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Pale Tides
Love and Loss in a Culture Seduced by Legalism and Secularism
It’s the late 1960s and Robert Macon heads off to a small Christian college. Eager and hopeful, it’s there that he expects to find friendship, love, and God. He couldn’t have been more wrong. Instead, he meets a merciless, strict set of rules and forces that seem set against him. Excluded, confused, and longing for acceptance, he delves into the provocative counterculture of flower-power and free-love. Ensnared between opposing worlds, Robert sets out on a spiritual journey in search of truth and integrity.
And it’s the current day, when a man haunted by the past returns to California to seek internal reconciliation. Instead, he is shocked to discover that choices he made years ago have born significant consequences. He now faces the biggest challenge of his life.
It’s the late 1960s and Robert Macon heads off to a small Christian college. Eager and hopeful, it’s there that he expects to find friendship, love, and God. He couldn’t have been more wrong. Instead, he meets a merciless, strict set of rules and forces that seem set against him. Excluded, confused, and longing for acceptance, he delves into the provocative counterculture of flower-power and free-love. Ensnared between opposing worlds, Robert sets out on a spiritual journey in search of truth and integrity.
And it’s the current day, when a man haunted by the past returns to California to seek internal reconciliation. Instead, he is shocked to discover that choices he made years ago have born significant consequences. He now faces the biggest challenge of his life.
Kindle Edition
First published September 6, 2011
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12 people want to read
About the author
Cass Tell
34 books22 followersCass Tell is the pen name of an author of suspense action/thriller novels. The plots of his novels often contain underlying thought-provoking themes of love, culture, religion and worldview.
His adrenalin-driven stories contain bait-and-hook plots filled with intrigue and emotional resonance. The main characters in his books tend to be somewhat broken souls struggling against insurmountable forces. Staged in fascinating international settings, his novels always leave an after-thought and provide a unique reading experience.
Cass Tell does not want to be in public light, guards his privacy and avoids disclosing his true identity. He does most of his writing from a small village on the Costa Brava in Spain. When he is not writing he travels the world. His novels tend to be set in international settings, and he has visited most places that appear in his novels.
Cass Tell’s parents were from Europe but he spent some years attending school in the western part of the United States. After graduating from university he worked for large corporations and then started and sold a company which allowed him some financial independence. Wanting to explore other avenues, he left the business world to reflect on bigger issues and fulfil his passion for writing fiction.
His adrenalin-driven stories contain bait-and-hook plots filled with intrigue and emotional resonance. The main characters in his books tend to be somewhat broken souls struggling against insurmountable forces. Staged in fascinating international settings, his novels always leave an after-thought and provide a unique reading experience.
Cass Tell does not want to be in public light, guards his privacy and avoids disclosing his true identity. He does most of his writing from a small village on the Costa Brava in Spain. When he is not writing he travels the world. His novels tend to be set in international settings, and he has visited most places that appear in his novels.
Cass Tell’s parents were from Europe but he spent some years attending school in the western part of the United States. After graduating from university he worked for large corporations and then started and sold a company which allowed him some financial independence. Wanting to explore other avenues, he left the business world to reflect on bigger issues and fulfil his passion for writing fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 22, 2020
Robert, aren’t you sick of all the religious stuff?” “Church is pretty boring,” I replied. “No not just church, but all the rules. I’ve had it all my life, growing up in the church headquarters in Tulsa, with everyone watching me and my friends. Having to carry the burden as the preacher’s kid, the leader’s kid, the missionary’s kid, the church secretary’s kid. No matter what you are, there is some special behavior that is expected.
Robert attends a legalistic and traditional school where rules are enforced and religion is the structure. As a child growing up in the 1960's he is in the heart of the pentecoastal movement where sin was constantly on the minds of people who tries to live for God.Robert is only a seventeen scrawny boy who only wants to please God and make good grades. However, he is questioned constantly about his faith in God and he wonders if he is ever going to find any relief in a faith that he was taught to embrace. Along with his friend Eddie, he tries to live up to his impossible standard of holiness but he constanlty fails. Yet he finds solance in a trusted companion and playing sports where he can escape from all the regulations that he is forced to obey.
Shifting from the Past and the present, Robert's journey to redemption is not an easy task but he is not going to let the influence of his peers determine his reality in life. Robert finds the true meaning of love and redemption in this remarkable novel about loyalty, faith and love.
This was my biography in a nutshell! I lived this life for years trying to please this god that I was taught to adore. I was taught all of this ridiclous rules that had me questioning God for years until I had a sudden revelation about Him.
Every passage in this novel I related too. I was Robert, this book hit too close to home. I felt like I was a character in the middle of the story trying and trying and TRYING to please this 'invisible' God that I supposed to reverence.
This has now become my favorite book I have read this year and possibly life.
Very transformative, this was compelling, emotional and life-changing.
Highly Highly Reccomended!
Robert attends a legalistic and traditional school where rules are enforced and religion is the structure. As a child growing up in the 1960's he is in the heart of the pentecoastal movement where sin was constantly on the minds of people who tries to live for God.Robert is only a seventeen scrawny boy who only wants to please God and make good grades. However, he is questioned constantly about his faith in God and he wonders if he is ever going to find any relief in a faith that he was taught to embrace. Along with his friend Eddie, he tries to live up to his impossible standard of holiness but he constanlty fails. Yet he finds solance in a trusted companion and playing sports where he can escape from all the regulations that he is forced to obey.
Shifting from the Past and the present, Robert's journey to redemption is not an easy task but he is not going to let the influence of his peers determine his reality in life. Robert finds the true meaning of love and redemption in this remarkable novel about loyalty, faith and love.
This was my biography in a nutshell! I lived this life for years trying to please this god that I was taught to adore. I was taught all of this ridiclous rules that had me questioning God for years until I had a sudden revelation about Him.
Every passage in this novel I related too. I was Robert, this book hit too close to home. I felt like I was a character in the middle of the story trying and trying and TRYING to please this 'invisible' God that I supposed to reverence.
This has now become my favorite book I have read this year and possibly life.
Very transformative, this was compelling, emotional and life-changing.
Highly Highly Reccomended!
February 1, 2020
Pale Tides
Strong use of characterization. Also using past and present situations made for enjoyable story telling. Expected a safe ending but was surprised.
Strong use of characterization. Also using past and present situations made for enjoyable story telling. Expected a safe ending but was surprised.
June 13, 2013
Being raised in the secular European culture, pale tides gave me some insight about Christian colleges in the states. It made me understand why so many turned away from these legalistic views some of them teach about the belief in god, which seemed to be one of being perfect and holy and obedient to the rules rather than embracing gods love and grace in our lives. No wonder, the main character is full of guilty thoughts that he can never live up to these standards, and then turns away to the hippie movement who proclaims freedom and free love. But in realizing that this was a wrong escape and this idealistic freedom in fact a cage, he meets these jesus followers, who seemed to be radical, but on the other hand gave him the experience what gods grace and a spiritual life as a follower of Christ really means and he finds his own way and his love of his life, which breaks even the rules of standard society…..
February 1, 2020
Reflections
This is a story of how a prank shaped the life of a young man and how an encounter with Jesus then s sports agent changed his life. An amazingly clear expression of the difference between s relationship with God and a relationship with religion.
This is a story of how a prank shaped the life of a young man and how an encounter with Jesus then s sports agent changed his life. An amazingly clear expression of the difference between s relationship with God and a relationship with religion.
January 13, 2024
powerful story
Some of the places and people are real. Names changed. I new some of them through my brother. A journey of grace well told. You won’t be disappointed.
Some of the places and people are real. Names changed. I new some of them through my brother. A journey of grace well told. You won’t be disappointed.
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March 15, 2013I've been asked why I wrote Pale Tides, which is a deviation from my action driven novels. Pale Tides is more literary in nature and covers the story of a young man struggling between religious fundamentalism and free love.
To answer the question, I have a strong interest in cultures and world-views, and believe that the 1960's represented a tremendous paradigm shift in the western world. California was on the cutting edge of this shift and I felt it would provide an ideal setting for a novel. In the 60's there was a great conflict between the main-stream culture and the emerging counter-culture. Also, I actually met someone who told me his story of living during that time and the plot-line of Pale Tides is loosely built on his true story.
So, I attempted to capture the conflict and the ideas at play. It is a contrast between high unattainable idealism versus relativistic cynicism. But it also goes deeper by exploring themes of religion and finding God. And, it doesn't only deal with the past. I also brought it forward to see how the culture of that time has worked its way out into the modern day.
Pale Tides centres on Robert Macon a somewhat immature and naïve college freshman with a talent for basketball, who enrolls at a Christian college with very strict rules. Students are demanded to maintain near-impossible standards of "holiness". He becomes disillusioned, and he turns to the counter-culture, a universe swirling with loose sex, racial tensions, and Jesus freaks. Within the story I imbedded a present-day narrative with a much older and wiser Robert travelling along the Pacific coast on his way toward a shocking revelation.
In terms of style I tried to keep the story reflective, imbedded with moments of humour, with the world seen through the perspective of that time. The story also has some unpredictable moments which I hope will keep readers on their toes. And I know that the story has some controversial themes which will rankle some readers.
Honestly, it was quite a task to research and write Pale Tides, but I'm satisfied with the result. I enjoy writing the action/thrillers, but definitely will be deviating from this genre once in a while to create other reflective works like Pale Tides.
To answer the question, I have a strong interest in cultures and world-views, and believe that the 1960's represented a tremendous paradigm shift in the western world. California was on the cutting edge of this shift and I felt it would provide an ideal setting for a novel. In the 60's there was a great conflict between the main-stream culture and the emerging counter-culture. Also, I actually met someone who told me his story of living during that time and the plot-line of Pale Tides is loosely built on his true story.
So, I attempted to capture the conflict and the ideas at play. It is a contrast between high unattainable idealism versus relativistic cynicism. But it also goes deeper by exploring themes of religion and finding God. And, it doesn't only deal with the past. I also brought it forward to see how the culture of that time has worked its way out into the modern day.
Pale Tides centres on Robert Macon a somewhat immature and naïve college freshman with a talent for basketball, who enrolls at a Christian college with very strict rules. Students are demanded to maintain near-impossible standards of "holiness". He becomes disillusioned, and he turns to the counter-culture, a universe swirling with loose sex, racial tensions, and Jesus freaks. Within the story I imbedded a present-day narrative with a much older and wiser Robert travelling along the Pacific coast on his way toward a shocking revelation.
In terms of style I tried to keep the story reflective, imbedded with moments of humour, with the world seen through the perspective of that time. The story also has some unpredictable moments which I hope will keep readers on their toes. And I know that the story has some controversial themes which will rankle some readers.
Honestly, it was quite a task to research and write Pale Tides, but I'm satisfied with the result. I enjoy writing the action/thrillers, but definitely will be deviating from this genre once in a while to create other reflective works like Pale Tides.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews