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Title details for The Christmas List by Richard Paul Evans - Available

The Christmas List

A Novel

by Richard Paul Evans
ebook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
A heartwarming and inspirational Christmas novel in the tradition of The Christmas Box, Grace, The Gift, and Finding Noel. The New York Times bestselling author of The Christmas Box and The Walk series returns with a holiday novel of hope, love, and redemption.
Dear Reader,

When I was in seventh grade, my English teacher, Mrs. Johnson, gave our class the intriguing (if somewhat macabre) assignment of writing our own obituaries. Oddly, I don't remember much of what I wrote about my life, but I do remember how I died: in first place on the final lap of the Daytona 500. At the time, I hadn't considered writing as an occupation, a field with a remarkably low on-the-job casualty rate.

What intrigues me most about Mrs. Johnson's assignment is the opportunity she gave us to confront our own legacy. How do we want to be remembered? That question has motivated our species since the beginning of time: from building pyramids to putting our names on skyscrapers.

As I began to write this book, I had two objectives: First, I wanted to explore what could happen if someone read their obituary before they died and saw, firsthand, what the world really thought of them. Their legacy.

Second, I wanted to write a Christmas story of true redemption. One of my family's holiday traditions is to see a local production of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. I don't know how many times I've seen it (perhaps a dozen), but it still thrills me to see the change that comes over Ebenezer Scrooge as he transforms from a dull, tight-fisted miser into a penitent, "giddy-as-aschoolboy" man with love in his heart. I always leave the show with a smile on my face and a resolve to be a better person. That's what I wanted to share with you, my dear readers, this Christmas—a holiday tale to warm your season, your homes, and your hearts.

Merry Christmas

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    October 6, 2009

  • Formats

    • Kindle Book

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9781439154052

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9781439154052
      • File size: 760 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      October 5, 2009
      Evans returns to his hit series with this latest story of one unfortunate soul whose life seems to be falling to shambles around him after he reads his own obituary in the newspaper three weeks before Christmas. Dossett gives a heartfelt and stirring reading, with nostalgic shades of Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life". He reads with a steady voice, wading deep in character without ever drowning himself in the descriptive tide. "A Simon & Schuster hardcover. (Oct.)" .

    • Library Journal

      October 1, 2009
      It's possible that Santa just won't come if there isn't a new Evans ("A Christmas Box") holiday tale in his bag. This year, it's the story of real-estate mogul James Kier, who gets the chance to read his obituarybefore he dies. What he discovers unnerves him as the death notice portrays a ruthless, friendless man. James decides to make amends to the many people he's hurt over the years. Sure to be a best seller, so buy accordingly. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 6/15/09.]

      Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Booklist

      October 1, 2009
      Evans latest heartwarming tale opens with a man reading his own obituary. Utah businessman James Keir is shocked to open the newspaper one day and find himself greeted with the erroneous news of his death. The mistake allows Keir, whose success is the result of his ruthless business tactics, to see what others really think of him. Strangers cheer his passing, friends turn on him, his girlfriend goes shopping with his credit card . . . and his only defender is Sara, the cancer-stricken wife hes divorcing. The incident spurs him on to make amends for his wrongs. He asks his assistant to make a list of the people hes most wronged in business and resolves to pay them each a visit. The efforts dont go well at firsta former business rival punches Keir, and another committed suicide after Keir wrecked his dreams. Keir eventually realizes that there are people even closer to him that hes wronged much more deeply. Fans of Evans work will find here what theyve come to expect from his books: a touching story of redemption that offers hope for the future if not a pat happy ending.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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