Christmas, Present

by Jacquelyn Mitchard

Book Overview

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Deep End of the Ocean comes this heartwarming Christmas story of a family who comes together during the holiday season as they learn a powerful lesson about love and to live each year of their lives as if it were their last.

A fourteenth wedding anniversary is nothing to sneeze at, Elliott Banner knows, but it's not exactly a landmark year--like fifteen, or twenty, when he plans to take...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060565578
• ISBN13: 9780060565572
• Release Date: October 2003
• Publisher: Harper
• Length: 132 Pages
• Weight: 0.54 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.0" x 7.1"

Customer Reviews

A quick, soulful antidote for Christmas bedlam

I recently lost my mother to a disease that moved only slightly less rapidly than Mitchard's central character's, but the reality was much the same. The author manages to capture the pain, urgency and humor of such a time. Those last days with a loved one are both awful and wonderful. The holiday timing only adds to the poignant nature of the book. I also respect the author for the tight prose. Its hard to write a good, short book, but Mitchard manages it while retaining her trademark,every day realism. A smart, mature take on family and life. Just the read if you need a little soulful perspective when you return home from the Christmas bedlam at the shopping mall. Bravo.

MUST READ

Christmas Present... Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Jacqueline Mitchard does it again! Her words wrap you in a wonderful, poignant story that will hold you through every page, evoking laughter, tears and a sense of peacefulness. This is a MUST READ & MUST ADD to your library and a MUST GIVE as a Christmas Present...

WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE

I have to admit that I looked at this book with great cynicism. Imagine my pleasant surprise to find myself so gripped by the story that I could not put it down until I had finished it. I am a long-time Mitchard fan, and I think the reason I loved this book so much is the reason I run out to the store every time I hear she has a new one: she takes her stories seriously. This is the sort of topic that could easily turn into a gooey mess, but Mitchard's characterizations are so true to life that you feel like you're losing a loved one by the end of the story. I cannot recommend this book enough. What a great Christmas present!

A Must Read!!!!

Once again,Jacquelyn Mitchard has written an amazingly touching and poetic book! Christmas Present is one of the most beautifully written books that I have ever had the pleasure to read.I actually read it in one evening as I could not put it down!!I highly recommend this book to anyone who appriecates a good read as well as a good cry!!Buy the book!!!!

Brevity is the Soul of Mitchard

As far as I know, this author is noted for long novels; so this short work must be a real departure for the writer who rocketed to fame with "The Deep End of the Ocean" and other hefty narratives. My point is this: "Christmas, Present" might be to Mitchard's work what "The Old Man and the Sea" was to Hemingway's canon or what "The Long March" is to William Styron or what "Sula" is to Toni Morrison. It's a perfectly formed, incredibly concise, deeply moving short novel. This is proof positive that Artie Shaw was right when saying: "Simple is best." NOT simple-minded, but simple in the sense that the story's contours, its characters, the time-frame and the details are all so incredibly right. Yes, it's a family-oriented novel (like Mitchard's other works); and yes it bears down heavily on the intricacies of parent-child relationships and also the connective tissue between a dying wife and her traumatized husband. But the magic here is in the author's control of her material: this book can be read in one long sitting; it's a perfect stocking-stuffer. It's also a short novel that will touch your soul. What a work! Grab a copy w/a box of Kleenex.