Rating:  -
After recently raving to friends about a new Christmas book that I just read, they introduced me to Evans's, The Christmas Box (which I'd never heard of before), saying if you liked THAT book, then you'll love his. Well, all I can say is, what a huge disappointment. Not only was The Christmas Box a very contrived story, and short (it's not a book, fellow readers, but a short story that took me all of seventy minutes to read!), if it contained one more dialogue tag with an adverb attached (he said eerily; she said tearfully; he said thoughtfully etc., etc., to the point that 9 out of 10 dialogue tags laboured with adverbs) I think I'll jump off a cliff.
If you want to read a book that will make you laugh and cry, will cause you to tell your spouse you love him/her a little more often, will have you hugging your children a little tighter, and where the characters are so real you won't believe they're fictional, read Christmas at Grandfather's House by Mark Leever. (I just heard that Christmas at Grandfather's House is being made into a movie, so if you don't get a copy of the book, see for yourself when it comes to the theatre or television!)
Long story short, if you want to invest an hour or two of your time and see what The Christmas Box is all about, I'd recommend either take it out at your local library, or borrow it from a friend (as I did). Your valuable time is a high enough price to pay for this book; you don't need to add the regret of wasting hard-earned money to go along with it!
Rating:  -
I'm not one for emotional literary melodrama and I've come across two reactions (mainly) to this book. Either one loves it and it brings a charming nostalgia or it is taken as a cheesy attempt at capturing Christmas via the tale of a bereft widow. Set in Salt Lake City, a family with young children moves into a quaint Victorian home (the likes of which I've never seen in dreary and overly suburbian Salt Lake) to care for an elderly widow, and discover this heartwarming old woman lost a child as a young wife. From there, the story loosely ties to the idea of life after death and how to heal through your grief of losing a loved one and how to appreciate your family while you have them. These are all appealing themes but I found this book to be quite commercial and a little too Disney meets the Lifetime channel. If you're into sappy books with overtly Christian themes this might be a good read. Otherwise, stick to Dickens for Christmas family narratives.
Rating:  -
I listened to this book while driving in my car. As a "radio-drama", it was an excellent story. My fifteen-year-old daughter and I cried quite a bit throughout the second half of the story.
The book on tape is told from the father's perspective. He's working too hard and his little girl is growing up to fast. Only, like most of us who get caught in that trap, he doesn't realize just how fast she's growing up until...but that is the story, and I won't ruin it.
Yes, you will know the direction this story is going fairly quickly. No, there are not many surprises. Yet, every once in a while, it is good to hear a story that is sentimental and sweet.
I don't know if I would have enjoyed reading this as a book, but hearing it while driving was a worthwhile experience.
Rating:  -
The Christmas Box should be a staple in every household and read every Christmas children and adults alike. The meaning of Christmas has been lost to many. Evans relates the true meaning of Christmas in a story he wrote for his daughters to remember the widow who took them in. Not only did she house them as long as they did their share, she made sure that she helped Evans to know exactly where his priorities lie.
Rating:  -
A good story for the entire family. A well written feel good holiday story. Quick read, and yes a little mushy but will leave you all warm and fuzzy.
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