I have been given the opportunity to review a wonderful book by Tyndale House Publishers. They sent me a complimentary copy of the book Old Fashioned by Rene Gutteridge. This book is based on the screenplay by Rik Swartzwelder. The Movie will be released Valentines Day Weekend.
I am not really a huge reader of romance novels. Occasionally I come across something that grabs my attention. This book: Old Fashioned is such a book. The book presents a love story that is counter cultural to our world today. It tells the story of a man who has made a promise to never be alone with a woman who is not his wife, and how his theories of dating and marriage play out in the real world. Clay Walsh, the main male character of the book has been living a life of isolation and solitude for nine years. During this time he has been holding some pretty heavy guilt about his life before he became a Christian. He meets Amber who tends to float in and out of places whenever things begin to require too much commitment. She drives out of town and on to the next place in her life when things get too hard or complicated. Their love story is not your common romance by today's standards. Most girls would not know what to make of a man who takes them for marriage counseling on their first date! The story progresses and quickly the reader becomes charmed by this Clay Walsh and his quirky yet chivalrous behavior. He has a way of making a woman feel like she is something very special, something to be cherished.
I enjoyed this book. I don't read a lot of fiction, and I usually avoid romantic fiction. Frankly there aren't very many books dealing with romance out there I would consider to be safe reading. This book on the other hand is different. The main character is very real. Clay Walsh is a man who is struggling to find his way. He is working in his own strength, and struggles with his own failures and the failures of people he sees around him. Yet through several different people speaking into his life he grows spiritually throughout the course of the book. Amber's character is also realistic. She is likeable and honest. She expresses her frustration at this strange behavior from Clay as he struggles to find a way to lead in their relationship. I really love the honesty of this book. Neither character is viewed as perfect, but each one is moving towards a relationship with God in a powerful way. Even making mistakes along the way as they struggle to learn what it means to have a Godly relationship in a world that isn't.
An underlying theme of this book deals with how men of our culture treat women, how women in our culture allow men to treat them and use them as objects. Clay Walsh is heart broken by his own treatment of women in his past so much so that he is crippled by guilt as he struggles to become a man of God. The book even demonstrates some of the fallout of Clay Walsh's behavior later in life. It is so true to reality. This hookup culture that is so pervasive today demeans the women and the men who are participating in those behaviors. Yet, Clay Walsh is taught that God has washed him clean of his past and there can be freedom.
This book is a novelization of the motion picture Old Fashioned that will be released Valentines day. To see a trailer for the movie go HERE. In addition there is some amazing music they have created just for this movie, and you can pre-order the soundtrack HERE.
In light of other movies that will be released this Valentines season I believe that this movie to be a good alternative. It saddens me that the content of this book is so radical by today's standards. Our popular culture would rather use a woman as a sexual object to be controled by a man rather than as something to be cherished. I love how this book demonstrates that Biblically the man is called to control himself and lay down his life for his wife, rather than be the dominate power used to control and demean women. I am thankful that there are men who are courageous enough to write about and even produce such a movie.
If you are a church or organization and would like more resources on this move please go the Old Fashioned web site. They have a ton of wonderful materials that are available.
I am not really a huge reader of romance novels. Occasionally I come across something that grabs my attention. This book: Old Fashioned is such a book. The book presents a love story that is counter cultural to our world today. It tells the story of a man who has made a promise to never be alone with a woman who is not his wife, and how his theories of dating and marriage play out in the real world. Clay Walsh, the main male character of the book has been living a life of isolation and solitude for nine years. During this time he has been holding some pretty heavy guilt about his life before he became a Christian. He meets Amber who tends to float in and out of places whenever things begin to require too much commitment. She drives out of town and on to the next place in her life when things get too hard or complicated. Their love story is not your common romance by today's standards. Most girls would not know what to make of a man who takes them for marriage counseling on their first date! The story progresses and quickly the reader becomes charmed by this Clay Walsh and his quirky yet chivalrous behavior. He has a way of making a woman feel like she is something very special, something to be cherished.
I enjoyed this book. I don't read a lot of fiction, and I usually avoid romantic fiction. Frankly there aren't very many books dealing with romance out there I would consider to be safe reading. This book on the other hand is different. The main character is very real. Clay Walsh is a man who is struggling to find his way. He is working in his own strength, and struggles with his own failures and the failures of people he sees around him. Yet through several different people speaking into his life he grows spiritually throughout the course of the book. Amber's character is also realistic. She is likeable and honest. She expresses her frustration at this strange behavior from Clay as he struggles to find a way to lead in their relationship. I really love the honesty of this book. Neither character is viewed as perfect, but each one is moving towards a relationship with God in a powerful way. Even making mistakes along the way as they struggle to learn what it means to have a Godly relationship in a world that isn't.
An underlying theme of this book deals with how men of our culture treat women, how women in our culture allow men to treat them and use them as objects. Clay Walsh is heart broken by his own treatment of women in his past so much so that he is crippled by guilt as he struggles to become a man of God. The book even demonstrates some of the fallout of Clay Walsh's behavior later in life. It is so true to reality. This hookup culture that is so pervasive today demeans the women and the men who are participating in those behaviors. Yet, Clay Walsh is taught that God has washed him clean of his past and there can be freedom.
This book is a novelization of the motion picture Old Fashioned that will be released Valentines day. To see a trailer for the movie go HERE. In addition there is some amazing music they have created just for this movie, and you can pre-order the soundtrack HERE.
In light of other movies that will be released this Valentines season I believe that this movie to be a good alternative. It saddens me that the content of this book is so radical by today's standards. Our popular culture would rather use a woman as a sexual object to be controled by a man rather than as something to be cherished. I love how this book demonstrates that Biblically the man is called to control himself and lay down his life for his wife, rather than be the dominate power used to control and demean women. I am thankful that there are men who are courageous enough to write about and even produce such a movie.
If you are a church or organization and would like more resources on this move please go the Old Fashioned web site. They have a ton of wonderful materials that are available.