Narrator: Richard Paul Evans
ISBN: 978-1982177447
Publisher: Gallery Books
Publication Date: 11/22/2022
Format: Audiobook
My Rating: 5 Stars
Featured Holiday Read
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Christmas Box and the Noel Collection comes A Christmas Memory, a poignant, deeply felt novel about loss, grief, the healing power of forgiveness, and the true meaning of the holiday season.
It’s 1967, and for young Richard it’s a time of heartbreak and turmoil. Over the span of a few months, his brother, Mark, is killed in Vietnam; his father loses his job and moves the family from California to his grandmother’s abandoned home in Utah; and his parents make the painful decision to separate.
With uncertainty rattling every corner of his life, Richard does his best to remain strong—but when he’s run down by bullies at his new school, he meets Mr. Foster, an elderly neighbor who chases off the bullies and invites Richard in for a cup of cocoa. Richard becomes fast friends with the wise, solitary man who inspires Richard’s love for books and whose dog, Gollum, becomes his closest companion.
As the holidays approach, the joy and light of Christmas seem unlikely to permeate the Evans home as things take a grim turn for the worse. And just when it seems like he has nothing left to lose, Richard is confronted by a startling revelation. But with Mr. Foster’s wisdom and kindness, he learns for the first time what truly matters about the spirit of the season: that forgiveness can heal even the deepest wounds, and love endures long after the pain of loss subsides.
In A Christmas Memory, Richard Paul Evans (#1 New York Times bestselling author and the “King of Christmas fiction”) delves deep into his childhood memories to take listeners back to an age when his world felt like it was falling apart, reminding us that even in the darkest of times, the light of hope can still shine.
My Review
Richard Paul Evans returns following The Christmas Box and the Noel Collection with A CHRISTMAS MEMORY—a beautiful story of love, loss, grief, forgiveness, and hope.
It would not be Christmas without the annual Evans audiobook narrated by the author. It is an auto-buy each year and I always look forward to his heartwarming Christmas stories.
We flashback to 1967 when Richard was young. His family is in turmoil after his brother Mark is killed in Vietnam. His father loses his job and moves the family from California to his grandmother's in Utah. With the stress of it all, the parents separate, and his mother has terrible headaches and is very depressed. She is not there for him.
On top of everything, he is bullied at school. The poor kid cannot catch a break until he meets the neighbor, elderly Mr. Foster. His luck changes.
Richard walks Mr. Foster's dog and shovels the snow. He is a kind black man who is wise and takes Richard under his wing. A great cook, his home is warm and inviting. He always has hot cocoa for him, listens, and has terrific stories. He loves books and treats Richard special. Richard respects him and looks up to him, and looks forward to his visits.
He saves his money and works hard. The holidays are approaching and his home life is sad and he does not expect to have a Christmas. However, with Mr. Foster's kindness, he learns that the spirit of the season truly matters and forgiveness can heal the most profound hurt—reminding us that the light of hope can still shine even in the darkest of times.
I loved A CHRISTMAS MEMORY! Touching, heartwarming, and inspiring, a perfect book for the holiday season to remind us what is truly important in life. Suppose we all had a Mr. Foster in our lives.
It will warm your heart—letting go of grief and discovering the healing power of love, holiday magic, and the perfect winter read. Healing and rediscovering the joy of the holidays.
This book was extra special since it was a semi-autobiography from the author.
For fans of author Catherine Ryan Hyde and Viola Shipman. These authors and Richard Paul Evans are favorite storytellers with a gift of multi-generational characters, pairing up with the younger and older who have so much to learn from their elders.
Highly recommend the audiobook! If you can read only one book for Christmas, this is it.
Outstanding!
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: Nov 22, 2022
Favorite Holiday Book
Praise
“[The] master of the holiday tearjerker… Fans of Evans’ work will be both moved by and invested in this semiautobiographical tale.” —Booklist
About the Author
Richard Paul Evans is the #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of more than forty novels. There are currently more than thirty-five million copies of his books in print worldwide, translated into more than twenty-four languages. Richard is the recipient of numerous awards, including two first place Storytelling World Awards, the Romantic Times Best Women’s Novel of the Year Award, and is a five-time recipient of the Religion Communicators Council’s Wilbur Awards. Seven of Richard’s books have been produced as television movies. His first feature film, The Noel Diary, starring Justin Hartley (This Is Us) and acclaimed film director, Charles Shyer (Private Benjamin, Father of the Bride), will debut in 2022. In 2011 Richard began writing Michael Vey, a #1 New York Times bestselling young adult series which has won more than a dozen awards. Richard is the founder of The Christmas Box International, an organization devoted to maintaining emergency children’s shelters and providing services and resources for abused, neglected, or homeless children and young adults. To date, more than 125,000 youths have been helped by the charity. For his humanitarian work, Richard has received the Washington Times Humanitarian of the Century Award and the Volunteers of America National Empathy Award. Richard lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, with his wife, Keri, and their five children and two grandchildren. You can learn more about Richard on his website RichardPaulEvans.com.
