Recessional

I read Recessional by James Michner a couple of weeks ago.  It was written in 1994, but I had never

heard of it.  It is a big book, but a quick read. It is a novel about a retirement community in Florida.  I found it interesting because my parents had lived in one for several years and the similarities to their experiences were uncanny!

The basic plot is about a young widowed doctor who walked away from his obstetric practise in Chicago and was then hired to revitalize the Palms.  There were many stories involved in the book, but it was not confusing at all.  Rather, Michner took many of the individual characters living at the Palms and told their stories.  Some of the stories were very touching and others were fascinating.

The story certainly made me think of the sadness that happens as one ages and others don't recognize or acknowledge the life experiences and wisdom that the elderly have.  And the waste of all the great stories untold.

This book was not like other Michner books that I have read in the past with his detail to history and events in time, but given that he was eight-six when he wrote this book, I would guess that it was close to his heart.  It was a good read.