Click to Enlarge

Tour De Force By Elizabeth White Our Price $ 11.43   Retail Value $ 12.99   You Save $ 1.56  (12%)   Item Number 477235   Buy New Item Quantity: 1              2 ABOUT TRUST ONLINE

Leaving Carolina: A Novel (Southern Discomfort) Item: 527539

	Just as fantastic as I expected it to be  Oct 14, 2009
Review by Gretchen Hoffman I love ballet. Although I never got past intermediate ballet class as a kid, I love going to see dance performances, and if there's a book about dancers, you bet it'll pique my interest. Gillian Kincade is an upcoming ballet star in the New York dance scene. Jacob Ferrar left the glitz of performing to become an artistic director, focusing on dance that glorifies God. When Jacob offers Gilly the lead in his play, she has to decide where she's supposed to be. But after an accident, the dancing future for both becomes uncertain, and they must learn to trust where God leads. This book was just as fantastic as I expected it to be. (The cover alone made me want to read this! Especially since I love ballet.) The main characters were so fun, and the secondary characters were just as intriguing and well written as the main ones. I especially liked how real everyone was. Gillian and Jacob were not perfect by any means--they struggled with how to express their Christianity in everyday life and where the line is between tolerance of others' lifestyles and still sticking up for morality and truth. Sometimes it seems like the characters in books have it all figured out, but Gilly and Jacob didn't, and the book didn't end with them suddenly being able to perfectly balance their ideals with non-Christians around them. Life doesn't always have simple answers, and this book showed that. Plus, Ms. White did an excellent job of showing God's miracles. Although miracles seem rare nowadays, God is always faithful, and miracles today are just as real as they ever were. An excellent read. I will be getting more of Elizabeth White's books for sure.
	A Tender Love Story  Sep 30, 2009
This love story was a pleasure to read. The characters were creative and endearing. I loved both Gillian and Jacob; two people with faith and flaws. From the first page of the book the reader is drawn into a story that becomes both a journey and a dance. Gillian and Jacob have their own personal issues, weaknesses to resolve, as well as professional and relational. The settings of the New York ballet and a regional dance company in Alabama were both new and refreshing. I enjoyed every page, every conflict and resolution, and the sweet romance touched my heart. Clear your weekend, for once you begin this novel you will not want to stop until the dance is complete. Enjoy!
	thought provoking  Sep 11, 2009
Every little girls dream is to be a ballerina, isn't it? I remember dancing for many years imagining what it would be like to be one. Unfortunately I have elephant feet and didn't get far (only took me 11 years to figure that out hehe) So when Gillian (Gilly as her friends call her) get the opportunity to dance as a soloist there is no looking back - a whole new world opens up. But even more important to Gillian is her faith in Christ and how she displays it to her dance friends and family. To complicate her world she finds there may be more to life than dancing... Tour de Force by Elizabeth White is definitely modern and thought provoking work of fiction. I was surprised by some of the topics and characters in her book (ie. her dance partner is gay, and her friend has an abortion) but in all honestly I do think it is a realistic look at the dance world and the characteristics of our fallen world. I enjoyed White's heroine and her strong characteristics, yet innocence still in tact. I like that she presented the struggles right out and didn't side-step them but dealt with them. A possible stumble for some people maybe that there are a lot of ballet terms in it. I like that White gives you the list of terms if your unfamiliar with them (it shows she knows her stuff), but it is easier if you actually know what they are or you'll be flipping a lot. The only thing that bothered me was the minor detail of a minor character Graham the six year old nephew of the leading man Jacob(his sister died and he was the guardian). He reminded me more of my three year old instead of an actual six year old. He could have been cast as a three year old with the same effect. Anyhow, like I said minor detail lol If you like raw emotion, a bit of romance, and some definite "issues" to be dealt with you'll enjoy this coming of age book a lot!
	Book Review: Tour de Force  Aug 27, 2009
The Review This year has been a great time for me to discover Christian Fiction. Although I've read a considerable amount of Christian YA Fiction, this was my first adult Christian book that I've been presented for review. I have come to really enjoy reading stories about people struggling to lead honorable lives that radiate their faith. Being a Christian for many years, my relationship with God has been strong at times and weak at others. But the truth of my heart is that Jesus is at the center of it. However, for me, learning to live a life that honor that love is sometimes difficult when you've got the pressures of real life around you. I admit that, at times, I've been angry with God and at other times I've completely lived to glorify him. What is interesting to me about reading fiction with the heroes/heroines as strong Christians, is that I am reminded that you can make good choices in your life that honor your faith. In the case of this story, our heroine Gilly is a prima ballerina for BNY. She's world traveled and at the beginning of the height of her career. She's got a very supportive family who helps to keep her rooted in her faith. On the other hand, she works amidst a secular team of people who she feels the innate need to exhibit her love of God to. The great thing about Gilly is that she attempts to demonstrate this through the witnessing of her life rather than the use of preaching of words. Gilly meets Jacob and the reader knows that this duo is headed for a destiny of marriage and family. However, their age difference, lifestyle, and work commitments refrain them from making a logistic connection. Despite the odds stacked against them, they have God at the center of their relationship. With this in place, there is not much that either of them can do to avoid the inevitable... which is an eventual future together. In addition to my ability to relate to this book from a Christian viewpoint, I also easily bonded with the book as it centered around dance. Dance, music, and the performing arts have been my passion since I was a young girl. Dance lessons were a very important part of my life and my heart. Although I was not a ballet dancer, I've taken many a course in my past. And, I love love love to watch ballet. So, this read just drew me in and held me there... in first position! Overall, this book was just RIGHT UP MY ALLEY! Dance, love, God... what more can I ask for? It was the perfect read for me. The Rating On Sher's "Out of Ten Scale," I would rate this book an 8.5 out of 10. I think that Elizabeth White wrote a very solid book! I enjoyed the characters of Gilly, Victoria, Jabob, Graham, and Dimtri very much. In addition to the cast of characters, I loved the way that White used the element of tragedy and miracles to confirm God's work in our lives. It was just what I needed to remind me of the possibility of God's miracles in my own life.
	Excellent Read!  Aug 4, 2009
I received Tour de Force several weeks ago in return for participating in this blog tour. I had several books "in line" ahead of it, but was especially looking forward to reading this one. Just after I started reading it, I came down with a bug...an icky cough, fever, ache-all-over bug. It was the perfect "sick read"...a great story you don't want to put down, but not deep or heavy. But don't wait until you get sick to read this one! From the media release... "Gillian Kincade is a soloist with Ballet New York, a sought-after guest artist, and a committed Christian. Though she may be an anomaly in the world of dance, Gilly believes her devotion to God isn't compromised by following her dreams. Then she meets Jacob Ferrar. "Jacob is the brilliant young artistic director of the Birmingham Ballet Theatre and a born-again Christian. When he offers Gillian the lead in his latest ballet she accepts, knowing it won't necessarily further her career, but it will touch her soul. "On the chaotic road to opening night, Gilly and Jacob develop a deep professional respect for each other and begin to fall in love. Then their brilliant first performance is destroyed by a terrible accident, and suddenly both must face an uncertain future. Together, they dance the fine line between personal vision and God's will, listening for the guidance of the Father's heart. " Gilly and Jacob were two of my favorite characters in a while. Jacob's little nephew, Graham, also wound his way into my heart. I really appreciated the character development in all the characters...the "good guys" weren't all good, and the "bad guys" weren't all bad...they were "real" people, with strengths and weaknesses, some flawed more than others. Another aspect of this book that intrigued me was the "Christians and the Arts" theme. Elizabeth says in the Author's Note, "I wanted to explore the fact that Christian artists in any field--music, dance, literature, art--often face tough decisions about how and where art infuses Christian lifestyle...The only way I knew how to tackle the subject was to create characters who must face those questions, take a stand, and either live for God--or not." She tackled it well...as well as creating characters who struggle with other very real and difficult issues...all while crafting a story that comes across as entertaining rather than heavy.

Write your own review about Tour De Force

Contact Info
1-800-381-8079
International +1-678-546-9300
Contact Us – Contact Us

Address
Bible Knowledge Bookstore
1734 Clarkson Rd
Suite 234
Chesterfield MO 63017
1-800-381-8079

Store Policies
Customer Service
Shipping Info
Return Policy
Terms of Use
Privacy Policy

Account Info
My Account
Track My Order
Gift Certificates
Newsletter