I admire those who chose to serve, but I really hope that my future children never come up to me and say they want to be in the army. My heart will not be able to handle it even if it's what God called them to do

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great insight into why people who love freedom and our country choose to fight and go through challenging times in times of war to preserve what they have.
Not a lecture, just an easy, fast read about several generations of a regular family called upon to show amazing courage and bravery...reads like a family journal across generations...great book.

[Heather Leipart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, quick read and not as cheesy as I thought it would be. It was surprisingly entertaining, but this is due more to the flashbacks to different eras throughout that added an extra dimension to the story. I read almost the entire thing in one day on 3 different plane rides so it was good enough to keep me interested and occupied for that time.

[Anita]

There are many levels of letting go: a mother watching a child leave home for the first time, letting a loved one go, etc -- all are difficult in their own way. And the reason for the pain is love. But true love is courageous -- it's being willing to sacrifice everything, to surrender all for the joy and betterment of the other.

[Stephi Cham]

Short, touching read that brings some insight into military life and the people left behind.