Skip to main content

Another Christmas Story

Dan Walsh published his first novel about three years ago, I believe.  I read the first two novels and enjoyed them.  They were a bit cheesy, but I was impressed particularly by his first novel.  The second was quite predictable.  Recently he published his fourth novel, Remembering Christmas.  I sat down to read it, but found that it was a rare book that I had to pick up and set down.  You see, I never got drawn in.  Let me explain...

Storyline:  The story is about Rick and the Christmas season that changed his life.  He hadn't planned to come down and visit his mom and stepdad.  But, his stepdad, Art, had a brain aneurysm and they needed his help.  He spends several weeks at the shop which bring about a change in his heart.  (Of course there's a little romance thrown in there.)

Writing:   Mr. Walsh's writing in this book is fine.  This book didn't stand out to me, but it wasn't badly written.

Plot:  The plot revolves around the change in Rick's heart.

Why I picked it up and set it down:  It is a rare book (like Terri Blackstock's Covenant Child) that has a protagonist I like who is hard to like.  Rick's character for three-fourths of the book irritated me.  And because the first scene of the book, which sets the stage for the story being a flashback to the past, didn't give me a warm feeling for him, I struggled through the whole book.  It's hard to read a book for fun when you're so irritated with the main character for most of the book. 

It felt a little bit like something I read about the PBS Arthur series once...  Almost the entire show is spent on the conflict.  Only the last few minutes are spent on the resolution.  So, what do kids remember and mimic (according to research)?  The conflict, not the resolution.

That's how this book felt to me.  When I reached the conclusion, all I could remember was the long, drawn out conflict.

Conclusion:  I'd recommend The Homecoming by Dan Walsh instead of this one.  Or, if you're looking for a Christmas story, I'd recommend The Christmas Dog or The Christmas Bus by Melody Carlson that came out a few years ago.  They were much more lighthearted and hopeful to me. 

Please note that I was given a complimentary copy of this book for review by Revell Publishing.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Missing Pieces

The other day I was discussing a book with my mom and explaining to her my concern about how "blame" is cast upon the child in the story.  My mom commented about how deeply I read and consider what is written. Sometimes I wonder if I go overboard.  Am I questioning too much?  Am I overreacting? Why am I reacting this way? I come back to knowing that God wired me this way.  But, I also reflect on how God has guided my path through the maze of books I've read over the past few years and what I've learned from the books themselves and from reading them.   Recently, I read a book that troubled me.  The book I finished reading was  Guiltless Living  by Ginger Hubbard.  When I began reading it, I found myself puzzled and then disconcerted. And in the end, I cried. But, I cried for a different reason than one might suspect. I'd like to explain. I did not read Ms. Hubbard's previous book “ Don't Make Me Count to Three ”, but I knew from f...
Post a Comment
Read more

listening or rather not listening to directions...

This week has been very eye opening. I am observing and noticing what I need to learn in order to be a better homeschooling mom and teacher and what my daughter needs to learn to be a good homeschooling student. My weakness when I was a teacher in a first grade classroom was not understanding how small concepts had to be broken down--and I lost my patience very quickly. This week, in particular today, I am seeing how detailed my directions need to be. I am going to be working very consciously and deliberately on this. On the other hand, I realized that my daughter does not listen! Wowsers! In a classroom, Autumn listens very well. She is a compliant child and very influenced by peer pressure and conformity. So, she listens along with everyone else and follows directions. But, at home, it's just Autumn and maybe Sami and Mommy. Very, very different! I had forgotten that most of kindergarten in the public schools is not focused on teaching students academic and learning co...
1 comment
Read more

Listening to the Bible

The Word of Promise (Bible on CD) I have been reading the Bible for as long as I can remember. I remember being given a Good News Bible when I was in third grade. When I was 14, my great grandmother gave me a copy of the Living Bible. When I went to college, I began to read the NIV and held onto a thin paperback copy for 4 years that I wrote all over. After I graduated from college, I really wanted a nice NIV study Bible and I saved up to buy one. I have held onto it ever since. Last year, I found a tiny ESV leatherbound Bible on clearance and it is now the one I carry with me in my purse. Interestingly enough, after all these years of reading the Bible, I have never listened to it on CD. I've often considered it. I've listened to lots of teaching on CD from Ravi Zacharias, John Piper, and others, but I've never actually listened to the Word on CD. Two weeks ago, I received a copy of the Word of Promise Bible on CD. I opened it up with excitement ...
Post a Comment
Read more