The Anniversary Waltz by Darrel Nelson - REVIEWED

About this book: (from the publisher)
At their sixtieth anniversary party, Adam Carlson asks his wife, Elizabeth, for their customary waltz. After the dance they gather the family and share their story—a story of love and courage overcoming adversity and thriving in the face of overwhelming odds.

It’s the summer of 1946, and Adam has just returned from the war to his home in Reunion, Montana. At a town festival he meets Elizabeth Baxter, a young woman going steady with his former high school rival and now influential banker, Nathan Roberts.

When Adam and Elizabeth share a waltz in a deserted pavilion one evening, their feelings begin to grow and they embark on a journey, and a dance, that will last a lifetime.

My Thoughts:

Believe me, if all those endearing young charms,

Which I gaze on so fondly today,

Were to change by tomorrow, and fleet in my arms,

Like fairy gifts, fading away,

Thou wouldst still be adored as this moment thou art,

Let thy loveliness fade as it will,

And around the dear ruin each wish of my heart

Would entwine itself verdantly still.

Thomas Moore – 1820   

(and Adam Carlson more than 200 years later from the pages of The Anniversary Waltz)

If you want your heart to be swept away into American History, just as our soldiers were returning from war, and lifted into the arms of a romance that begins between a very unlikely couple….you need to pick up a copy of Darrel Nelson’s novel, The Anniversary Waltz! Today!

I’m a huge fan of this era, and Nelson captures the nuances, both positively and negatively, about this time period.  He uses a very believable cast of characters and challenges them with a variety of relational weaknesses.  Then he introduces romance, and he challenges that until it is questionable if the relationship will even survive.  Adam and Elizabeth are the two that wind up in the center of this very well planned storm, and they become very dear to the reader’s heart by the time you reach the final chapter!

This is a book to be read at your leisure – soak in its emotions and revel in the depth of its truth.  You may even shed a tear or two – I did!

PS  This is his first published book!! I can't wait for more!!

About the Author:
I am a schoolteacher by profession and have taught school for (thir—ahem!) years. I grew up in Raymond, Alberta, and attended the University of Lethbridge after graduating from high school and serving a two-year mission to Japan. During university, I met and married Marsha Smith, and we are the parents of four children, which has grown to include their spouses and our ten grandchildren.

I have always loved to write. I started writing stories before I was old enough to realize I was writing stories. It seemed a natural thing to pick up a pencil and paper and create a world simply by using words—worlds of adventure in steaming jungles (Tarzan was an early influence on me) or realms of adventure in outer space (Buck Rogers). But as I have grown older, I have discovered that the real inspiration for me is exploring the theme of love and how it can make such a difference in the world.

I’ve had an article published in Lethbridge Magazine and have written several dramatic plays, two of which won provincial recognition and were showcased at a drama festival. I won the CJOC radio songwriting contest two years running, and have had one of my songs receive international airplay. I have written four novels intended for the juvenile market. They are unpublished as yet, but I read them annually to my fourth grade students and my students tell me they love them, the darlings.

  THE ANNIVERSARY WALTZ is my first novel to be published and arrived in selected bookstores in May, 2012. It is intended for the adult readers’ market. My second novel, The Return of Cassandra Todd, is also intended for the adult readers’ market and will be available in 2013. I am currently at work on my third novel, A Wedding at Angelo’s, which like the other two is a stand-alone novel, not a sequel. I hope to write a sequel to each published novel sometime in the future.